Fishing boats in choppy waters. Oil on canvas, signed in the lower left corner, the canvas size 25" x 30", and with the wide gilt frame overall 31-1/2" x 36-1/2". Prov: private collection in Cleveland, Ohio, held there for over 30 years.
Peter Monamy was born in The Minories in the City of London, and was baptised in the church of St. Botolph's-without-Aldgate on January 12, 1681, the fourth son of Pierre Monamy and his wife Dorothy, nee Gilbert. The Monamy family was from the Channel Islands, where they are first noticed as early as 1540 as successful merchants. Where Peter Monamy's interest in art was fostered is entirely unknown, but in 1696 he was indentured as apprentice to William Clarke of the Company of Painter-Stainers for seven years. Willem Van der Velde the younger was the greatest Dutch marine painter of his age, and had long lived and worked in London. His death in 1707 left a void in London for marine painting. It seems that the Monamy's beginnings as a marine painter may be traced to Cornelius van der Velde's studio (Willem's son and also a marine painter). By the early 1720's, Monamy had established a good reputation as the leading London marine painter, and the first native-born marine painter of this quality. In 1726 he was elected a Liveryman of the Company of Painter-Stainers, to whom he presented the very large painting of the Royal Sovereign at anchor. From the 1730's until his death, Monamy was at the center of London's artistic life. He was a friend and companion of Hogarth, and collaborated with the celebrated younger artist. He painted some of the decoration at the glamorous new Vauxhall Gardens and was patronised by many of the leading families of the day. He was never particularly prosperous, however, and seems to have preferred to paint decorative pictures for the commercial galleries and dealers.
8,000/12,000
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