Shipwreck Painting High Tide off Trebarwith Strand Cornwall Signed by Charles Sim Mottram RBA
Charles Sim Mottram RBA (British, 1852–1919)
High Tide off Trebarwith Strand, 1894
Monumental Victorian Cornish Shipwreck Watercolour with Period Exhibition Label
Highlights
• Original 1894 marine watercolour by Charles Sim Mottram RBA.
• Signed and dated by the artist at the lower right.
• Depicts a wrecked sailing vessel amid the Atlantic breakers at Trebarwith Strand.
• Animated shoreline populated with fishermen and local onlookers.
• Accomplished combination of transparent watercolour and opaque bodycolour.
• Period label preserves the original title, location and London address.
• Important panoramic format measuring almost 110 cm across when framed.
• Artist represented extensively at the Royal Academy and RBA exhibitions.
• Curated exhibition history devoted to British shipwreck and Cornish coastal art.
• Larson-Juhl gilt frame with low-reflection Artglass AR 70 glazing.
Introduction
High Tide off Trebarwith Strand is a commanding example of Charles Sim Mottram’s ability to unite marine observation, Cornish topography and Victorian narrative drama.
Painted in 1894, the scene captures the confusion surrounding a sailing vessel breaking apart beyond the surf. Fishermen and spectators converge upon the water’s edge as heavy Atlantic rollers drive towards the cliff-backed shore.
Mottram’s panoramic arrangement allows the drama to unfold cinematically across the sheet. Every passage—from reflected light on wet sand to the broken spars of the vessel—contributes to the sensation of a community confronting the destructive force of the sea.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Charles Sim Mottram RBA
Nationality: British
Dates: 1852–1919
Title: High Tide off Trebarwith Strand
Date: 1894
Medium: Watercolour with bodycolour and opaque white heightening on paper
Signature: “Chas S Mottram 94” lower right
Subject: Shipwreck off Trebarwith Strand, Cornwall
Movement: Victorian British marine painting
Frame: Contemporary Larson-Juhl gilt moulding with inner slip
Glazing: Artglass AR 70
Catalogue Note
The foreground is treated as a broad expanse of wet, reflective sand marked by tracks, shallow pools and the movement of figures towards the sea.
A succession of fishermen forms a directional line across the beach. Some lean towards ropes, netting or material carried into the shallows, while others gesture or watch the vessel beyond the surf. Further figures gather closer to the cliffs, increasing the sense of communal urgency.
The waves are built from layered transparent washes overlaid with dense white bodycolour. This combination gives the water depth while allowing the foam and spray to project physically from the darker sea.
Offshore, the ship’s hull and fractured rigging interrupt the pale horizontal bands of water. Masts and spars lean at unstable angles, suggesting severe structural damage and the continuing force of the swell.
The distant headland provides a fixed geographical boundary, while the low sky intensifies the painting’s compressed and unsettled atmosphere.
Mottram controls the narrative without sacrificing painterly vitality. Fine drawing establishes the figures, ship and topography; freer washes and opaque accents communicate weather, motion and breaking water.
A Victorian Cornish Maritime Narrative
Trebarwith Strand lies on the exposed north coast of Cornwall near Tintagel.
At low tide, the beach opens beneath steep cliffs. At high water, much of the sand disappears and Atlantic waves advance towards the cliff line. This distinctive geography is central to the painting’s drama.
Victorian coastal communities lived with the persistent danger of shipwreck. Images of foundering vessels, fishermen and rescue efforts consequently carried both documentary and emotional significance.
Mottram focuses as much upon the people ashore as the ship itself. Their collective response transforms the composition from a study of rough water into a narrative of courage, uncertainty and communal responsibility.
The Artist And Cornwall
Charles Sim Mottram was born in Rotherham in 1852 and initially pursued his artistic career from London.
He exhibited Cornish subjects before settling in St Ives in 1901, demonstrating that the county had already become an important source of inspiration during his London period.
Mottram painted genre scenes, landscapes and marine subjects, but his strongest work is frequently associated with coastal weather, working boats, fishermen and storm-driven seas.
His documented exhibition record includes 28 works at the Royal Academy and 68 at the Royal Society of British Artists and the Suffolk Street galleries. Further exhibitions included the Whitechapel Exhibition and galleries in Cornwall.
High Tide off Trebarwith Strand predates his move to St Ives by seven years. Its signed 1894 date places it within his mature late Victorian period and confirms his sustained artistic interest in Cornwall before permanent settlement there.
Period Exhibition Label
The reverse carries an important late 19th-century exhibition-type label.
Its inscriptions record “High Tide”, “off Trebarwith Strand”, “Chas S Mottram” and the London address “c/o London & County Bank, High Holborn W.C.” A manuscript price is also present.
Together, these details indicate that the painting was prepared for professional exhibition or sale and provide valuable evidence for its original title and location.
The label has not been definitively matched with a particular exhibition catalogue. It should therefore be described as exhibition-type rather than assigned to a named institution without further documentary evidence.
Provenance And Exhibition History
Late 19th-century exhibition-type label verso.
Private ownership in the United Kingdom.
Private collection, Gwynedd, Wales.
Subsequently offered and sold through a notable North West auction house Roger Jones & Co, retaining its label verso.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Privately exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum in Atlantic Drama: Shipwrecks & Lifeboat Heroes on the Cornish Coast, winter 2025.
Dimensions
Overall framed size: 67.5 cm high × 109.5 cm wide × 3 cm deep
Framing And Display
Recently fitted within a traditional gilt Larson-Juhl frame selected to complement the late Victorian subject and warm coastal palette.
An inner slip creates visual separation between the image and outer moulding, while Artglass AR 70 glazing reduces reflections and improves clarity.
The unusually broad panoramic format gives the painting impressive architectural presence while allowing its numerous narrative details to be appreciated at close range.
Condition Report
The painting presents attractively and retains strong atmospheric colour when viewed through the present glazing.
The paper appears flat and adequately supported. No pronounced cockling, tears, holes or visible repairs have been observed during ordinary framed inspection.
The original exhibition-type label has substantial age-related browning, foxing, staining and paper losses. Despite this wear, the principal handwritten information remains legible.
The work has not been removed from its recent frame for examination. Observations concerning the sheet and painted surface are therefore limited to what can be seen through the glazing.
The frame is of recent manufacture and displays only minimal handling marks.
Please refer to all photographs, which form part of the condition description.
Shipping
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Attribution And Research Notice
The attribution to Charles Sim Mottram RBA and the date 1894 are supported by the signed inscription “Chas S Mottram 94” visible at the lower right. The title High Tide off Trebarwith Strand is derived from the period label retained on the reverse. Although the label appears consistent with late Victorian exhibition or sales practice, it has not been linked conclusively with a named institution or surviving exhibition catalogue.
The interpretation of the scene as a shipwreck and of the figures as fishermen, coastal residents or possible rescuers is based upon visible pictorial evidence. The provenance, historical commentary, exhibition information and condition observations represent the professional, non-guaranteed opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are provided in good faith following visual examination, comparison with published information and consideration of the labels and documentation accompanying the work. Further documentary or technical research may confirm, expand or revise the present catalogue entry.
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