The Heywood Family Collection, Liverpool;
by descent

STRUCTURE The canvas has an old lining. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition, and there is no apparent paint loss or damage. There is a very dark, discoloured and dirty varnish overall but underneath the pigments appear to be in good original condition. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals two very small areas of minor retouching in the lower left corner of the picture, but otherwise appears to confirm the condition mentioned above. FRAME Held in a gilded wooden frame, in good condition. For any questions concerning this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@laitexier.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This imposing and beautifully detailed painting is an important early example of Robert Salmon's marine views of Liverpool. Of the almost one thousand documented works which he produced over the course of his career, less than a quarter are known, or have been traced, the majority of which are in public collections. A work of this size and quality has not appeared at auction for many years, and it is an exceptionally fine and rare work. The ship depicted is a 24 gun merchantman, called LION, shown in two positions, off the waterfront at Liverpool. The magnificent full length lion at her figurehead, and the owner's private pendants flying from her main and foremast, confirm her identity. Purchased by the Liverpool merchant Thomas Staniforth in 1794, LION was originally built at Boston, Massachusetts in 1772.🍨 From her base on the Mersey she was employed in the Greenland whaling trade, and was still active in that occupation when sold to Mr. John Hurr𝓰y of Liverpool in 1817. Although the crew members were saved, sadly she was trapped in the ice and lost that same year.

Liverpool's Greenland Whale Fishery is one of the port's lesser known former activities. It commenced in 1750, when a group of Liverpool merchants fitted out a captured French prize for the purpose, renaming her GOLDEN LION. The initial experiment proved a success and in its heyday the trade grew to include twenty three Liverpool ships. Part owned by the firm Heywood & Benson, the original GOLDEN LION was lost in the ice and was succeeded by another ship of the same name, owned by the Liverpool merchants Thomas Staniforth & Sons.  Withdrawn from the trade and chartered to the Government, she was equally unfortunate, being captured by the French whilst returning from the Mediterranean in 1795.  Staniforth's was an influential and affluent Liverpool family, Thomas being elected mayor in 1797 and his son Samuel following suit in 1812. The ship depicted in the presentꩲ painting was one of the last vessels to be so employed by the firm, under the 🥃command of a Captain Hawkins, during the final years of the Liverpool Greenland trade. 

Despite the owner's private signal flags aꦫt the masthead, and the obvious mercantile nature of the vessel, she is well armed with a full gun deck of a dozen cannon on each side. At the time this picture was painted Britain was at war with France, a conflict which at sea spread across the oceans to the furthest outposts of the British and French Empires. Mercantile activity was consequently extremely perilous, with merchant shipping prey to both unscrupulous privateers and foreign navies. It therefore behove any enterprising ship owner to ensure his vessels were well armed. A well stocked battery also enabled mer🍒chants to indulge in a little opportune privateering themselves if trade proved to be unrewarding.

Salmon portrays the LION against the background of the Liverpool waterfront; the Mersey entrance and the open sea being off the painting, to the viewer's left. Early Liverpool landmarks include the dome of St. Paul's just above the ship's stern, that of the Town Hall between her main and mizzen masts, then the spire of St.George's between main and foremasts. Complementing this profile view the artist includes a stern view of the LION on the right.  Sail has been reduced further and course altered towards Queen's Dock; the usual berth for whalers since Mr. Nathan Kershaw's works for extracting oil from whale blubber was situated at its southern end. Generally unrecognised, the only connection today with Liverpool's forgotten whaling fleet is the surviving inland fragment of "Greenland Street" which in 1807 extended righ🃏t down to the original Queen's Dock.

The son of a silversmith, Salmon began painting at an early age with a special interest, naturally derived from his immediate surroundings, in shipping and the sea. At the turn of the century the aspiring young artist moved to London and exhibited a view of Whitehaven Harbour at the Royal Academy in 1802 (no. 581). However by 1806 heꦆ had made the pilgrimage to Liverpool, at that time one of the busiest ports in Britain aღnd a thriving hub for shipping coming in from all over the world, where he painted the present view one year later. Salmon left Liverpool for New York in 1828 and settled in Boston one year later where he established a prolific practice on the busy wharves of that city. Failing sight in later life however drew him back to Britain and he is believed to have died in his native country.

We are grateful to Sam Davidson for his assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.ܫ