Thomas Bush Hardy RBA (1842-1897) - 1895 Watercolour Fishing Boats

Description

A bustling coastal scene with a beached fishing boat in the foreground and larger ships at sea to the left of the composition. Presented in a clean white mount and a distressed gilt-effect wooden frame with acanthus leaf detailing to the corners. Signed and dated to the lower-left edge. There is a label on the verso, inscribed: 'T.B. Hardy 1895. Bought from Ayton Hall, Great Ayton 1933 and reframed'.

Condition

There is some mild discolouration and a closed tear measuring 1.2cm to the upper-left edge. There is a surface abrasion to the lower-left corner. Overall very well presented and in good condition.

Size

32.5 x 54.4cm (12.8" x 21.4")
Framed Size: 54.8 x 77.9cm (21.6" x 30.7")

Artist Biography

Thomas Bush Hardy RBA (1842-1897) was a British marine painter and watercolourist. Hardy was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire on 3 May 1842. As a young man he travelled in the Netherlands and Italy. In 1884 Hardy was elected a Member of the Royal Society of British Artists. He exhibited with the Society and also at the Royal Academy. His paintings feature coastal scenes in England and the Netherlands, the French Channel ports and the Venetian Lagoon. He died on 15 December 1897 in Maida Vale, London. Hardy had nine children. His son Dudley Hardy was a painter, illustrator and poster designer. His daughter Dorothy received an MBE after working as a nurse in the First World War.