2-995-642 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

"The Last from the Wreck", by E. Duncan, in the Exhibition of the Water-Colour Society, 1860. Engraving after a painting. '...the work of rescue has been completed, with the exception of one man, "The Last from the Wreck", the captain probably, who is on the point of reaching the shore by means of rope-tackle, many a hand being held out to greet him, The small and agitated group of sailors, passengers, and others indistinctly seen behind a huge shelving rock is admirably conceived, harmonising so perfectly with the boisterous sea in front, and the fierce wind, which seems to carry all before it. The poor wreck itself, the stern only of which is seen above water, is an object which irresistibly moves our personal sympathies, as the fierce spray, lighted by a fitful sunray, dances over it. In the offing is another vessel still holding by her anchor and hoping to weather out the storm. Too much cannot be said in praise of the whole composition and execution of this masterly work - sky, sea, and shore are all blended in one common object of terror. The light and shade are nobly balanced, and the chiaroscuro pervading the whole is admirable'. From "Illustrated London News", 1860.