Thomas Luny
Hauling in a boat

Name: Hauling in a boat
Brand: Thomas Luny
Price: 2528.9 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Thomas Luny (1759-1837) Hauling in a boat Signed and dated 'Luny/1832' lower left Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 10 1/4 x 14 1/8 in Thomas Luny was born in Cornwall in 1759. After moving to London about the age of 11, Thomas became apprenticed to the London marine painter Francis Holman (Circa 1729-1784) at his studio in Broad Street, St. George's. Aside from Luny's own inherent artistic ability, his first sketch book being dated 1770, the young artist was strongly influenced by Holman, and remained at the latter's studio for about the next ten years, by which time it was located at nearby Old Gravel Lane, St. George's. On 13th September, 1777, Luny left London for a visit to France. He must have also travelled further afield on this journey, as his first exhibited picture in London, at the Society of Artists in that year, was entitled: "A distant view of the island of Madeira and Porto Santo". He regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy with 29 paintings in total between 1780 and 1802, and then a long break until three in 1837. By 1780 Luny had left Holman's studio in St. George's. He moved to Leadenhall Street in 1783, where he met Mr. Merle, a dealer and framer who promoted Luny's paintings very successfully for more than 20 years. Leadenhall Street also housed the headquarters of the East India Company and he received many commissions from officers of the company. It is probable that he was invited as a guest on the company's ships on special occasions. Sketches he made of locations such as Naples, Gibraltar, and Charleston, South Carolina appear as though they were done on the spot. In about 1807 Luny decided to move to Teignmouth in Devon, where he received large numbers of commissions from ex-mariners as well local gentry in the area. By this time he was also suffering from arthritis in both hands, but this did not deter him in the slightest from his work. He was as successful in Teignmouth as he had been in London, producing many works of the Devonshire coastline, as well as the occasional ship's portrait or naval engagement, which were specific commissions. Luny continued painting right up until his death in Teignmouth on 30th September, 1837.

Creator:

Thomas Luny (1759-1837, British)

Dimensions:

Height: 10.25 in (26.04 cm)Width: 14.13 in (35.9 cm)

Medium:

Oil

Movement & Style:

Victorian

Period:

19th Century

Condition:

Gallery Location:

Stoke, GB

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU446311276252

View Invoice

Shop All Thomas Luny

Thomas Luny

Thomas Luny was the son of Thomas Luny and his wife Elizabeth Wallace. He was probably born in Cornwall and was baptized at St Ewe near Mevagissey on 20th May 1759. His mother had a son from a previous marriage, Captain James Wallace (1754-1832), who served with Nelson at Copenhagen in 1801. By 1773 Luny was apprenticed to the marine painter Francis Holman (1729-1784), giving Holman’s address at Johnson Street, St George’s when he sent his first exhibit to the Society of Artists in 1777. In 1781/82 he moved to Ratcliffe Highway, Stepney. Luny exhibited at the Society of Artists again in 1778, at the Free Society in 1783, and sent pictures to the Royal Academy from 1780 to 1793. He painted London views, portraits of East Indiamen, and battle scenes. Luny exhibited no works between 1793 and 1802 and it was once thought that he served as a purser in the Royal Navy; this has now been discounted. His painting subjects suggest that he traveled, but there is no direct evidence for this except a visit to Paris in 1777. In 1791 he bought a property at 16 Mark Lane, between Leadenhall Street and the Thames, and by 1795 he was earning enough to invest regularly in government stocks. In mid-1807 he moved (probably for reasons of health) to Teignmouth, a fashionable watering-place on the Devon coast popular with retired naval officers. A number of them became friends and patrons, notably Captain George Tobin, an amateur artist. In 1808-9 he built a handsome house on the harbor front in Teign Street, later called Luny House. Luny was a prolific producer of Devon coastal views, shipping scenes, and naval events, despite suffering so severely from arthritis that he had to paint with the brush strapped to his wrist. He sent a Battle of the Nile to the Royal Academy in 1802 and three paintings in 1837, the year that there was an exhibition of 130 of his paintings in Old Bond Street. Luny died at Teignmouth on 30th September 1837. The work of Thomas Luny is represented in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; the Bristol City Art Gallery; Exeter Art Gallery; Swansea Museum; the Peabody Museum of Salem, Massachusetts and the Library of New South Wales, Sydney.