Lot 163: The cutter yacht Thetis and merchant shipping at Spithead with a large Royal Navy warship lying at anchor inshore

Francis Holman (1729-1790) The cutter yacht Thetis and merchant shipping at Spithead with a large Royal Navy warship lying at anchor inshore oil on canvas 42 ½ x 67 in. (108 x 170.2 cm.)

108 x 170.2 cm.

The son of a master mariner, Francis Holman was born in Ramsgate in 1729. His younger brother Captain John Holman (1733-1816) ran the family shipping business, so Holman was immersed in the maritime world from a young age. His early works were mostly portraits of ships commissioned by their captains, but later on he turned his attention to painting ships of the Royal Navy. Known to history for being the teacher of the maritime artist, Thomas Luny (1759-1837), his unerring attention to detail and knowledge of the subject have left us with a valuable record of 18th century maritime life.