Monday, April 25, 2011

LUIGI ROBERTO - SS STELLA

Luigi Roberto - SS Stella

Above is a gouache on paper signed in lower left "Roberto", framed behind glass (possibly original frame), with mat.
Size of artwork minus mat and frame is 10.75 inches by 16.75 inches.
Judging by the style and technique, I am assuming it is dating to the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

This is the only picture I currently have of it.
It has come out of the estate of an elderly couple.

I am thinking of selling this piece and wonder if you can make an offer on it in either euros or Canadian dollars.
I am located in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Thank you in advance.

ADDED APR 26/11:

I had time last night to do some research on this particular steamship. She was built at the J. and G. Thompson's Clydebank yard , launched on Sept 18, 1890 and completed later that year. Sister ships were Frederica and Lydia. She was 253 feet long and had a beam of 35 feet. Her two triple expansion steam engines could attain a speed of 19.5 knots.
She was built for the London and Southwestern Railroads as a ferry for the Southampton and Channel Islands Services and was on a run to Guernsey March 30, 1899 when she ran onto the Casquets Reef in foggy conditions and sank in less than 10 minutes with considerable loss of life. As was often the case at that time, there were insufficient seats in life boats to assure a place for all. Various reports of loss of life range from the low 70's to around 100. An eerie forerunner of the loss of Titanic 13 years later due to Captain's error in maintaining full speed in unfavourable conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Stella

http://www.jakesimpkin.org/ArticlesResearch/SSStellaDisaster/tabid/62/Default.aspx

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_LSWR1.html#anchor1508101


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