John Wells Stancliff (American, 1813-1879), Ships at Sea

Oil on cradled panel, signed at lower left, presented in a period giltwood frame.

Panel 20 x 32 in.; Frame dimensions 29 x 41 in.

Private Collection from an Equestrian Farm, Moore County, North Carolina

John Wells Stancliff was a maritime artist, inventor, and educator born in Chatham, Connecticut. Early in his career, he taught penmanship and operated a Daguerreotype studio in Hartford. He later moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he collaborated with Benjamin Silliman on the study of light, operated a telegraph office with his brother, and worked in the printing telegraph business with Royal Earl House. Stancliff devoted himself primarily to maritime subjects, particularly in the latter part of his life, and exhibited at the National Academy of Design.

Craquelure, a few minor fleabites, areas of retouch visible under UV light.