Giovanni Schranz

Commissioned by Admiral Sir George St. Vincent Duckworth King 4^th Baronet (1809-1891)
By descent to the present owners

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined. PAINT SURFACE The paint surface is in good, clean condition; traces of craquelure and stretcher marks. Otherwise sound. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV light reveals lines of retouching in the sky upper left and upper right, some further light retouchings to frame abrasion in the upper right corner. FRAME Held in a later plaster gilt frame with some marks and scratches.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The following two lots, commissioned by Admiral Sir George St. Vincent Duckworth King, record two of his most important commands, HMS Leander and HMS Rodney, in Valetta Harbour, Malta.  Giovanni, arguably the finest of the Schranz family of artists, records the two scenes with a meticulous attention to detail, juxtaposing the majesty of a man-of-war with the day to day mercantile activities of the Maltese.   Lot 27 shows Leander facing the ancient locality of Vittoriosa while lot 28 depicts Rodney facing the entrance to the Grand Harbour, flanked by the Fort St. Angelo to the right, and St. Barbara Bastion on the left.   It is possible the vessel lying to Rodney's starboard is the wood screw sloop HMS Niger, which was launched in 1846 and arrived in Valetta in April 1853. 

Admiral Sir George St Vincent Duckworth King, 4th Bt., (1809-1891) was the second son from the first marriage of his father, Sir Richard King 2nd Bt. (1774-1834).  The family already had a distinguished naval record; Sir George's grandfather, Sir Richard King 1st Bt. (1730-1806), displayed extreme valour in the action off Sadras on 17th February 1782, receiving a Knighthood on his return to England.  Sir George's father entered the Navy in 1788 on board HMS Crown commanded by Commodore Cornwallis.  He was later Captain of the 74-gun Achille, seventh in line of Admiral Collingwood's column, at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October 1805. 

Sir George was born at Stonehouse in Devon on 15th July 1809 and entered the Royal Naval college at Portsmouth in February 1822.   He was promoted to commander in 1834 and Captain in 1841 before marrying Lady Caroline Mary Dawson-Damer, sister of the third Earl Portarlington, in 1847. 

He took command of the 50-gun fourth rate Leander in September 1853.  According the ships log she was secured to a buoy in Dockyard Creek on two occasions from 25th to 28th October 1853 and from 6th to 14th March 1854.  Between September 1854 and September 1855 Sir George was second-in-command of the naval brigade at the Siege of Sevastopol, one of the most important chapters in the Crimean War.  During the siege, in December 1854, he transferred his flag to the 92-gun, second rate HMS Rodney which docked in Malta between October and December 1855.