Clarkson Frederic Stanfield – Lively Coastline With Beached Boat – Oil On Canvas – Signed

Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (1793-1867)
Lively Coastal Scene with Beached Boat
Oil on canvas
60.5 cm x 41 cm

This remarkable seascape by Clarkson Frederick Stanfield brilliantly illustrates the artist's talent for capturing the atmosphere of European coastlines. The composition presents a picturesque scene where a large, beached sailing boat dominates the foreground, a testament to daily maritime activity.

The work is distinguished by its delicate treatment of light: a cloudy sky in shades of pearly gray-blue bathes the scene in a diffuse light characteristic of northern skies. In the background, a picturesque coastal structure, perhaps an old guardhouse or a ruined harbor building, adds a romantic and architectural dimension to the composition.

Stanfield demonstrates here his technical mastery in rendering different textures: the weathered wood of the boat, the damp sand of the shore, the eroded stones, and the white cliffs standing out on the horizon. The figures animating the scene—fishermen and village women going about their daily lives—lend life and scale to the whole.

The restrained and harmonious color palette, dominated by grays, ochres, and off-whites, reveals the influence of the Dutch school, which Stanfield deeply admired.

The work is signed and dated in the lower right corner (though the date is difficult to read). It is clean and in very good condition. It has been relined. It is presented in a substantial 19th-century stucco and gilt frame, in good overall condition.

This work testifies to the artist's personal maritime experience and his meticulous observation of the nautical world, qualities that earned him a reputation among Victorian collectors and his election to the Royal Academy in 1835.

The artist
Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (1793-1867) was one of the most important British marine painters of the 19th century, renowned for the accuracy of his naval depictions and the luminous clarity of his seascapes. Born on December 3, 1793, in Sunderland, he was the son of a former Royal Navy captain who became an actor. This dual maritime and theatrical background profoundly influenced his artistic development.

At a very young age, Stanfield enlisted as a sailor in the merchant navy and then, briefly, in the Royal Navy. His experiences at sea later informed his work: he possessed an intimate knowledge of ships, maneuvers, and maritime conditions, which gave his paintings a much-appreciated authenticity. After an accident forced him to abandon sailing, he turned to a new career: painting theatrical scenery, notably at the Drury Lane Theatre in London, where he quickly gained a great reputation for his sweeping panoramas and spectacular stage effects.

From the 1820s onward, Stanfield devoted himself increasingly to easel painting. He specialized in coastal views, storms, naval battles, and Mediterranean ports. His precise and clear style combined a keen eye for technical detail with a romantic taste for depicting the forces of nature. In 1832, he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, becoming a full Academician in 1835. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy until the end of his life.

A close friend of Charles Dickens, Stanfield participated in several public readings and travels with the writer, who admired his talent. He also made numerous trips to Europe, from which he brought back sketches used in his later compositions.

Clarkson Frederick Stanfield died on May 18, 1867, in Hampstead. His work remains an essential testament to the British tradition of maritime painting, combining documentary rigor with a dramatic flair.

The work can be viewed at the gallery (07240).
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