Untitled (SOLWAY)
Artist
Reginald Arthur Henry Borstel
(Australian, 1875 - 1922)
Date1908
Object number00018253
NamePainting
MediumOil paint, canvas
DimensionsOverall: 637 x 790 x 60 mm, 4.7 kg
Sight: 450 x 600 mm
Mount: 637 x 790 x 60 mm
Display Dimensions: 465 x 618 x 20 mm
Sight: 450 x 600 mm
Mount: 637 x 790 x 60 mm
Display Dimensions: 465 x 618 x 20 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis oil painting of the barque SOLWAY on open seas was painted in 1908 by well known Australian marine artist Reginald Arthur Borstel.HistorySOLWAY was a steel barque built in 1895 by Barclay Curle & Co.at Glasgow and owned by J & J Rae & Co. In 1908 the vessel was caught in a hurricane shortly after leaving New York bound for Sydney, though according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper the rest of the voyage to Sydney was uneventful and it arrived on the 23rd May, 1908.
The artist Reginald Arnold Borstel was born in Sydney, Australia, the son of a master mariner. He originally served as a seaman before becoming one of a group of artists employed by the Adelaide Photo Company of Sydney. He worked from photographs to create oil paintings depicting ships, and they were often portrayed in stormy seas. Borstel's most active period was from 1890 to 1917. He was often commissioned by ship captains and owners to record the last days of the great sailing ships. He worked from his studio in Sydney producing ship portraits which appeared on post cards, advertisements and posters. He later moved to Newcastle where he specialised in portraits of sailing vessels.
SignificanceThis ship portrait is by R A Borstel, a prominent Australian marine artist and represents a typical sail-rigged trading vessel that was still used to transport goods between Australia and the United States of America in the early twentieth century.
