Hyland Granby Antiques

Antonio Jacobsen, Oil on Canvas of "Servia" Steamship- Price Upon Request

Antonio Jacobsen
(1850 – 1921)         
Oil on canvas, depicting the steamship 'Servia', signed and dated in yellow lower right: 'A Jacobsen 1882, 705 Palisade Av. West Hoboken NJ.'. This painting was at the highest level of Jacobsen's work.  The black hulled ship is painted in outstanding detail.  Painted on the bow is the name, 'Servia'.  The deckhouses, railings, lifeboats, etc. are complete and accurate.  The fore and main masts have both square sails and gaff sails.  The rear mast is strictly gaff rigged.  The sails are billowing and the sail seams and reef points are clearly delineated.  The rigging is all original and complete.  The American flag is flying from the top of the foremast.  The house flag of the Cunard steamship line with a red, brown and yellow lion is flying from the main mast and the English flag is flying from a flagpole off the stern.  The water is Jacobsen at his best.  One can feel the rolling sea with the white crest on each wave.  There is a wonderful translucence at the upper portion of the waves. Between the waves along the hull, one can see the orange bottom paint at various points, a technique used in some of Jacobsen's finer works. The sky is typical of Jacobsen's early period and is brilliantly rendered.  There is a cloud bank which runs along the horizon.  The right hand side of the cloud bank has a dark gray which fades as it goes to the left of the canvas.  There are red highlights which run through the clouds creating a wonderful atmospheric effect.  This painting is considered to be one of Jacobsen's masterworks of his finest period.  Jacobsen rarely painted pictures larger than 22 x 36.  Occasionally, he would paint pictures 30 x 50.  Paintings the size of the 'Servia' (34 x 60) were only painted for very important commissions. 
Reference:  Sniffen, Harold S., 'Antonio Jacobsen - The Checklist', Newport News, Virginia: The Mariners' Museum, 1984, p. 274.  Jacobsen painted three paintings of the Servia.  A  taller version with the same length is in the collection of the Philadelphia Maritime Museum.  The painting described above is listed as Item No.10 and was in a private collection. 
Note:  The Servia was built in 1881 by J.G. Thompson of Glasgow.  She was owned by the Cunard Steamship Company and her homeport was Liverpool. Servia was 515 feet in length and was active until 1902. Condition of painting:  The painting was restored a few years ago.  The canvas was lined.  There was a 'H' shape tear in the left side of the painting in the middle of the sky.  To the right of that tear was a small puncture.  There is a small line of in-paint in a rear sail and a two inch thin line to the right of that.  Additionally, there is a small amount of scattered in-paint.  The boat and sails are practically untouched.  All the original rigging remains and the colors are rich. (PA-853)
Condition of frame:  The painting has a 19th century style frame with a molding and liner 7 inches wide.  The frame has a deep fluted cove with large applied acanthus leaves at the corners.  The liner has a beaded edge at the outside edge and then steps down to a flat  edge.  The fame has a 23 K gold leaf surface.
Dimensions of painting:  24 x 60. 
Dimensions of frame:  36 x 76