The painting by Sir George Back from Stockport, England, is expected to sell for US$16,000 to $25,000.
“This is a fascinating painting by an explorer whose name ranks alongside pioneer explorers such as Sir John Franklin and John Ross. After extensive research through Back’s diaries, we think it is likely that it was painted in 1836, when sailing down the Davis Straits, he noted in his diary for 29th July: ‘We observed an enormous berg, the perpendicular face of which was not less than 300 feet high, and other smaller bergs. …
“[A ship’s boat] was sent to procure fresh water from the pools formed on the surface of the … ice,” Alastair Laird of the Bonhams Marine Paintings Department commented in a press release.
The following excerpt details the history around the painting and its artist.
Description From Bonhams
In 1818, Admiral Sir George Back embarked on what is now regarded as the very first Canadian Arctic Expedition. Their ambitious goals were to locate the fabled ‘Northwest Passage’ and to reach the North Pole that same year. The voyage was unsuccessful due to severe gales and heavy pack ice, but between 1819 and 1822, Back sailed on another expedition exploring the Canadian Arctic coast of North America where he was responsible for all the surveying and chart making.
Several promotions came over the following years, and after mapping Montreal Island, Back was not only promoted Captain by Order in Council, an honor which no other officer in the navy had received except King William IV, but also had the satisfaction of having the Great Fish River renamed in his honor.
After returning home he, became the distinguished President of the Royal Geographical Society in 1856 and received his final promotion to Rear Admiral in 1857.
The sale will also include ship portraits, views of London and Navy Battles, and yacht-racing scenes.
Source: Bonhams
