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Antarctic Scene.
Named collection: Allan Forbes Collection
Object type: watercolor
Maker: Place made: unknown
Date made: 1874
Materials: paper; watercolor
Measurements: 21 in x 16 in
Nomenclature: whaling scenes
Classification: whales
Original watercolor painting depicting an Antarctic whaling scene. At foreground right are large pieces of floating ice inhabited by a large number of penguins and a pair of seals. At foreground left, a whale is in a flurry, and has upturned a boat with its tail; two more boats are heading towards it, from calmer waters where the whalers' reflections are visible on the surface of the sea. More whaleboats, and numerous icebergs with dramatic shapes, in the background. Whaling ship at right, flying a white flag with a single blue symbol. Ship is full-rigged, three-masted, and has a steam engine; the rendering appears to show an iron-hulled vessel. The soft pink and blue hues in the sky indicate that it is dawn, and the viewer is facing to the southeast. The colors are beautifully rendered and the general skill in the painting suggests that it was made by a professional artist. On a piece of ice near the lower edge of the painting, at center, the date "1874" appears along with a monogram, probably "NFM" or perhaps "AFM".
AF-WX-0017