Swanage
Description:
Two men attempt to haul a boat (one other man inside) to shore in a storm. A variety of ships out to sea appear lashed by the wind and waves. To the right of the image there is a house on the shore, directly on the water's edge. The small but distinct figure of a person holding an umbrella appears to observe the storm from the balcony. A beach and a forested area behind the house frame the right side of the image; a shored row boat juts out of the left corner into the foreground, and a cliff extends along the middleground of the left side.
Copyright:
Copyright, 2009, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Accession Number:
DA625 + D185 Swanage
Height (in centimeters):
22
Width (in centimeters):
30
Associated Events
Daniell took a voyage around Great Britain (1814-1825) from which he created a set of over three hundred color aquatint images, entitled Voyage Round Great Britain. Swanage is a piece from this set.Associated Texts
William Daniell's Voyage Round Great Britain (1824)Subject
William Daniell's hand-colored aquatint depicts a storm off the coast, lashing the ships out at sea and crashing around the men attempting to drag their boat ashore.Theme
Marine. Seascape. Nature.Significance
William Daniell's hand-colored aquatint illustrates the tension between Britain's perception of itself as a great maritime power and the natural, man-defying power of the sea. The use of light on the foaming edges of the waves calls the viewer’s attention to this tension as it is focalized in the struggle of the men with the boat. Deep shadows fall over sections of the distant sea, which work together with the grey sky and the rough waves to create the ominous image of a storm capable of overcoming, at any moment, the laboring, leaning ships.Bibliography
British Library Integrated Catalogue. The British Library Board. 1 April 2009.Long Title
Call No: DA625 + D185Featured in Exhibit:
From the Collection:
Engraver:
Image Date:
1823
Publisher:
Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green
