19th Century Watercolour of H.M.S. Captain

A beautifully decorative piece of maritime history, this finely detailed watercolour was taken from the captain's log of the H.M.S. Captain and shows the ship amidst the vibrant blues of the sea and sky. - Dated 1872, there is a signature and inscription at bottom right which has been slightly truncated by the frame and says "H. M. S. Captain. 6 guns. Foundered in a squall of Cape Finis[terre] Out of a crewe of 500 men only 18 [survived]. Sep 1872". - Glazed in rosewood frame with inner gilt border. This vessel was a major warship built for the Royal Navy as a semi-private venture, following a dispute between the designer and the Admiralty. She was iron clad with steam propulsion and rotating armoured turrets, but poorly designed which resulted in instability. She capsized only five months after being commissioned, with the loss of nearly 500 lives and a subsequent court-martial investigation into the circumstances. Date: 1872 Material: Paper Origin: England Height – 48 cm Width – 56 cm Depth – 3 cm