Lot 177: William Frederick Settle (British, 1821-1897) A three-masted merchantman leaving Grimsby on the high tide with the Dock Tower off her stern

A three-masted merchantman leaving Grimsby on the high tide with the Dock Tower off her stern
signed with monogram (lower left) and dated 1864 (lower right)
oil on canvas
24 x 35cm (9 1/2 x 13 3/4in).

The highly distinctive Dock Tower at Grimsby was erected in 1852 and is a copy of the tower on the town hall of the Italian town of Siena. Despite its elaborate design, its purpose was, in fact, far more mundane and it was built to house an ingenious hydraulic system for working the dock gates using a huge internal water tank.