Isle Of Wight, 1869 by Wilhelm Melbye
Isle Of Wight, 1869 by Wilhelm Melbye
Wilhelm Melbye was born in Elsinore Denmark and was the second son of three artist brothers and by far the most talented and revered. He studied at the Academy in Copenhagen under his brother Daniel, but soon outshone his work. He was noted for his meticulous attention to detail.
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 22 x 37 ins/ 54.9 x 94.0 cm
SIGNATURE: Signed ‘Wilhelm Melbye’ and dated (lower left)
Price: £21,000
Provenance
Private Collection, United Kingdom
Biography
Wilhelm Melbye was born in Elsinore Denmark and was the second son of three artist brothers and by far the most talented and revered.
He studied at the Academy in Copenhagen under his brother Daniel, but soon outshone his work.
Wilhelm then travelled to London, Dusseldorf and Paris where his excellent marine paintings found a ready market.
He lived in London between 1853 and 1867 and was a regular exhibitor at the major London exhibitions including the Royal Academy where he exhibited 11 pieces.
His subjects ranged from views of the Icelandic Coast down to the Bay of Naples. His work was so popular that he was able to charge £100 for his larger pieces such as this one.
He was noted for his meticulous attention to detail. In his later life he returned to Denmark where he became head of the Academy in Copenhagen until his death in Roskilde in 1882.
Works in Museums: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen; Royal Naval Museum, Copenhagen; National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; Lansmuseum, Sweden; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; National Gallery of New South Wales; Frederiksborg Museum, Zeeland.