Last Command: RMS Lusitania Under Captain William Thomas Turner

Last Command: RMS Lusitania Under Captain William Thomas Turner

An Atmospheric Mid-20th-Century British Marine Portrait Commemorating the Cunard Liner and Her Final Voyage of 1915

Highlights

• Evocative historical portrait of RMS Lusitania.

• British School, circa 1950s.

• Initialled J.S. lower left.

• Titled “RMS Lusitania” upper right.

• Represents the Cunard liner during the period of Captain William Thomas Turner's final command in 1915.

• Atmospheric four-funnel profile steaming through unsettled Atlantic waters.

• Oil on board.

• Painting measures 32.5 × 40 cm.

• Documented Criterion Auctioneers, London provenance.

• Private London marine collection provenance.

• Subsequently museum exhibited.

• Presented within a traditional Larson-Juhl Hampshire gilt wood frame.

• Protected behind specialist AR70 anti-reflective glass.

• A compelling work for collectors of maritime, Cunard Line and First World War history.

Introduction

Few passenger ships have entered collective memory as profoundly as RMS Lusitania.

In this atmospheric British marine painting, dating to circa the 1950s, the legendary Cunard liner is portrayed at sea during the period associated with Captain William Thomas Turner's final command in 1915.

The great ship advances through a restless Atlantic beneath an overcast sky. Her monumental black hull rises above grey-blue waves while the four famous Cunard funnels trail smoke into the atmosphere.

Painted several decades after the catastrophe that made Lusitania's name synonymous with the maritime history of the First World War, the work is best understood as an historical and commemorative portrait: a representation of the liner not as a wreck or disaster scene, but as the magnificent ocean-going vessel she had been.

Catalogue Details

Artist: J.S., British School

Title: Last Command: RMS Lusitania Under Captain William Thomas Turner

Date: Circa 1950s

Period Represented: 1915

Medium: Oil on Board

Subject: RMS Lusitania

Shipping Line: Cunard Line

Genre: Marine / Maritime / Ocean Liner Portrait

Signature: Initialled “J.S.” Lower Left

Inscription: “RMS Lusitania” Upper Right

Frame: Larson-Juhl Hampshire Gilt Wood Frame

Glazing: AR70 Anti-Reflective Glass

Catalogue Note

The artist has chosen an imposing three-quarter profile that emphasises the extraordinary scale of Lusitania.

Her towering black hull dominates the lower centre of the composition while the white superstructure and four orange-red funnels create the distinctive profile immediately associated with Cunard's great Edwardian liners.

Dark smoke trails aft beneath a turbulent sky painted in subdued grey, mauve and ochre.

The restrained palette is particularly effective. Rather than presenting Lusitania amid disaster, the artist has created a dignified portrait of the liner at sea.

The result acquires additional poignancy from historical hindsight.

RMS Lusitania

Launched in 1906 for the Cunard Line, RMS Lusitania was among the most technologically advanced passenger liners of her generation.

Designed by Leonard Peskett, she measured approximately 787 feet overall, with a gross tonnage of approximately 31,550 tons.

Her machinery developed approximately 76,000 horsepower and drove four propellers.

With her immense black hull, white superstructure and four funnels, Lusitania became an unmistakable presence upon the North Atlantic.

Together with her sister Mauretania, she represented Britain's determination to compete at the highest level of transatlantic passenger travel during the opening years of the 20th century.

Speed and the Atlantic

Lusitania was conceived not simply as a luxurious liner but as an exceptionally fast one.

Her performance helped establish her international reputation and placed her among the defining ocean liners of the Edwardian period.

The ship's great scale, engineering sophistication and transatlantic role made her both a technological achievement and a powerful symbol of the Cunard Line.

That grandeur is the aspect emphasised by the present artist.

The Final Crossing

Lusitania departed New York on 1 May 1915 for Liverpool.

Captain William Thomas Turner was in command.

On 7 May, as the liner approached the southern Irish coast, the German submarine U-20 fired a torpedo which struck Lusitania.

The ship sank rapidly with catastrophic loss of life.

The destruction of such a famous passenger liner became one of the most controversial maritime events of the First World War and had profound international repercussions.

The present work was painted approximately four decades later and consequently represents an historical interpretation of the ship during this period rather than a contemporary record of the final voyage.

Captain William Thomas Turner

William Thomas Turner (1856–1933) was a Liverpool-born merchant captain and one of Cunard's most experienced commanders.

He joined Cunard during the 19th century and eventually commanded several of the company's most important vessels.

Turner became Commodore of the Cunard fleet and was appointed an Honorary Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve.

His reputation rested particularly upon his abilities as a navigator and ship handler.

Turner had previously commanded Lusitania before returning to the liner in 1915.

When the vessel was torpedoed, he remained aboard until the sinking swept him into the sea. He survived.

The subsequent official Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry concluded that Turner and his officers were competent and had performed their duties.

His association with Lusitania consequently remains one of the most compelling personal narratives within the history of the ship.

Provenance

Private London marine collection.

Criterion Auctioneers, Park Royal, London, Weekly Art, Antiques & Interiors Auction, 3 March 2025, Lot 191, catalogued as “A 20th century oil on board of R.M.S. Lusitania, with a title to the upper right and initialed to the lower left, framed with an inscription to the reverse.”

Acquired by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Subsequently museum exhibited.

Dimensions

Painting:

Height: 32.5 cm

Width: 40 cm

Framed:

Height: 56 cm

Width: 66 cm

Depth: 3 cm

Condition Report

Presented in used vintage condition.

The painted surface remains in acceptable overall order.

The board has some warping and displays areas of foxing, staining and craquelure. There are areas of historic paint touching-in to the lower portion of the hull together with minor paint loss towards the stern.

The frame displays general age and use-related wear, including scuffs, scratches, staining, cracking and some chips and losses.

The painting is presented behind specialist AR70 anti-reflective glass.

The reverse is fitted with hanging cord and the work is ready for wall display.

Please refer carefully to the accompanying photographs, which form an integral part of the condition assessment.

Shipping

Worldwide shipping is available.

The framed and glazed painting will be professionally packed for safe transit, with particular attention given to protecting the artwork, specialist glazing and frame.

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®

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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.

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