Leonidas powder hulk
in this rapid watercolour, almost certainly done on the spot, the 'leonidas' (launched in 1807) can be seen in the distance with a thames barge sailing past her. When wyllie and his family moved to hoo lodge on the river medway in kent in 1885 she was moored nearby and was used for the storage of gun cotton. Wyllie included her in the painting he exhibited at the royal academy in the same year, 'storm and sunshine: a battle with the elements' (bhc1348), in which a sudden squall has come down while the gun cotton is being unloaded, and a ray of sunshine strikes the ship's side. In 1894, while going for an evening sail, wyllie helped avert disaster when he noticed that the ship was on fire, so that the flames could be put out before the gun cotton on board exploded. Leonidas powder hulk. Date: circa 1885. Dimensions: Sheet: 247 x 491 mm; Mount: 282 mm x 634 mm. Collection: Fine art.
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