Ships and Icebergs

Provenance

Private collection, Ohio
Godel & Co., Inc., Bedford, New York

Related Works

Off Greenland—Whaler Seeking Open Water, oil on canvas, 18 x 30 1/8 inches, signed lower right: Wm Bradford; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Looking out of Battle Harbor, 1877, oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches, signed lower right: Wm Bradford / 77; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

Note

William Bradford was a preeminent maritime painter of the nineteenth century, known as the “Painter of the Polar World.” Ships and Icebergs is a striking example of his dramatic work, highlighting the plight of human endeavors in the face of Arctic elements. The humble sailboat is dwarfed by the immense iceberg, which looms above and below the water’s surface. Bradford gained international acclaim, including a painting commission by Queen Victoria, and his work is now held in prominent collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.