HMS Victory (1737)

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Peter Monamy was one of the first English artists to establish a native school of marine painting. His work is often alleged to "show an overwhelming influence of the Dutch style", but the authentic works created by him during his 45 year London career convincingly demonstrate that this influence was a great deal less than "overwhelming". In 1696 Monamy, aged 15, was bound apprentice for seven years to a former Master of the Painter-Stainer's Company, and was obviously trained and taught by him. It has repeatedly been asserted that he "may have" worked in van de Velde’s studio in Greenwich, but there is no evidence whatsoever of this supposed employment. Any such employment is exceedingly unlikely, and in fact virtually impossible. The van de Veldes ceased to maintain a studio in Greenwich soon after the 1689 Revolution of William III, and apparently moved their business to Covent Garden. At this time Monamy was 8-10 years old.

The Loss of the 'Victory', 4 October 1744, is a dramatic night scene in the native English taste. It is highly atmospheric, slightly naive, and discernibly unlike anything by the van de Veldes. The ship was recognized in her day as ‘the finest ship in the world’, but was wrecked and lost with all hands on the Caskets, near the island of Alderney in the English Channel after becoming separated from the rest of the English fleet in a gale.

In the painting, which is portrait format, the solitary vessel is going down with lanterns alight and firing two of her guns – their light eerily mirrored by the moonlight streaming down from behind the dark storm clouds in the sky. The painting could arguably be seen as an early visual example of the 18th-century taste for the sublime.

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