"Shipwreck in the port"
Claude Joseph Vernet (Avignon 1714 - Paris 1789)
Oil on canvas
Period: Second half of the 18th century
Gilt Louis XV frame
Canvas 93 x 67 cm, frame 114 x 87 cm
Excellent condition
This splendid painting, full of charm and spectacular effect, depicts a lively shipwreck scene, illuminated by a break of blue sky opening through the dark clouds during the storm.
The work, of remarkable beauty, is set in a Mediterranean port and highlights all the pictorial, chromatic, and descriptive characteristics of the marine landscapes of the great French master Claude Joseph Vernet, in one of his most representative compositions, namely, a shipwreck scene.
His famous marine depictions, with the extraordinary and inimitable atmospheric conditions always teetering between darkness and light, between calm and storm, express contrasting feelings, made even more intense by a palette of vibrant colors.
The canvas is generously sized and allows the author to describe a sequence of small scenes where the shipwrecked desperately struggle to assist the men still in the sea, or lying senseless on the coast.
A sailboat has crashed on the rocks of the cliff, and a lifeboat overflowing with shipwrecked people tries to reach the shore, where a large group of survivors shouts desperately in an attempt to help the victims.
Against the light stands the dark bulk of a lantern, and in the distance, one can glimpse the silhouette of a second sailboat at the mercy of the stormy sea.
The extraordinary chiaroscuro effect of this magnificent composition is highlighted by the violent contrasts between the dark areas and the dazzling light of the blue sky, and constitutes a peculiar element of Vernet's artistic repertoire.
The work is in excellent condition and is complete with its splendid Louis XV frame, finely carved and gilded.
The pictorial quality of the painting is decidedly high level and, also considering the dimensions, is placed in the best production of his workshop.
All images of the work are published on the private site:
https://www.antichitaischia.it/it/prodotto/naufragio-nel-porto-
Certificate of authenticity (FIMA)
Negotiable price and personalized payments offered
Direct delivery or shipping in a tracked and insured wooden crate.
