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James Baker Pyne

Off Portsmouth

Maker

James Baker Pyne (English, 1800-1870)

Title

Off Portsmouth

Year

1837

Medium

  • Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite on cream laid paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite on cream laid paper

Materials

pen and ink, white heightening, watercolor

Supports

  • Cream laid paper

Dimensions

26.2 x 37.5 cm (10 5/16 x 14 3/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

69.154.51

Type

  • Drawings and Watercolors

Publications

  • Books

Selection II: British Watercolors and Drawings from the Museum's Collection

Exhibition History

From Dover to Penzance
Watercolor Views of the English Channel
Dec 03, 2010 – Jun 05, 2011

Label copy

For this view of the harbor city of Portsmouth, James Baker Pyne

places us offshore amid a dramatic and threatening storm. Though

the landmarks of the city are recognizable in the distance, the

principal subject here is the violence of the sea, with small boats

tossed by massive waves as they enter the open waters of the English

Channel. Looking closely at the foamy peaks of the foreground

waves, one can see Pyne’s technique of building white highlights with

a thicker, opaque watercolor pigment, thereby adding volume and

brilliance to these details. He painted several related watercolor views

of important English ports, perhaps hoping to publish the group as a

portfolio of prints or guidebook illustrations.

Selection II
British Watercolors and Drawings from the Museum's Collection
Apr 13, 1972 – May 14, 1972

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

James Baker Pyne (English, 1800-1870)
Off Portsmouth, 1837
Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite on cream laid paper
26.2 x 37.5 cm (10 5/16 x 14 3/4 inches)
Anonymous gift 69.154.51

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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