Britannia of Åland Baltic Barque Painting After Andreas Lind
B. Hartvik (Scandinavian School, 20th Century)
Britannia of Åland Under Full Sail, 1979
After Andreas Gundersen Lind (1815–1885)
Documented Baltic Trading Barque | Signed Maritime Oil on Canvas
Highlights
• Signed Scandinavian maritime oil painting by B. Hartvik.
• Painted in Mariehamn, Åland, in 1979.
• Portrays the three-masted barque Britannia of Åland under full working sail.
• Names the vessel and her master, Captain August Ekblom.
• Executed after an original 1869 London gouache by Andreas Gundersen Lind.
• Finely observed rigging, sail configuration and maritime signals.
• Connected to the historic Baltic and North Sea merchant trade.
• Retains its original 1970s gilt moulded frame.
• Supported by recorded auction and commercial provenance.
• A large and commanding maritime picture with impressive decorative presence.
Introduction
An imposing Scandinavian ship portrait recording the Britannia of Åland, a three-masted merchant barque commanded by Captain August Ekblom.
Painted in oil on canvas by B. Hartvik at Mariehamn in 1979, the composition was taken from an earlier gouache executed in London in 1869 by Andreas Gundersen Lind, the distinguished Norwegian marine artist and former master mariner.
The ship is depicted under an expansive arrangement of sails, crossing a blue-green sea beneath a broad atmospheric sky. Its named subject, technical detail and extensive inscription place the painting within the documentary tradition of Northern European maritime portraiture.
Catalogue Details
Artist: B. Hartvik
Nationality or school: Scandinavian School
Date: 1979
Title: Britannia of Åland Under Full Sail
Medium: Oil on canvas
Genre: Maritime ship portrait
Depicted vessel: Britannia of Åland
Recorded master: Captain August Ekblom
After: Andreas Gundersen Lind (Norwegian, 1815–1885)
Source composition: Gouache painted in London in 1869
Place painted: Mariehamn, Åland
Signature: Signed, dated and inscribed to the lower left
Presentation: Original 1970s gilt moulded frame
Catalogue Note
The Britannia occupies almost the full width of the composition and is presented in profile, a viewpoint traditionally favoured by professional ship portraitists because it allowed the vessel’s construction and rig to be recorded clearly.
Hartvik renders the ship’s three masts, spars, ropes and sails with considerable attention to their individual functions. Square sails are carried on the foremast and mainmast, while a fore-and-aft arrangement is shown upon the mizzen. Headsails project forward from the bow, with further staysails suspended between the masts.
Careful tonal transitions across the sails suggest wind filling the canvas and carrying the ship steadily through the water. The network of dark rigging provides both technical definition and a strong graphic structure.
The surrounding sea is animated without becoming theatrical. Long rolling swells and restrained white highlights communicate movement while leaving the Britannia visually dominant.
A distant coastline to the left may refer to the English coast or the maritime approaches to London. Another sailing vessel appears near the right-hand horizon, situating the subject within a busy commercial route and adding depth to the seascape.
The Britannia and Baltic Trade
The barque became one of the most successful merchant sailing rigs of the nineteenth century. Its combination of square-rigged fore and mainmasts with a fore-and-aft-rigged mizzen enabled comparatively economical operation while retaining the power and capacity required for extended trading voyages.
Britannia is represented as a working ocean-going merchant vessel rather than an idealised or imaginary ship. The extensive sails, maritime signals and identifying inscription contribute to the documentary character of the portrait.
The Russian merchant ensign shown upon the vessel accords with Åland’s political position during the date of the original 1869 composition. Åland then formed part of the Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire.
Throughout this period, vessels from Åland and the wider Scandinavian region were closely connected with trade between the Baltic, North Sea and British ports. Timber, grain and other commodities travelled along these routes, with London functioning as one of the world’s most important commercial harbours.
The portrait therefore evokes both an individual vessel and the extensive international trading network within which she operated.
The Artists
B. Hartvik
Although little published biographical information is currently available for B. Hartvik, the painting’s inscription clearly records the artist’s name, the place of execution and the date 1979.
Hartvik’s work reflects the lasting Scandinavian interest in maritime history and the preservation of important ship portraits. The painting translates Lind’s nineteenth-century composition into a substantial oil on canvas while retaining its documentary character.
Andreas Gundersen Lind
Norwegian marine painter Andreas Gundersen Lind was born in 1815 and possessed extensive practical maritime experience before establishing himself as a ship portraitist.
Lind obtained his master mariner’s credentials in Trondheim in 1840 and commanded ships for approximately twenty years. He subsequently worked in London, maintaining a studio near the Tower and within close reach of the docks and visiting merchant vessels.
His knowledge of working ships enabled him to portray individual vessels with precision and technical understanding. His surviving works are valued as both artistic compositions and visual documents of nineteenth-century maritime activity.
The present oil follows a gouache of the Britannia that Lind painted in London in 1869.
Signature and Inscriptions
The painting is signed, dated and inscribed to the lower left:
“After And. Lind’s gouache painted in London 1869. Mariehamn 1979 B. Hartvik.”
The vessel is identified by the inscription:
“BRITANNIA FRÅN ÅLAND CAPT. AUG. EKBLOM”
Provenance
Recorded in the art market with the sale date 27 February 2013, according to a MutualArt record; complete auction details are not presently publicly indexed.
Sale, Skånes Auktionsverk, Landskrona, Sweden, online auction, 18 December 2018.
Private collection.
With Bushwood Antiques.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Canvas:
80 cm wide × 58.5 cm high
Framed:
87 cm wide × 65.5 cm high × 3.7 cm deep
All dimensions are approximate.
Condition Report
The painting retains considerable visual presence but displays condition issues associated with age, previous storage and environmental exposure.
There are areas of paint loss, most noticeably within the sky and sea. Surface staining, spotting and generalised craquelure are also present, together with evidence of vertical water staining.
The canvas has areas of thinning and several small tears. The painting would benefit from assessment by a qualified paintings conservator, followed by professional cleaning, consolidation and sympathetic restoration where appropriate. Such treatment would likely improve both its appearance and long-term stability.
The original 1970s gilt moulded frame displays losses to the gilded surface, discolouration, staining and general age-related wear.
The artwork is offered in its present unrestored condition. The catalogue photographs should be examined carefully because they form part of the condition assessment. Additional images and further information are available upon request.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
The painting will be professionally packaged with suitable protective materials and fully insured for delivery. Please contact us for a tailored international shipping quotation or to discuss collection arrangements.
Attribution & Research Notice
The historical observations, vessel identification, provenance research, artist identification and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional, non-guaranteed opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the visible inscriptions, available evidence, comparative research, published reference material, auction history and professional 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, vessel identity, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. The title Britannia of Åland Under Full Sail is understood to be a modern descriptive catalogue title derived from the inscription upon the painting. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic and maritime 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.
