'The 5th Battle Squadron in the Forth' RMG PW1764, William Lionel Wyllie, 1916

'the 5th battle squadron in the forth' inscribed, as title, and signed by the artist, lower left. This watercolour demonstrates wyllie's ability to depict ships, sea, sky and weather using an apparently spontaneous watercolour technique coupled with deep knowledge of technical information and of natural phenomena. At the time of the battle of jutland, 31 may 1916, the 5th battle squadron consisted of five battleships of the 'queen elizabeth' class under rear-admiral evan-thomas: 'queen elizabeth', 'barham', 'warspite', 'valiant' and 'malaya', although 'queen elizabeth' was undergoing a refit at the time of the battle. The battlecruiser 'lion' or 'princess royal' is also shown to right of centre here and the date has to be 1916-17. 'the 5th battle squadron in the forth'. Date: 1916. Dimensions: Sheet: 287 x 445 mm; Mount: 406 mm x 557 mm. Collection: Fine art.