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Notes

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The painter George Morland specialised in images of rough, mostly rural characters. This coastal scene, which has been attributed to him, but is most likely to be a contemporary copy, depicts the popular topic of smuggling. A print, dated 1793, of the same motif drawn by Morland and engraved by James Ward forms the basis for this identification. Both images show a small boat being unloaded with a few barrels onto the rocky shore in the foreground. A man is moving them onto a horse and cart. Other boats are at sea and perhaps are meant to represent other smugglers. In the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century a scene like this fulfilled the audience’s appetite for romantic and adventurous narratives, also reflected in contemporary literature.

National Maritime Museum

London

Title

Smugglers

Date

1792

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 100.3 x W 141 cm

Accession number

BHC1077

Work type

Painting

National Maritime Museum

Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England

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Artist or maker

George Morland

1763–1804

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