A wonderful pair of large naive portraits of a sea captain and his wife which unusually both depict animals.

The captain is depicted sitting in a chair holding the tools of his trade – a compass and chart and through the window in the background there is a sailing ship. Unusually  there is a parrot sitting on the captains shoulder, possibly a symbol of his exotic travels or a pet brought home.

The captains wife is depicted sitting in a chair also with a sailing ship in the background and with a domestic cat sitting on her lap.

Symbolic objects in portrait paintings are not unusual and they often indicate the profession of the sitter. The sailing ship in both paintings is a familiar symbol for mariners, as are the dividers and chart which are held in the captains hands.  The captains wife is painted with a gold chain around her neck which holds what is possibly a key or chatelaine attached symbolising the home.

Oil on canvas in excellent moulded pine frames which are probably original.

The canvases were supplied by Lechertier Barbe & Co in Regent Street, London.

British circa 1860

44¾” high x 37¾” wide / 114 cm high x 96cm wide (including frame)

£4500.00 sold

See:

Marine Art & Antiques, Jack Tar a Sailors Life 1750 – 1910 by J.Welles Henderson and Rodney P.Carlisle, published by the Antique Collectors Club 1999.

Imaging the Nation, by Peter Lord, published by the University of Wales Press 2000.

English Naive Paintings 1700-190, by James Ayers, published by Thames & Hudson 1980.