HMS Aboukir. A finely executed pencil and wash drawing of the 74-gun 'Aboukir' built in 1807 on contract at Frindsbury, opposite Chatham Dockyard on the Medway, shown in fine port-bow view and near-all plain sail, hove-to in light airs off a headland or island to the left, with other ships - apparently naval - beyond. It is signed lower right 'SX 1814'. In June 2015 three more, unsigned, in the same medium and by the same hand were brought to NMM notice by a US dealer in Massachusetts. From the subjects, all were apparently done at the same time off the same general coastline location and with other ships of the squadron beyond, in the same light weather. One showed a 74, possibly also the 'Aboukir' but not flying a flag at the mizzen, again hove-to, in starboard broadside view: the second showed a large frigate of about 38-40 guns, again under practically full sail, hove-to in port broadside view and the third was a small one (or 'jackass’ frigate) of about 24-26 guns in port broadside view and in effect drying her sails rather than hove-to. The scene is undoubtedly in the Mediterranean, probably the Gulf of Genoa, since the 'Aboukir'  was sent out there under Captain G. Parker in June 1813. He was relieved that September by the very experienced Captain Norborn Thompson (who died a vice-admiral in 1844) until the ship came home in 1815 and she was certainly in the Gulf of Genoa in 1814. (While Napoleon was imprisoned on Elba that year British ships were on watch in the area, and the Maddalena Islands off northern Sardinia had been a war-time supply point for blockade of the Ligurian coast since about 1802.) The artist  may have been a skilled naval amateur but no Royal Naval officer in the commissioned list up to 1815 has a surname starting 'X', or the family name 'Essex' for which the initials might stand. Richard Hamilton Essex (1802-55) was a known topographical draughtsman whose drawing style is similar, from the one architectural study so far seen, but there is no evidence he was ever at sea or working outside London: since he would also only have been twelve in 1814, he is not a likely candidate for such mature work.<br>
HMS Aboukir
<div class="fn value">
S. X. [artist]</div>
1814<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1814-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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