This beautiful painting has been in our family for over 70 years. We wish to make it available for others interested in maritime art to view.

The painting is approx. 19" X 37" (inside frame). It is bright and beautiful and in excellent condition.

 

This is from recent e-mails from Norway Maritime Museum in Oslo.

 

"It is indeed a beautiful painting, made in what is known as gouache. The style clearly identifies the painter as Fredrik Martin Sørvig (1823 - 1892) who lived and worked in Bergen, Norway - generally regarded as Norway's foremost ship portraitist, with an unusual sharp eye for correct proportions and details. Besides ships, Sørvig also painted banners, and from 1852 he was employed as set decorator and painter at Bergen Theatre. His career as ship painter began in the 1850s and lasted into the 1880s.
It is a bit unfortunate that the painting was re-framed in the early 1920s, because I am quite sure that both the name of the ship and the painter was originally given at the bottom of the picture, with white letters on a black background.
Until 1867, Norwegian ships were registered according to their homeport, each town with its own letter, followed by a number, giving the ship's identity. This letter and number were shown on a flag - in this case the flag on the foremast. Unfortunately, the angle of the flag inthis case makes it impossible to identify the vessel. But since this register system was replaced by the current four-letter system after 1867, your painting is most likely made sometime between the late 1850s and 1860s."

Norway Maritime Museum, Oslo      Nov. 25, 2004

"The two ships on the painting are identical. It was quite usual to show the ship from different angles, for documentary as well as purely artistic reasons."
Norway Maritime Museum Nov. 25, 2004

"The only thing I can say is that the ship was registered in Bergen, since the flag carries the letter "X".The number is unintelligible.

The letter "ø" equals the continental "ö", which in English spelling is usually given as "oe". Accordingly, the name would be spelled "Sorvig" or "Soervig"."
Norway Maritime Museum, Oslo      Dec. 1, 2004