Robert Parr [&] Pierre Charles Canot after Monamy [&] Swaine.

Fresh Gale [&] A Strong Gale or Squall

15 x 11.5 inches

A pair of copper plate engraving in, vibrant, original hand colour depicting weather conditions out at sea. Engraved by Parr and Canot after the drawings of Monamy and Swaine and published in London by both John Bowles and Laurie and Whittle, circa 1790-94.

England in the C18th was a fiercely maritime nation, constantly at war on the open seas with neighbouring European countries. The Royal Navy was deeply respected and employed huge numbers in the defence of the realm. The population would have been acutely aware of maritime lore and the importance of ships so these prints would have been immensely popular images. In one we see battle ships frantically adjusting the rigging as the wind picks up whilst in the other vignette, the swell of the ocean is causing trouble for a fishing vessel on the cusp of capsizing. Although not topographically linked to anywhere in particular, scenes such as these would have been familiar from Folkstone to Falmouth and Portsmouth to Plymouth.

£1200 Pair