About this lot

Description

Chinese School, circa 1900 Portraits of Blue Funnel Line cargo ships, SS Ajax and SS Protesilaus both ships inscribed with names to the bow oil on canvas, a pair each 30.5 x 44cm By the time Alfred Holt died in 1911, his Blue Funnel Line was a major British shipping concern and operated a substantial cargo fleet which sailed out of Liverpool to various destinations, most notably China and Japan. As was common in many companies, ship’s names were continually reused as vessels went out of service and this pair of paintings depict the Line’s second Ajax [out of 5] and second Protesilaus [out of 2]. Ajax (II), 7,043 tons gross, was built by Scotts of Greenock in 1900 and entered service the same year. During an otherwise uneventful Great War, she was shelled by a German U-boat in the Mediterranean in October 1915, but fortunately rescued by a passing destroyer and, after a further fifteen years of reliable service, was scrapped in 1930. Protesilaus (II), 9,547 tons gross, was built on the Tyne at Newcastle in 1910 and, after sailing throughout the Great War without incident, she struck a mine off Swansea in January 1940. Towed into port, she was found to be too damaged to be worth repairing and scrapped soon afterwards. We are grateful to Michael Naxton for preparing this catalogue note. Framed 38.5 x 52cm

Back to lot listings