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'HM Turret Ship 'Devastation' at Spithead on the Occasion of the Naval Review in Honour of the Shah of Persia, 23rd June 1873'
In 1873, the Shah of Persia made a state visit to England where he was received and entertained in a style without precedent in British history. The Naval Review at Spithead on 23 June 1873 was held in his honour, and he was present on the Royal Yacht 'Victoria and Albert II', here shown on the extreme left. The ship in the foreground is the 'Devastation', the first battleship without sails to be built for the Royal Navy. Other shipping can be seen on the right as part of the review, dressed overall.
Cooke may have produced this painting as a response to the First Lord of the Admiralty, who, at a Royal Academy banquet in 1871, exhorted artists to paint modern ships. It was presented by Thomas Brassey MP to the Naval Gallery, Greenwich Hospital, which had reopened as the Royal Naval College in 1873. John Ruskin, the writer and art critic, commented in 'Academy Notes' that he found the work 'somewhat sable and lugubrious as a national spectacle'. The viewer's eye is very low in the water, which enhances the sense of the dramatic effect of the smoke on the left of the image, created by the ship firing a salute, and the dark form of the iron-clad in the centre of the picture.
The artist was trained by his father, the engraver George Cooke, and showed outstanding talent as a draughtsman. He helped Clarkson Stanfield with some of his commissions, took lessons in oil painting from James Stark in 1834, and assisted with the arrangement of exhibits for the Great Exhibition of 1851. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1835-79, and was made ARA in 1851 and RA in 1863. His sketchbooks are in the National Maritime Museum, London. The painting has been signed by the artist and is dated 1875, when it was shown at the Royal Academy. It was also included in the Liverpool Autumn Exhibition of 1875 (no. 65).
Original frame tablet found at Kidbrooke May 2010 - to be attached to frame if possible. The inscription on it is:
H.M. TURRET ARMOUR-CLAD SHIP
"DEVASTATION"
AT SPITHEAD ON THE OCCASION OF THE NAVAL REVIEW
IN HONOUR OF THE SHAH OF PERSIA'S VISIT. 23RD JUNE, 1873
PAINTED BY E.W. COOKE, R.A. F.R.S.
and presented to the Royal Naval University, Greenwich
by THOMAS BRASSEY, Esq. M.P. &c
Cooke may have produced this painting as a response to the First Lord of the Admiralty, who, at a Royal Academy banquet in 1871, exhorted artists to paint modern ships. It was presented by Thomas Brassey MP to the Naval Gallery, Greenwich Hospital, which had reopened as the Royal Naval College in 1873. John Ruskin, the writer and art critic, commented in 'Academy Notes' that he found the work 'somewhat sable and lugubrious as a national spectacle'. The viewer's eye is very low in the water, which enhances the sense of the dramatic effect of the smoke on the left of the image, created by the ship firing a salute, and the dark form of the iron-clad in the centre of the picture.
The artist was trained by his father, the engraver George Cooke, and showed outstanding talent as a draughtsman. He helped Clarkson Stanfield with some of his commissions, took lessons in oil painting from James Stark in 1834, and assisted with the arrangement of exhibits for the Great Exhibition of 1851. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1835-79, and was made ARA in 1851 and RA in 1863. His sketchbooks are in the National Maritime Museum, London. The painting has been signed by the artist and is dated 1875, when it was shown at the Royal Academy. It was also included in the Liverpool Autumn Exhibition of 1875 (no. 65).
Original frame tablet found at Kidbrooke May 2010 - to be attached to frame if possible. The inscription on it is:
H.M. TURRET ARMOUR-CLAD SHIP
"DEVASTATION"
AT SPITHEAD ON THE OCCASION OF THE NAVAL REVIEW
IN HONOUR OF THE SHAH OF PERSIA'S VISIT. 23RD JUNE, 1873
PAINTED BY E.W. COOKE, R.A. F.R.S.
and presented to the Royal Naval University, Greenwich
by THOMAS BRASSEY, Esq. M.P. &c
For more information about using images from our Collection, please contact RMG Images.
Object Details
| ID: | BHC3287 |
|---|---|
| Collection: | Fine art |
| Type: | Painting |
| Display location: | Not on display |
| Creator: | Cooke, Edward William |
| Vessels: | Devastation (1871); Victoria and Albert (1855) |
| Date made: | 1875 |
| People: | Qajar, Naser al-Din Shah; Brassey, Thomas |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection |
| Measurements: | Painting: 1397 mm x 2058 mm; Frame: 1769 x 2401 x 95 mm |
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