Eric Tufnell Yamato Naval Watercolour 1963 | Parker Gallery

Commander Eric Tufnell The Sinking of Battleship Yamato Operation Ten-Go 1963

An unusually well-documented Parker Gallery commissioned watercolour depicting the final sortie of the Imperial Japanese battleship Yamato.

Highlights

• Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell (British, 1888–1978)

• Original 1963 watercolour heightened with white

• Depicts Yamato during Operation Ten-Go, 7 April 1945

• Signed “E. TUFNELL” lower right

• Inscribed with the Yamato subject and date lower left

• Commissioned through The Parker Gallery, Albemarle Street, London

• Original Parker Gallery correspondence and invoice accompany the painting

• Commissioned for Mr Banks of Tadley, Hampshire

• Painted only eighteen years after the destruction of Yamato

• Period glazed frame

• Private collection provenance

Introduction

A compelling naval watercolour by Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell depicting the Imperial Japanese battleship Yamato during her final sortie on 7 April 1945.

Executed in 1963, only eighteen years after the historical event, the work was commissioned for a private collector through The Parker Gallery in London's Albemarle Street.

Exceptional for a marine watercolour of this period is the survival of the original Parker Gallery correspondence and invoice associated with its commission, establishing an unusually strong documentary chain between the original purchaser, gallery, artist and chosen subject.

Catalogue Details

Artist: Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell (British, 1888–1978)

Title: The Sinking of the Japanese Battleship Yamato, 7 April 1945

Date: 1963

Medium: Watercolour heightened with white on paper

Signature: Signed “E. TUFNELL” lower right

Inscription: “SINKING OF THE ‘YAMATO’ / APRIL 7TH. 1945.” lower left

Subject: Operation Ten-Go

Presentation: Period glazed frame

Catalogue Note

Tufnell places the enormous Japanese battleship at the centre of an intensely active maritime composition.

Aircraft sweep across the sky while explosions and towering columns of water surround Yamato. Smoke and fire rise from the vessel's superstructure, with escorting Japanese warships visible through the action.

The disciplined rendering of the ships reflects Tufnell's professional naval background, while freer washes create the turbulent sea, smoke and atmospheric conditions.

Heightened white provides brilliant accents across the breaking water and explosive columns of spray.

The result combines documentary naval detail with a powerful sense of movement and atmosphere.

The Final Sortie of Yamato

On 6 April 1945 Yamato departed Japan accompanied by the light cruiser Yahagi and eight destroyers as the Surface Special Attack Force during Operation Ten-Go.

The formation was dispatched towards Okinawa during the final months of the Pacific War.

American forces detected the Japanese ships before they could reach their objective.

On 7 April, aircraft from U.S. Navy carriers attacked in successive waves. Yamato was repeatedly struck by bombs and torpedoes, progressively losing stability.

The battleship eventually capsized and suffered a catastrophic internal explosion north of Okinawa.

Her destruction became one of the defining naval episodes of the final stages of the Second World War and remains closely associated with the transition from battleship-centred naval warfare to the dominance of carrier aviation.

The Artist

Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell was both a Royal Navy officer and accomplished British marine painter.

Born in Bangalore in 1888, Tufnell entered the Royal Navy as a cadet and developed the practical understanding of warships, naval architecture and maritime conditions that would later distinguish his paintings.

He became particularly recognised for watercolours depicting named vessels, naval actions and historical maritime events.

His paintings combine careful technical observation with atmospheric handling of watercolour.

The Parker Gallery in London became closely associated with his work, handling paintings and arranging commissions for private collectors.

Examples of Tufnell's marine paintings have subsequently appeared at Christie's, Bonhams and other established auction houses.

The Parker Gallery Archive

The surviving documentation accompanying this painting provides valuable evidence concerning its creation.

Correspondence exchanged with The Parker Gallery in 1963 discusses commissioning Tufnell to produce a watercolour depicting a particular Second World War naval incident.

The correspondence refers to providing the artist with details of the desired subject and photographic material where available.

The subsequent invoice identifies the completed commission with the Battle of the East China Seas and the destruction of Yamato.

Rather than merely documenting later ownership, the archive therefore records the circumstances surrounding the painting's creation.

Provenance

Commissioned from Commander Eric Tufnell in 1963 for Mr Banks of Tadley, Hampshire, through The Parker Gallery, 2 Albemarle Street, London.

Original Parker Gallery correspondence and invoice, August–October 1963.

Private collection.

The Cotswold Auction Company.

Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Dimensions

Framed:

44 cm high × 54 cm wide × 1.4 cm deep.

Condition Report

Offered in good vintage condition commensurate with age.

The watercolour displays areas of age-related toning and foxing.

The period frame displays scuffs, small chips and general surface wear consistent with age and previous display.

Presented beneath glass.

Please refer to the accompanying photographs for further details of condition.

Shipping

Worldwide shipping is available.

Owing to the glazed presentation and dimensions of the framed watercolour, it will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.

International buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.

Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution

The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.

Attribution and Research

The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.

These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.

Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®

Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.

Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.

Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.