Keywords: HMS Victory sinking.jpg en Peter Monamy was one of the first English artists to establish a native school of marine painting His work is often alleged to show an overwhelming influence of the Dutch style but the authentic works created by him during his 45 year London career convincingly demonstrate that this influence was a great deal less than overwhelming In 1696 Monamy aged 15 was bound apprentice for seven years to a former Master of the Painter-Stainer's Company and was obviously trained and taught by him It has repeatedly been asserted that he may have worked in van de Velde ™s studio in Greenwich but there is no evidence whatsoever of this supposed employment Any such employment is exceedingly unlikely and in fact virtually impossible The van de Veldes ceased to maintain a studio in Greenwich soon after the 1689 Revolution of William III and apparently moved their business to Covent Garden At this time Monamy was 8-10 years old <br /> The Loss of the 'Victory' 4 October 1744 is a dramatic night scene in the native English taste It is highly atmospheric slightly naive and discernibly unlike anything by the van de Veldes The ship was recognized in her day as ˜the finest ship in the world ™ but was wrecked and lost with all hands on the Caskets near the island of Alderney in the English Channel after becoming separated from the rest of the English fleet in a gale <br /> In the painting which is portrait format the solitary vessel is going down with lanterns alight and firing two of her guns “ their light eerily mirrored by the moonlight streaming down from behind the dark storm clouds in the sky The painting could arguably be seen as an early visual example of the 18th-century taste for the sublime http //collections nmm ac uk/collections/objects/11853 html Collections of the National Maritime Museum creator Peter Monamy century 18 oil canvas cm 76 63 5 Institution National Maritime Museum credit line National Maritime Museum Greenwich London Caird Fund BHC0361 PD-old-100 A larger composition directly related to this painting was engraved by P C Canot and published in 1746 Victory ship 1737 Paintings in the National Maritime Museum London Peter Monamy Paintings of ships in distress Sinking ships in art 18th-century oil on canvas paintings in the United Kingdom 18th-century sailing ships in paintings Night in paintings 1744 in England Ships at night |