Catalogue Entry

As a severe storm abates and sunlight brightens the breaking clouds, an unidentified merchant ship labors off a lee shore and faces the grim prospect of shipwreck. Under shortened sail, her main topsail is close-reefed and her fore topsail blown out, while her fore and main courses and fore staysail are still set. Lane has left us guessing about her fate. If there is open water beyond this rocky point, the chance of survival improves. If not, it will be vital to tack to windward and return to open sea. The shredded fore topsail can only make that task more difficult.

The location of this scene is open to speculation. Cape Ann’s pink granite was certainly familiar to Lane, and Gloucester Harbor’s entry is lined with it—particularly along the western shore near Norman’s Woe. So too are other parts of New England’s coastline. The faint, nondescript land in the background, combined with a late afternoon sky, indicate that the viewer may be looking westward, while the trim of the ship’s sails (a broad reach) indicates a northwesterly wind.

The vessel itself appears to be a packet ship, having extensive accommodations aft under the long quarter deck suitable for the ship’s officers and first-class passengers. The large galley amidships is suitable for feeding a large number of people—both passengers and ship’s crew. The ship’s size and type suggest a major destination port like Boston, having begun its voyage from a large port in Europe (most probably England).

It is highly likely that this painting and The Shipwreck, 1852 (inv. 232) were created as a pair for the same client, who mounted them as pendants, i.e. two related images for a paneled wall, or formal placement flanking a fireplace. The depicted vessels differ in detail, hence are not the same ship; however, Lane’s treatment of the composition, colors, the sky, sea, and rocks are so similar that they make a compelling argument for commission and display as a pair.

– Erik Ronnberg

• Landscape Types: 
  • Rocky Shoreline »
• Seasons / Weather: 
  • Rough Seas »
  • Storm »
• Animals & People: 
  • Seabirds »