Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale this detailed oil on canvas by the Scottish artist DUNCAN CAMERON, who has signed the painting in the lower left hand corner. The painting depicts a coastal scene, with a 'puffer' beached on the shore with several passengers on board, either having just arrived or about to depart. There are several buildings along the shore and some barges above the waterline. The moon is reflecting in the water.

A 'puffer' is a small flat bottom barge powered by a simple steam engine which made a puffing sound, hence the name and they also released steam in a series of puffs. They were mainly used in the Forth and Clyde canals, where their flat bottoms allowed them to beach where piers were not available, but some went to the Western Islands. Their length was up to 66' to fit the canal locks. They were developed from the early 1800s and were used up to WWII to provision warships. There are a few examples still afloat.

DUNCAN CAMERON was born in Perthshire in 1837 and was educated in Dundee and South Kensington. He regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy and was awarded the Gold Medal for the best landscape at Crystal Palace in 1876. He painted in oils and was lauded for his treatment of cornfields. He died in Edinburgh in 1916.

His biography is available in The Dictionary of Scottish Painters, The Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood and The Dictionary of British Artists. He also exhibited at the Glasgow Institute, Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, Manchester City Art Gallery, Royal Society of British Artists, and the Royal Hibernian Academy.

Auction results for works by this artist may be found at artprice.com (133 listings), artnet.com (141), findartinfo.com (68) and arcadja.com (58).

The painting is framed in a 2" gilt frame and is ready to hang.

Image size: 17 1/2" x 11 1/2" - 44.5cm x 29.2cm

Frame size: 21 1/2" x 15 1/2" - 54.6cm x 39.3cm

Medium: Oils on canvas

Condition: The canvas has been professionally relined at some stage in the past and is in clean, taut condition. The frame is in very good condition with only very minor age related wear and very acceptable to hang.