Britain and the Sea

Britain and the Sea: Maritime Drawings and Watercolors from The Huntington's Art Collections. Curated by Melinda McCurdy.

An island nation, Great Britain has always had a strong connection to the sea. The tradition of maritime painting established itself in Britain with the arrival of the Van de Veldes, a father-son team of Dutch marine painters, at the court of Charles II in 1673. Alongside the rise of British nautical power, maritime painting became a valued specialization, and its practitioners often possessed a seafaring background. The 18th and 19th centuries, especially, saw plentiful demand for their services: British shipping reached its acme, generating great wealth through trade, while the Napoleonic Wars gave ample reason to celebrate the successful Royal Navy. At a time when British authority stemmed from its mastery of the sea, maritime art became an essential tool for shaping concepts of national identity. From documentary records of important battles to dramatic, romantic views of wind-tossed ships, the images on display in this exhibition reveal a nation passing from the threat of war to command a prosperous peace.