Hamilton Palace and the Maritime Artist Edward William Cooke

Next month will see the publication of Dr Godfrey Evans’ long-awaited work on the collections from Hamilton Palace. Titled Hamilton Palace: The Dukes of Hamilton and their Collections, the book promises to shed further light on one of the most extraordinary stories of a family of aristocratic collectors and their grand home, at one stage the largest non-royal residence in Britain until its tragic destruction in the early 20^th century. The various auctions from Hamilton Palace are still talked about today with astonishing prices being achieved and masterpieces of every sort being sold to museums and collectors around the world. So important were the collections in the palace that a Virtual Hamilton Palace website exists where it is possible to virtually tour rooms from the palace and particular items from the collections are highlighted and discussed.

https://vhpt.org/index.html

Amongst the pieces in our current collection is a small and beautifully painted work by the leading Victorian maritime artist Edward William Cooke which hung for many years in Hamilton Palace as a part of the famous collections there. The painting, illustrated above, has a fascinating history to which we will return in a moment. The work was painted in 1848 and shows a French fishing boat from Trouville in stormy conditions approaching the harbour at Calais. Cooke was a regular visitor to the continent, particularly Holland as he was inspired by the Dutch marine masters of the 17^thand 18^th centuries such as the Van de Velde family, and this present work would have come about as a result of a sketch made on the spot.

A small oil painting of a fishing boat leaving Calais Harbour by E W Cooke hung in Hamilton Palace

Cooke’s ability to accurately record the individual characteristics of vessels was unparalleled and led to his reputation as probably the foremost painter in this style in England in the mid to late 19^th century. He was a prolific draftsman, recording his many travels in sketch books which are usually helpfully dated and inscribed. As such, when working on his magisterial work on the artist, E. W. Cooke: A Man of His Time, the late John Munday was able to put together a highly detailed account of the artist’s activities, travels and surviving works. Cooke was, aside from his obvious talent as a painter and draftsman, something of a renaissance man with interests relating to geography and the sciences. Cooke became a member of the Linnean Society and gained fellowship status as a member of the Zoological Society, Natural History Society and was a member of the Society of Antiquaries. He even has the distinction of having had a snake named after him-the Corallus Cooki-by his friend John Edward Gray in 1842.

Returning to the provenance of our painting, it was exhibited in Glasgow in 1849 where it was acquired by the Glasgow Art Union. The Art Union was one of  number of such subscription societies operating in Britain in this period and, for an annual fee, members were entitled to an entry in the ballot for that year. Those members who won prizes were entitled to pick from the available art works acquired by the Union in order based on when their numbers were drawn from the ballot. A report in the Glasgow Courier, 23^rd of April 1850 recorded the prize winners for the year and the Duke of Hamilton, having been drawn 30^th, chose the present painting as his prize. It was at this point that the painting was taken to Hamilton Palace. Art historians such as Dr Evans have long admired the truly world class collection of paintings assembled by the Dukes of Hamilton which included no end of masterpieces now in museums and art galleries worldwide. Despite this competition for wall space, the Duke clearly loved his E. W. Cooke work and the painting remained at Hamilton Palace until it was sold in the extraordinary 17 day long sale of much of the contents of the palace held in 1882. This sale was to set high watermark prices for a generation and so important was the auction that it was covered daily in newspapers around the world. Our painting was lot 1078 in the sale. Having been acquired by the Glasgow Art Union for 10 gns in 1849, it sold for 80 gns in 1882 to probably the most important art dealership of the time, Thomas Agnew and Sons. Agnew’s sold the painting later that year, probably from their branch in Manchester, to the textile magnate and collector Henry Dewhurst on the 13^th of October. The Agnew stock books, preserved in the National Gallery in London, record the piece as stock number 2497. Dewhurst was part of a dynasty of woollen fabric printers based in Huddersfield who made a fortune in their field. He hung the painting along with other works by contemporary artists, including other Cooke works, in his house Fartown Lodge in Huddersfield. When retiring to live in Eastbourne later in his life, Dewhurst sold the painting at Christie’s on the 19^th of April 1890. Dewhurst may well have been attracted to Cooke’s work not just because of the subject matter and his artistic talents but also because he, like the painter, was also an amateur scientist. Dewhurst’s particular passion was for astronomy. At the Dewhurst sale, the painting was reacquired by Agnew’s (stock number 5531) and sold to a Mrs Kay in February of 1891.

It is interesting to consider the fact that Cooke, who died in 1880, was so highly regarded that our painting made a considerably higher price in the 1882 Hamilton Palace sale than two portraits by Peter Lely that were sold as lots 1077 and 1080 in the same auction.

Edward William Cooke

 A true 19^th century polymath, Cooke was born in to a very artistic family. His father George and Uncle William Bernard were both highly-regarded engravers who had completed work for such artists as J. M. W. Turner and Edward inherited their talents, becoming a very skilled engraver himself. His real interest lay in painting in oils and watercolour and he made many trips to Europe where he was particularly inspired by the Dutch maritime artists of the 17^th century such as the aforementioned Van de Velde family.

His career included numerous works exhibited at the Royal Academy as well as in all the major provincial exhibitions in Birmingham and Glasgow etc. He also exhibited abroad, becoming an honorary member of the National Academy of Design in America.

Cooke was particularly highly-regarded for his depictions of the rigging of vessels which he recorded with near-academic rigour. He combined a flair for fine draughtsmanship with practical knowledge of the sea and sailing, making him incredibly adept in his chosen field.

Works by Cooke are in numerous important public collections such as the British Museum and the National Maritime Museum which holds a very large number of the artist’s drawings in particular. In terms of private collectors, the late Sir Nicholas Goodison was a particular enthusiast for Cooke’s work.

This painting represents an opportunity for our clients not just to acquire a great work of art but also to own a little piece of history from one of the most important art collections ever assembled. It is rare that a piece with such exceptional provenance becomes available and we are delighted to offer this wonderful painting for sale. The piece is sold with a copy of John Munday’s book and the painting is discussed in the book in some detail on p.326.