Painting Ship Wreck High Tide off Trebarwith Strand By Charles Sim Mottram RBA





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Description


Charles Sim Mottram RBA (British, 1852–1919)

High Tide off Trebarwith Strand, 1894

Signed Panoramic Cornish Shipwreck Watercolour and Bodycolour Painting

Highlights

• Large signed late Victorian marine watercolour by Charles Sim Mottram RBA.

• Inscribed and dated “Chas S Mottram 94” lower right.

• Depicts a shipwreck off Trebarwith Strand on the north Cornish coast.

• Dramatic panoramic composition filled with figures, breakers and maritime detail.

• Original exhibition-type label verso recording the title, location, artist and London banking address.

• Mottram exhibited extensively at the Royal Academy and with the Royal Society of British Artists.

• Provenance from a private collection in Gwynedd, Wales.

• Subsequently sold through a notable North West auction house.

• Recently presented in a gilt Larson-Juhl frame with Artglass AR 70 glazing.

• Substantial exhibition scale with excellent wall presence.

Introduction

A powerful and extensively detailed late Victorian marine painting by Charles Sim Mottram RBA, depicting a sailing vessel foundering off Trebarwith Strand on the rugged north Cornish coast.

Signed and dated 1894, the work combines transparent watercolour washes with opaque bodycolour and white heightening. Mottram uses these contrasting techniques to capture the movement of the Atlantic, the brilliance of breaking foam and the urgent response of the figures gathered along the shoreline.

The painting retains a period exhibition-type label recording the title High Tide, the location off Trebarwith Strand, the artist’s name, a London banking address and an original manuscript price.

Catalogue Details

Artist: Charles Sim Mottram RBA

Artist’s Dates: 1852–1919

Title: High Tide off Trebarwith Strand

Date: 1894

Medium: Watercolour and bodycolour heightened with white on paper

Signature: Signed and dated “Chas S Mottram 94” lower right

School: British School

Genre: Victorian marine and Cornish coastal painting

Location: Trebarwith Strand, North Cornwall

Presentation: Gilt Larson-Juhl frame with Artglass AR 70 glazing

Catalogue Note

Mottram arranges the narrative across a broad panoramic format, allowing the eye to travel from the wet foreground sand to the stricken vessel and distant Cornish headland.

Figures move urgently across the beach. Several appear to pull upon lines, netting or wreckage near the surf, while others gather beneath the cliffs and look towards the ship. Their repeated poses create a strong diagonal that leads directly into the centre of the unfolding drama.

Beyond them, the Atlantic rises in layered bands of blue-grey and green. Dense passages of opaque white describe foam, breaking crests and airborne spray. The vessel lies immediately beyond the principal line of breakers, its dark hull, damaged rigging and leaning spars silhouetted against the lighter water.

A low headland closes the distant view, while the layered sky contributes to the atmosphere of danger and uncertainty. Gulls above the wreck provide movement and a valuable sense of scale.

The composition balances narrative observation with expressive handling. Carefully drawn figures and maritime details are surrounded by broader washes and forceful bodycolour, giving the scene both clarity and emotional intensity.

Trebarwith Strand

Trebarwith Strand is a dramatic coastal location near Tintagel in North Cornwall.

The beach lies at the foot of a steep valley and is enclosed by high cliffs. At high water, the sea reaches towards the cliff line, while Atlantic swells can produce powerful breaking waves and dangerous surf.

These natural features made Trebarwith an ideal subject for Mottram. The confined beach, elevated cliffs and exposed western aspect allowed him to combine recognisable topography with the drama of a Victorian shipwreck narrative.

The title recorded on the reverse label anchors the scene to this specific Cornish location rather than presenting it as an unidentified or imaginary coast.

The Artist

Charles Sim Mottram RBA (1852–1919) was a British painter of marine subjects, landscapes and genre scenes.

Born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, he established his early career from London, living in Stoke Newington and Hampstead. He was painting Cornish subjects by at least the late 1880s and settled permanently in St Ives with his family in 1901.

Mottram became particularly associated with coastal subjects, storm-driven seas, working fishermen, shipwrecks and the changing weather of Cornwall.

His exhibition record was substantial. Recorded appearances include 28 works at the Royal Academy and 68 with the Royal Society of British Artists and its Suffolk Street exhibitions. He also exhibited at the Whitechapel Exhibition and at galleries in Cornwall.

The present watercolour was painted several years before his permanent move to St Ives and demonstrates his established engagement with the Cornish coast by 1894.

Mottram should not be confused with Charles Mottram (1807–1876), the earlier British engraver.

Reverse Label

A late 19th-century exhibition-type label is retained on the reverse.

The label records the title “High Tide”, the location “off Trebarwith Strand”, the name “Chas S Mottram” and the address “c/o London & County Bank, High Holborn W.C.” An original price is also entered in manuscript.

The label strongly suggests that the painting was prepared for exhibition or commercial presentation in London. However, it has not been securely connected with a particular named exhibition or institution.

The handwriting has not been independently authenticated as that of the artist, although the recorded name and title correspond with the signed painting.

Provenance And Exhibition History

Period exhibition-type label verso giving the artist, title, location, London banking address and original price.

Private ownership, United Kingdom.

Private collection, Gwynedd, Wales.

Offered and sold through a notable North West auction house Roger Jones & Co.

Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Privately exhibited in Atlantic Drama: Shipwrecks & Lifeboat Heroes on the Cornish Coast, Famous Lord Hill Museum, winter 2025.

Dimensions

Framed: 67.5 cm high × 109.5 cm wide × 3 cm deep

Presentation

Recently professionally presented in a gilt moulded Larson-Juhl frame with an inner slip.

The painting is protected by Artglass AR 70 anti-reflective glazing, reducing distracting reflections while providing enhanced protection for the watercolour during display.

The panoramic proportions and substantial overall dimensions give the work commanding wall presence. It is supplied ready to hang.

Condition Report

The watercolour presents very well for its age.

The colours appear strong and atmospheric beneath the current glazing. The sheet appears properly supported, with no pronounced cockling visible from the front. No obvious tears, holes or repairs are visible under normal framed inspection.

The period label verso is heavily browned and displays foxing, staining and areas of paper loss. Its principal inscriptions nevertheless remain legible, and the label is securely retained.

The painting has not been examined outside its recent frame. The condition description is consequently based upon inspection through the glazing. Minor age-related characteristics should be expected in an authentic late 19th-century work on paper.

Photographs form an integral part of the condition description and should be examined carefully.



Reserve: $10,800.00

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