Maritime Paintings Unveil Local History
Every so often some so-called ‘ordinary’ paintings come through the saleroom doors for valuation that unlock a rich local history. Two maritime paintings brought in by a local family have strong ties to the Westcountry it seems!
The ‘Sappho of Liverpool’ in Naples and the ‘Vesper of Boscastle’ in Malta, were both Captained by John Bellamy in the 19th century, who held on to the paintings and handed them down to his Cornish family who have now put them up for auction. These two fascinating paintings will be up for sale in the next Antiques & Collectables Auction on Tuesday 23rd May.
The Vesper of Boscastle
Records show that one John Bellamy had set up as a ship owner in 1837 when he entered into partnership with two local businessmen, Robert Langford of Boscastle and R.W Avery of Padstow to purchase the newly-built schooner, Vesper, from the builder, John Westacott of Barnstaple.
The Vesper was atypical of the type favoured by mariners along the North Cornwall coast and into the Bristol Channel. Schooners were, generally, easy to sail, versatile and relatively manageable in the conditions that prevailed for the commercial trade at the time. The Vesper at around 100 tons carried a crew of five to six men.
The ship was registered at Padstow which was her home port from 1837 to 1853 when the registry was transferred to Plymouth. Apart from Bellamy himself H. Swaffen, W & J James and Bellamy’s son served as Masters until around 1863 when Thomas Bate of Port Isaac took over command of the vessel and eventually became her managing owner.
The Vesper was engaged in both Home and Foreign trade from 1837 until she was lost off Ilfracombe after hitting floating wreckage on 30th November 1880.
Sappho of Liverpool
In 1846 the 137 ton schooner Sappho was built at Bideford and acquired by Captain John Clint of Liverpool. From available Lloyds List transcripts it refers to Bellamy taking command of the vessel and staying as her Master until 1848 when she moved to the Liverpool-Buenos Aires route.
During Bellamy’s tenure as Master, the Sappho covered the Bideford-Liverpool route with voyages on to The Mediterranean. Little information exists of this 1846-48 period apart from the pier head painting by Michele Funno which remained in the family’s possession for the next 175 years.
Both ships have multiple mentions in the ‘Lloyds Register’, which was then known as the ‘Registry of Shipping’. The register has been in operation since 1760, and serves to provide merchants and underwriters an idea of the condition of the ships they insured and chartered. The Vesper and the Sappho have entries dated 1838- 1848.
Entries for the upcoming Antiques & Collectables auction are now being taken, so if you do have items of interest please get in touch with our team to arrange a free valuation. You can either send some images via WhatsApp on 07432 056261 or call the office on 01752 254740 to arrange a face-to-face appointment.