Philip James de Loutherbourg
, French, 1740-1812
Title
A Storm at the Entrance of a Mediterranean PortDate1768
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
98 x 162.8 cm
SignedP.J. de Loutherbourg 1768
Credit LinePurchased, 1867
Object numberNGI.165
ProvenanceCollection of Viscount Palmerstown; purchased, Mr M. Anthony, London, 1867Exhibition HistoryDublin Castle, May 1968Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, RA, 1740-1812, Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood, 2 June - 13 August 1973
Von Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, The Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Remagen, 22 March - 6 September 2015; Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016
Label TextLoutherbourg specialised in painting dramatic seascapes. Many of his works feature shipwrecks under stormy skies. In this example, figures clamber onto rocks having abandoned their vessel. A woman laments over a drowned man. A bedraggled man pulls a bundle from the sea helped by his companion, waist-deep in water. The Mediterranean setting was undoubtedly inspired by the artist’s visit to the south of France in 1768. In 1771, Loutherbourg settled in London where he became a successful set designer for the theatre while continuing to paint and exhibit.