Francis Swaine (British, 1725 - 1782), oil on canvas painting "Fishing boats and barges on a Norfolk estuary." An auction paper label and an antique hand-inscribed paper label are attached to the backside.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, New Bond Street, Marine Paintings 01.26.2005, lot # 10.

Note: Francis Swaine worked as a messenger for His Majesty’s Navy by 1735, and although it is not clear exactly how he became a maritime painter, his time at the Navy Board must have served as an inspiration. Although it is likely that he was already painting by the late 1740s, he had begun regularly contributing to the exhibitions of both the Free and Incorporated Societies of Artists from 1761 onwards. He was awarded the Society for the Encouragement of Arts’ second prize for sea-pieces in 1764 and again in 1765. The series of engravings and prints that were made after Swaine's paintings is a testament to his legacy as a maritime painter.

16 1/4 x 20 1/2 in., (41.5 x 52.5 cm.)