Watercolour over pencil, 11 3/4 x 16 1/2 in (30 x 42 cm), Signed on mount, lower left, ‘F. Nicholson 1793’.

Provenance: Bostock Collection. Gale force winds onto a lee shore were a hazard for 18th century vessels, for, even with the most skilled seamanship, they were difficult to manoeuvre. Wrecks were common in such conditions, and particularly so on the coast near Scarborough. Nicholson has made the most of a sad event, deploying the full range of devices available to artists in the 1790’s. Such views, the marine version of the Sublime, were calculated to induce a frisson in the eye of the beholder and were sought out by collectors. The reaction of horrified onlookers was an important element of such scenes, adding a sense of drama. Nicholson knew well what visitors to Scarborough in the Spa season would want. We should note how the depiction of rough seas here differs from the approach of Atkins (see no. 6).