Bernard Finegan Gribble (1873-1962)
The Pride of Our Isles

Medium: Oil on canvas
Size without frame: 26.0" x 32.0"
Size including frame: 33.0" x 39.0"
SOLD

This fabulous painting, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1902, was inspired by an incident witnessed by Gribble off the south coast of England. Most of us would assume the painting depicts a lifeboat coming to the rescue of the other vessel (a paddle steamer tug), but this is not the case. Defeated by the wind and tide in their endeavour to reach a stricken ship it is the exhausted men of the lifeboat who are signalling to the tug for a tow.

When painted in 1902, tugs assisting lifeboats in this manner was fairly common and while seafarers knew this, the general public was mostly unaware. Gribble took care to title the painting so the meaning would be clear to seafarers, both in honour of men of lifeboats and of tugs. Even so, it was misinterpreted by the public at the time, as it would so easily be today. We have Frederick Dolman writing in The Strand Magazine in 1905 to thank that the artist's intention was not lost to time.

A print of this painting adorned the cover of The Sutherland Brothers 1973 album, "Lifeboat". As some may know, The Sutherland Brothers wrote the song "Sailing", covered and made famous by Rod Stewart.

Contact the gallery for more info or if you have a similar painting to sell