John Wilson Carmichael is undoubtedly one of the great marine artists of the last Century and is firmly in the circle of Edward William Cooke and Clarkson Stanfield. Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on January 9th, 1800 the son of a ships carpenter he was apprenticed to a shipbuilder and ships became his passionate interest.

His paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time in 1835 and were accepted every year up until 1859. and at the British Institution from 1846-1862.

In 1855 he was employed by the Illustrated London News as their artist in the field in the Baltic (Crimean War) and the journal that he kept of his experiences survives.

The death of his son in 1862 affected him deeply, and he was never to exhibit again.

This famous Newcastle artist has paintings in every major gallery in the world where marine art is represented. Beautiful examples of his work can be seen at Greenwich and the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and I am told that there are examples in the Royal Collection.

His work has always been very highly regarded, and only recently a painting sold at auction in London for over £70,000.

This is a truly beautiful example of his work produced during the period when he had just become noticed nationally as an artist; lovely translucent seas are a feature of his best work, and the subject will have been dear to his heart.