A View on the Coast of France

This oil on canvas depicts a boat, flying a red, white and blue flag being moored on the left - a man standing on a sand bank directs operations. Three figures are piloting a rowing boat in the right foreground. Various other vessels of mixed sizes are on the water in the background. The flags flown by the ships appear to be Dutch rather than French.

Cornishman Thomas Luny specialised in seascapes. Some of his painting’s subjects were taken from engravings. Despite not being there first hand, his works are remarkable for their credible realism and sense of drama. At the age of 11 he moved to London. There he became apprentice to the marine painter Francis Holman who specialised in views of London shipyards, paintings of river traffic and naval scenes.

Luny left Holman’s studio in 1780, moving to Leadenhall Street in the City of London. This area was where the British East India Company was located. The company was originally formed to trade in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. It was to prove a useful and wealthy source of business for him. The Company commissioned many paintings and portraits from Luny.