Lot 45: Joseph Heard 1799-1859 , A Three Masted ship under full sail outward bound from Liverpool off Holyhead and the South Stack oil on canvas

signed and dated l.l.: J. Heard/ 1853 oil on canvas

64.5 by 89cm., 25½ by 35in.

VARIOUS PROPERTIES
Despite his association with Liverpool Joseph Heard was born in Whitehaven. Although it is hard to imagine today, Whitehaven was England's second port, with it's mercantile fleet providing coal to the west coast of Ireland as well being one of the few ports authorised to receive tobacco from the United States. The industrial revolution saw Liverpool emerge as the dominant port however and Heard himself had moved there with his family by 1834.

As the wealth and success of the port grew so did the demand for ship portraits. Along with Samuel Walters, Heard met this demand although he does not seem to have achieved the same level of financial success as his contemporary. He is, however, a master of the genre, faithfully recording vessels and the topography in which they sailed. This is clearly evident in the present work with the various vessels evoking the thriving nature of the port.

We are extremely grateful to Sam Davidson for his assistance in cataloguing this work.