Nicholas Matthew Condy, British 1816-1851- A first rate ship-of-the-line beating up Plymouth Sound and calling for a pilot to take her into the Hamoaze; oil on panel, 37.3 x 45.8 cm. Provenance: Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 10 December 2020, lot...

Nicholas Matthew Condy,

British 1816-1851-

A first rate ship-of-the-line beating up Plymouth Sound and calling for a pilot to take her into the Hamoaze;

oil on panel, 37.3 x 45.8 cm.

Provenance: Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 10 December 2020, lot 103.

Note: Condy, who grew up and lived in Plymouth until his death, took to recording the ships that made up the fabric of his daily life. His work gained admiration from the Earl of Egremont, one of Turner’s patrons, and he exhibited three maritime paintings at the Royal Academy between 1842 and 1845.

In the present work, the first-rate ship sits at the centre of the composition with the pilot boat in the left foreground transporting the maritime pilots between land and the ship, which is to be piloted from Plymouth Sound into the Hamoaze, its primary inflow of water. The Hamoaze flows past Devonport Dockyard, one of three major bases of the Royal Navy today.