Lot 41: Alfred Green fl.1860-1870 , On the Medway, Early Morning oil on canvas

signed, inscribed and dated on an old label attached to the stretcher: On the Medway/ early Morning/ Alfred Green, 1864 oil on canvas

76 by 127cm., 30 by 50in.

The present work shows the view, upriver towards Chatham, one of the most important Naval and Mercantile ports in England. The River Medway which flows into the Thames was painted by a number of important artists including Turner who executed a series of views around 1808. His influence is discernable in the present work with the drama of the gathering storm and the employment of the low perspective heightening the grandeur of the man-of-war.

The variety and number of vessels evokes the significance of Britain's Maritime industry as well as Naval power. The crew of a boat retrieve a snapped mast while a fishing boat heads for home. The inclusion of the steamship in contrast with the stately two-decker provides a subtle but pointed reminder the days of sail are numbered.

Alfred Green's background is unclear but he painted genre and landscape subjects as well as Marine. His work was exhibited at The Royal Society of British Artists from 1844 to 1861, The British Institute in 1862, and The Royal Academy in 1861 where his address is given as Solihull Lodge near Birmingham.