GEORGE MOUNCEY WHEATLEY ATKINSON (1806 - 1884)Cork harbour at sunset, with men-o-war at anchor, a ships jolly-boat being rowed in the foreground and paddle steamer in the distanceOil on canvas, 84 x 128cm Although unsigned, this painting by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson is a significant addition to the artist’s known oeuvre. Dating from the 1840’s, the canvas depicts several ships, at anchor, under way and lying-to, in the stretch of water between Haulbowline Island and the town of Cove (Cobh), in Cork Harbour. The principal vessel, a large Royal Navy ship of the line, is depicted in some detail, with rigging and spars clearly delineated. All sails have been removed; the ship lies at anchor, bare-poled. Carrying one hundred and twenty guns, with three decks, this ‘first rate’ vessel is not named. However it can be tentatively identified, as it closely resembles a ship depicted in another work by Atkinson, An event in the History of Ireland - Two Admirals in command and three first-rate ships in the Cove of Cork (private collection). This latter canvas, dating from 1843, records a visit by the Royal Navy’s White Squadron to Cork in September of that year. Under the command of Admiral Bowles, the squadron consisted of the warships Caledonia, Camperdown and St. Vincent. Both canvases are of similar size and it is likely that the present work depicts one of the vessels in the White Squadron painting, HMS St. Vincent, carrying one hundred and twenty guns. Camperdown and Caledonia were both one hundred and four gun ships.In the present work, there is one first-rate ship, the other vessels depicted being smaller and of different types. They include a passenger-carrying steam brig that approaches from Haulbowline Island and a barque lying at anchor in the distance. To the right of the canvas, a sailing brig is lying-to, sails limp in the windless evening air. In the foreground, a pinnace, six sailors bending to the oars, ferries the commanding officer, identifiable by his cocked hat and epulettes, over to the sailing brig. To the left of the canvas can be seen figures standing on the quay at Haulbowline Island. Other vessels, including a yacht, a steam packet, and two square-riggers under sail, appear in the distance. Projecting from the forward part of the first-rate ship, two long spars are suspended above the water. These were probably employed both to facilitate small vessels coming alongside, and to fend off larger vessels that might be swept off course by wind or tide. However, the scene depicted by Atkinson is one of calm, with little or no wind, the sea unruffled by waves.Atkinson was a prolific artist, and the present painting is one of his best works. At the Cork Art Union exhibition of 1841, he exhibited five works, all representing, the Cork Examiner reported, different views of our noble harbour of Cove, in storm, in calm, in haze, and in sunshine: together with brigs, schooners, cutters, and steamers in every position and circumstance. His vessels are exquisitely perfect; his sea, whether in storm or calm, is admirable. [Cork Examiner, 26th Sept. 1841, p. 2, col. 5]A one-time ship’s carpenter, inspector of shipping and self-taught painter, Atkinson earned a passable living depicting Cork’s maritime environs. His paintings often commemorate notable events in Cork Harbour, for example the 1849 visit of Queen Victoria. In his acute observation of weather conditions, of sea, clouds and sky, and also in the accuracy of his rendering of ships and their rigging, Atkinson’s painting can be compared with the work of American painters Francis Silva and Fitz Hugh Lane. Their outstanding reputations highlight the neglect of this skilled Irish artist, whose omission from standard reference works on maritime painting is inexcusable. A number of works by Atkinson have been acquired in recent years by the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork. These were included in a major exhibition of maritime paintings, held in 2005, held at the Custom House in Cork, where there is also a good collection of his work. Atkinson is represented in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London; in Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut and in the Peabody Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts.Dr Peter Murray