David James (1853-1904)

A maritime painter, he achieved success and wealth, primarily painting the seas around the Cornish coast and the Scilly Isles. He masterfully portrayed the translucent quality of a breaking wave. Within the genre of marine painting James’s subjects were diverse, from topographical coastal scenes to fishing fleets at sea, clipper ships and nocturnal seascapes.

He also traveled widely. In 1880, James was painting the slate grey North Sea off the coast of Great Yarmouth and 1884 found the artist further up the east coast painting the dramatic cliffs of Flamborough Head on the North Yorkshire coast. In the late 1880’s James painted a series of works on the Pembrokeshire coast in Sou...