Attributed to Peter MONAMY (Scottish American, 1681 - 1749)

Ships at Sea

Oil on panel

16 ½” x 21 ½” panel, 20 ½” x 25 ½” framed 

Provenance: Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. William K. Laughlin; Thence by descent;

Peter Monamy was an English marine painter from and active in London. He was born in 1681, the youngest son of a Guernseyman. Monamy became a member of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers guild in London in 1703 following a seven year apprenticeship under the house-painter William Clarke. 

In 1726, he was elected a Liveryman of the Company of Painter-Stainers, to which he presented a very large painting of the ship Royal Sovereign at anchor, which still remains in their collection. Although his paintings usually depict actual ships, they rarely record specific events as, up until 1739, his career coincided with a long period of peace. From the 1730s until his death, Monamy was at the centre of London's artistic life and was a friend and companion of Hogarth, sometimes collaborating with the celebrated younger artist. He painted at least four large supperbox works for the glamorous Vauxhall Gardens, a resort in London, in the 1740s and was patronised by many of the leading families of the day.