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Robert Salmon (British/ American, 1775-1858) LUGGER ON A WIND signed and dated lower right "R SALMON 1838" Oil on cradled panel 16 1/2 x 24 in. Provenance: Ex collection: Mrs. George T. Francis, Philadelphia, PA Literature: Salmon's Catalogue of Paintings, No. 986. May 1838, 24 by 16, About 14 days. Lugar on a wind, weather side, Rocks and figures Soled to Mr Lodge. 75 Dolls. in the pen and ink manuscript in the collection of the Boston Public Library, itself a transcript of a lost original John Wilmerding, Robert Salmon, Painter of Ship & Shore (1971), pp. 96, 97 Other Notes: The quote from the Greenock Advertiser, January 25, 1813 "This artist, as a marine painter, is perhaps excelled by few "sums up Salmon's career. While highly regarded by his contemporaries, Salmon's oeuvre has withstood the additional test of time, and his stature has increased with its passage. Born in England, he became a professional painter around 1800. Salmon's career can be divided into two distinct periods: the first covering work completed in England and Scotland from 1800 to 1828, and the second consisting of those painted in America from 1828 to 1842. Robert Salmon emigrated to Boston in 1828. By 1838, the artist was the foremost maritime-painter in America. During the preceding decade Salmon had painted more than three hundred pictures. As a result, the artist was favored by the patronage of group of wealthy and influential Brahmins. Included among them, were members of the Cabot, Forbes, Perkins, and Otis families. Salmon also benefited from an avid following among the wealthy members of commercial and professional elite who avidly competed for the fruits of his fertile palette. To keep up with demand, Salmon specialized in painting drawing-room size pictures that measured 16 x 24 inches or smaller. While Salmon was at the pinnacle of his fame and fortune, Boston was the wealthiest and most sophisticated city in The United States. Upper class Bostonians of the era aped things English. They preferred their paintings to be painted in the "English manner." American painting was considered parochial by many. Lugger on a Wind reflects this prejudice. Salmon noted that Lugar on a wind, weather side, Rocks and figures Soled to Mr Lodge. 75 Dolls., and that it took him approximately two weeks to paint. His likely client was John Elleton Lodge, married to Mary Cabot, and the father of Henry Cabot Lodge (1850 - 1924), U. S. Senator from Massachusetts. The $75 Dollar price commanded by Lugger on a Wind was a princely sum at the time; especially in light of the fact that Salmon's 1832, No 771. 12 1/2 Day, 24 by 16, Portrait of the Barke Marbell head for Mr. Hoper. Not like, retuned and repaint for self. was subsequently sold at a Boston auction in 1835 for $25. The same painting sold again at auction on May 21, 2001 at Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg for $310,500. Lugger on a Wind is an excellent example of work from the artist's American period. Salmon combined the English tradition of harbor and coastal views in marine painting, which was established by Canaletto and Samuel Scott, with the legacy of Dutch marine painting known for its low horizons and expansive lighting effects. Salmon's skillful synthesis of these two traditions, and complex interweaving of the pictorial elements creates a harmonious and visually pleasing composition depicting a French Chasse Maree close hauled running at speed into a narrow firth juxtaposed by fishermen aboard the small boat in the foreground, and another similar being unloaded against the rocky foreshore whose occupants also eye her passage curiously. Salmon's output fell off precipitously in subsequent years due to declining health and failing eyesight. In 1840, his doctor demanded that he give up painting entirely or risk blindness. As a result, the artist sold at auction the contents of his studio. The sale was advertised by the auctioneer J. L. Cunningham of Boston with the following notice: "Auction sale by J. L. Cunningham of 70 paintings by Robert Salmon including Great Ormes Head on the Welsh Coast". However, it is likely that Salmon departed for Europe in May of 1842 where he continued to paint. In fact, two large Italian views of Palermo and Venice, signed and dated 1845 were discovered in 1969. Their spacious format, clear, luminous coloring, and crisp draughtsmanship acknowledge his debt to Canaletto, and suggest that the artist paid a final gesture to the Italian sources and spirit of his painting.