Frank Wasley

Frank Wasley, On The Lagoon At Sundown, Venice

c. 1916

This fine late 20th-century watercolour by British artist Edward A Swan (b.1935) depicts two sailboats buffeted by turbulent conditions. Beyond, the hazy form of a frigate under full...

This early 19th-century watercolour, attributed to English artist Samuel Owen (1769-1857), depicts several vessels approaching Portsmouth harbour buffeted by turbulent waves. Owen wa...

This idyllic late 19th-century oil painting by English artist Edward William Cooke RA (1811-1880) depicts a west-country cove with two cottages, donkeys, figures, and fishing boats. Cooke was a highly renowned painter of marine scenes and landscapes who exhibited extensively at London’s Royal Academy. From our elevated vantage point, the view extends between two quaint cottages and across the beach before sweeping around the sandy coastline. Crystalline waters lap the shore, where moored craft rest. It’s an accomplished rendering of a challenging composition. It’s enhanced by trees, which essentially ‘frame’ the right side, while a wooded track provides interest on the left. Cooke was a keen admirer of the Dutch old masters, and the spirit of the Golden Age underpins this splendid work. In diaries, he recorded how he travelled by donkey to access elevated spots in the southwest, so it’s conceivable that he did so here. In his catalogue raisonné, it lists a work from the same year titled ‘Bay with Donkeys’. Born in Pentonville, London, Cooke was raised in the company of accomplished artists as both his father, George Cooke (1781-1834), and his uncle, William Bernard Cooke (1778-1855), were engravers. As such, they were associated with a circle of Victorian painters who aided Cooke’s early development. These included the highly regarded marine painter Clarkson Frederick Stanfield RA RBA (1793-1867), who provided frequent advice and inspiration. Indeed, as a teenager, Cooke produced numerous drawings after Stanfield’s works. A precocious talent, by the age of nine, he was already displaying an advanced understanding of engraving, particularly for ships, coupled with a natural, seemingly in-built skill as a draughtsman. Many of his early drawings depict pastoral landscapes after the masters, such as Nicolaes Berchem (1620-1683), Paulus Potter (1625-1654), and Karel Dujardin (1626-1678). In an extraordinary turn of events, in 1820, his advanced abilities led to his first commission when he provided botanical illustrations for John Loudon's 'Encyclopaedia of Plants’. These were followed by drawings published in the 'Botanical Cabinet...

This late-19th-century oil painting by Swedish artist Oscar Torna (1842-1894) depicts a river landscape at Grez-Sur-Loing, France, under moonlight. Torna was an important figure in t...

Morning Light Venice is a beautiful oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a gondolier heading to shore as the sum is rising...

Outstanding Impressionist sketch of a Morning sunrise over the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy Charles Bertie Hall painted scenes all over England, Eu...

The Grand Canal, Venice Italian Impressionist artist, second half 20th centuyr indistinctly signed oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 26 x 32 inches Provenance: Private collection Cond...

San Giorgio Maggiore signed by Georges Bordonave (French contemporary) dated 1989 oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 32 x 37 inches canvas: 24 x 29 inches condition: very good pr...