Late 18th / Early 19th Century Oil on Panel Smuggling Scene

SALE - WAS £650 NOW £480 A fabulous and very unusual late 18th/early 19th century wooden gilt framed vernacular folk art style oil on wooden panel study of a pirate smuggling scene. The story is set in a moonlit smugglers cave with two smugglers carrying barrels taken from a small sailboat in the distance towards a small inlet while standing upon the protruding flat stone surface to the right, can be seen a further figure wearing a large cutlass and surveying the scene with his telescope whilst three further figures are noted drinking, smoking a clay pipe and warming themselves around a small fire. An upright musket and sword can be discerned behind resting against the rock face. The main figure is viewed walking to the left into the cave with a barrel lodged upon his right shoulder and a candlelit lantern in his left hand shining brightly and illuminating the pathway before him. A flintlock pistol is strapped into the front of his leather belt for easy reach. The Oil on wooden panel is painted in high, naive style and has an undoubted wonderful, purposely unsophisticated feel. In good general condition commensurate with its age (some gilding away from frame), two historic vertical 'hairlines' to the panel can be seen (not greatly noticeable) but it can be argued that because of the naive nature of the work, these are not significant. Quite a rare painting subject matter overall. The gilded wooden frame measures 42.5 cm x 38 cm and the painted wooden panel measures 30 cm x 26 cm.