Art work by Richard Eurich D.Litt. RA OBE (1903-1992) Catalogue Raisonnée: https://richardeurich.co.uk/. Contact: Philippa Bambach 07890 390633 — © Richard Eurich Paintings

The Wreck of the Herzogin Cecilie

1944

oil on canvas

74h x 100w (cm)

Southampton City Art Gallery

Ships | Boats | Harbours | Ports

Seascapes | Coastal Scenes

Birds Eye View

Rainbows

Richard Eurich (1903-1992) Visionary Artist

RA Summer Exhibitions

All Works in NEAC Exhibitions 1927 to 1992

The Art of Richard Eurich

Recto: undated but signed lower right: R. Eurich. and inscribed lower left: "Farewell, Herzogin Cecilie"; The date 1944 is confirmed by an mention in an RE diary.

Verso: Southampton Art Gallery label

Alternatives:

Wreck of the Herzogin Cecilie [RA, Redfern, and Russell-Cotes]

Farewell, Herzogin Cecilie [inscription recto]

The Wreck of the 'Herzogin Cecilie' [Bradford 1951 and 1979, Southampton, and BBC Your Paintings]

Wreck of the Herzogin Cecille [RA catalogue]

Wreck of the Herpgin Cecilie [spelling error NEAC]

The Wreck of the Hertzogin Cecilie [RE sales diary]

76h x 101w [Southampton]

Tags:

All Works in Public Collections

Birds Eye View

Devon

Motifs

Rainbows

Salcombe

Seascapes / Coastal Scenes

Sets

Ships / Boats / Harbours

The South West

Themes

Umbrellas / Hats

Weather / Storm / Wind / Rain / Snow

Subject

Figures

Southampton City Art Gallery

aground

beached

birds

boats

breeches

breeches buoy

buoy

cliff

collection

grain

grain ship

gulls

mast

masted

masted ship

overcast

public

public collection

rain

rainbow

rainy

sailing

sailing ship

ship

ships

shipwreck

tall

tall ship

umbrellas

waves

wind

windjammer

windy

wreck

wrecked

Medium

Oil

Late April 1936 in the middle of the night and in thick fog, the beautiful windjammer Herzogin Cecilie ran aground on the West Devon coast. She had just completed her journey from Australia to Falmouth in 86 days with 4,500 tons of grain on board. This was more than just another ship… she was an object of romantic reverence. The bosun declared that he would willingly have given his life for her, and the whole nation mourned.Dad’s painting pays tribute to the slender beauty and power of this vessel. He said he painted the rainy day as an expression of his tears flowing.

- REP / PB

1st March 1944: "To London with ‘Bombardment of Salerno’, ‘Fortresses over Southampton’, to Admiralty. ‘Night Raid on Portsmouth’ to the RA. Tried to find frame for ‘Cecilie’."
30th March 1944: "Worked all day to finish the painting of the wreck of the Herzogin Cecilie (30x40). Want to send it to the RA."

- RE diary

There has been some discussion with Southampton City Art Gallery, the owner of this work, if Richard wanted the painting to be known by his inscription lower left "Farewell, Herzogin Cecilie". It was briefly changed to that but when it was discovered Richard listed the painting as "The Wreck of the Herzogin Cecilie" in his sales diary it has been changed back.

- REP / PC

Provenance & Events

EXHIBITION • 29th Apr to 7th Aug 1944

"Summer Exhibition 1944"

Royal Academy of Arts

Cat 695

EXHIBITION • 18th Oct to 8th Nov 1947

"New English Art Club 100th Exhibition (Members Work, Winter)"

RBA Galleries, Suffolk St Gallery

Cat 158

SOLO SHOW • 8th Mar to 2nd Apr 1949

"Richard Eurich, Walter Goetz, Frances Richards"

Redfern Gallery

Cat 31

EXHIBITION • 15th Oct to 4th Nov 1949

"Hampshire Artists Exhibition"

Southampton City Art Gallery

Cat 13

ACQUIRED • 10th Dec 1949

Southampton City Art Gallery

purchased from the artist with the assistance of the Frederick William Smith Bequest Fund; accession number 1371

SOLO SHOW • 1st Jun to 26th Aug 1951

"RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION OF OIL PAINTINGS by RICHARD EURICH, A.R.A."

City of Bradford Art Gallery, Cartwright Hall

Cat 44 - lent by the Corporation of Southampton

EXHIBITION • 16th May to 13th Jun 1964

"Five R.A.s: Charles Cundall, William Dring, R.O. Dunlop, Richard Eurich, Lord Methuen"

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum

Cat 14 - lent by Southampton City Art Gallery

SOLO SHOW • 25th Nov 1979 to 20th Jan 1980

"Richard Eurich, RA - A Retrospective Exhibition"

Cartwright Hall Gallery, Bradford District Museums and Galleries

Cat 35

SOLO SHOW • 28th Jan to 13th Mar 1994

"The Edge of all the Land: Richard Eurich 1903-1992"

Southampton City Art Gallery

Cat 44

SOLO SHOW • 20th Mar to 29th May 2004

"Sea Change - Paintings by Richard Eurich in War and Peace"

St. Barbe Museum and Art Gallery

EXHIBITION • 19th Sep 2015 to 9th Jan 2016

"Shorelines"

St. Barbe Museum and Art Gallery

EXHIBITION • 26th Feb to 16th Apr 2016

"Full Circle"

Solent Showcase

EXHIBITION • 13th Jan to 17th Mar 2018

"Southern Shores"

Gosport Gallery

References:

Books

"Richard Eurich (1903-1992) Visionary Artist"; Edward Chaney and Christine Clearkin (contributions by James Hyman, David McCann and Peyton Skipwith), pub. 2003: Paul Holberton Publishing, ISBN 1903470110 [Figure 14 in catalogue, not exhibited]
"The Art of Richard Eurich"; Andrew Lambirth, pub. 2020: Lund Humphries, 170 colour illustrations, ISBN 9781848221727 [fig 49, pg 69]