This is a rare and very fine large engraving by the Scottish painter and engraver John Burnet (1784 - 1868).
He was born in Musselburgh and was apprenticed to the engraver Robert Scott and later trained at the Trustees Academy in Ednburgh. He was a fellow pupil of Sir David Wilkie and Sir William Allan. He moved to London in 1806 and was appointed to engrave large scale prints after Wilkie - including his most notable work "The Greenwich Pensioners',
Burnet was David Wilkie’s favourite reproductive engraver, but he also executed independent genre paintings including maritime and fishing subjects. His work was particularly popular and influential on Scottish art in the first half of the nineteenth century. Many works by Burnet are in the collection of the National Gallery of Scotland, as well as the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
This large exhibition-scale engraving is a splendid work copied by Burnet and commissioned after one of Turner's earliest seapiece paintings: Dutch Boards in a Gail (also known as the Bridgewater Seapiece) which was painted in 1801. It was exhibited in this year at the Royal Academy and its great success resulted in him being elected as Royal Academician the following year.
Turner's magnificent painting shows Dutch boats which are on course for collision in stormy weather. The dark clouds contribute to the sense of danger. The painting was commissioned by the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater as a companion piece to a 17th-century Dutch seascape in his possession. It is currently on loan from a private collection and on display in the National Gallery, London.
This is a really huge and stunning exhibition-scale engraving - copies of it are exceptionally rare. It is hand-coloured and has all the dramatic atmosphere of Turner's original painting. Turner took great interest in the reproduction of his paintings and always made sure the best engravers were appointed to produce these very important commercial ventures. An engraving of this size would have taken a skilled engraver many months to complete and the impressions would have been sold at galleries or through prestigious print sellers - they would have been for a more affluent customer and would never have been a cheap item to purchase.
It is in good antique condition - and is being sold unframed.
Dimensions: Image size is 55.5 x 79 cm. The plate mark is 66 x 88 cm.
It is going to cost about £14 to send to you in the UK - this will be applied to your order at the checkout.