Lot 133: Francis Hustwick (British, 1797-1865)

The US ship Quesnel requesting a Liverpool pilot off Point Lynas, Parys Mountain in the background oil on canvas 241/4 x 26 in. (61.6 x 66 cm.) executed circa 1864 NOTES Depicted in port view from the traditional leeward aspect, Quesnel is flying the US pilot jack at the foremast, requesting a Liverpool pilot. In response, a pilot schooner is seen to be approaching near the painting's left margin. An idiosyncrasy of the artist is that the schooner's hull is painted in the same fashion as were the earlier cutters, (white with an upper black band having a narrow yellow stripe), although it seems in fact that the hulls of the schooners were uniformly dark. Parys Mountain is the prominent eminence under the tip of the ship's bowsprit. At this distance the Point Lynas lighthouse is not discernible, being sited at cliff top level. The location was a popular rendezvous between incoming ships and Liverpool pilots, and provides the basis for one of the artist's most popular compositions. With the exception of the outdated British ensign, this newly discovered painting of the US ship Quesnel bears such a close similarity to that of the British barque 'William Dixon', that their being painted by the same hand is almost undeniable. Sold at Christie's South Kensington, London, on 14th May, 1998, lot 463, the latter embodies the style common to the series of paintings now demonstrated to be by Francis Hustwick, but on that occasion provisionally attributed to Isaac Heard. Hustwick appears fond of flags, frequently displaying the Marryat Code 'ship's number', as in this instance. Here the signal hoist at the mizzen peak reads 3rd distinguishing pendant, 8,9,3,5, correctly signifying Quesnel in Marryat's Code. An unusual type of flag at the mizzen masthead bears the number 306, presumably the master's membership number of a master mariners association offering mutual assistance. Quesnel 995 tons, was built by Joshua T Forster in 1861 at Medford, Massachusetts, and registered at New York 10th December 1861, the owners being 'Funk et al' (information courtesy of Fritz Gold, New York). The Indexes to Lloyd's Lists for 1862 and 1863 indicate that initially she traded regularly between New York and Le Havre under Captain Funck (sic). The pattern altered in 1864 when there were two voyages from New York to Liverpool. From the relevant Liverpool "Customs Bills of Entry" it appears that she left New York on 26th December 1863, and arrived at Liverpool on 18th January 1864. Commanded by Captain W T Kelley, the crew numbered 23 men, and the cargo was 21,000 bags of wheat with a small quantity of flour and staves. The departure date from Liverpool was not found, but Quesnel left New York on 19th July 1864, arriving at Liverpool on 27 August. Under Captain V B Amidon, the crew numbered only 12 men. Possibly the owners ruled that summer conditions were less demanding. Again the cargo was largely wheat, some corn, along with 200 casks of spermateci ; fairly standard cargoes for the period. Although the name Quesnel continued to be printed in the Indexes to Lloyd's Lists for the next three years, there are no further entries up to and including 1868. It would appear that 1864 was the only possible date for the painting, this also being compatible with the artist's death in Liverpool the following year. We are grateful to A.S. Davidson for his assistance in cataloguing this lot Please note that a copy of the following book will be available for purchase at the front counter. A. S. Davidson & A. Tibbles Marine Art & Liverpool-A Postscript Fifty Ship Paintings by Francis Hustwick Jones-Sands Publishing, 1999.