WWI RETURN OF THE MAYFLOWER PRINT BY BERNARD GRIBBLE

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WWI RETURN OF THE MAYFLOWER PRINT BY BERNARD GRIBBLE
WWI RETURN OF THE MAYFLOWER PRINT BY BERNARD GRIBBLE
THIS IS A VINTAGE PRINT BY BERNARD GRIBBLE OF THE WWI SURRENDER OF THE GERMAN FLEET.  THIS MEASURE 12X18
Bernard Finegan Gribble
(10 May 1872 - 21 February 1962) was a prolific
British
marine artist
and
illustrator
.  Although his work included
landscapes
of Poole and
portraits
, Gribble was best known as a painter of historical (and often romanticised) maritime scenes. It was once suggested that he had painted "almost every historic event that took place on water, from the landing of
William the Conqueror
to the
Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow
in 1919". Spanish
galleons
and treasure vessels are well represented in his work, and one critic described him as a "specialist in burning ships". Others compared his paintings to the fine marine vistas of the late 19th-century seascape artist,
Henry Moore
, acknowledging Gribble's skill in the accurate portrayal of costume and technical detail and his ability to convey an authentic period atmosphere.(1)
In his preparatory sketches of ships, Gribble made notes on the precise structure and names of
sails
,
masts
, and
rigging
. He had studied the movement of water closely, and made highly technical analyses of the construction of rigging and sails to a level where it naturally informed his naval subjects. He also paid close attention to the detail of
costume
. The evident quality of Gribble's marine pictures lies in the artist's mastery of the oil painting medium adapted to a profound understanding of his chosen subject.(2)
Gribble exhibited regularly at the
Royal Academy
and the
Paris Salon
, and his paintings were widely sought after.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
was one of many celebrity owners of Gribble paintings. He purchased a painting showing the arrival of American
destroyers
at
Queenstown
in Ireland, during
World War I
. It hung in the
Oval Office
of the
White House
when Roosevelt became United States President in 1933. The President reputedly suggested the painting's name —
The Return of the Mayflower
— to the artist. Roosevelt also purchased
Surrender of the German Fleet to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow
. Gribble had been one of the few civilian witnesses to this event in 1918; in his capacity as Official Maritime Painter to the
Shipwrights' Company
. Both works are believed to have been painted in 1919.(3)
Other notable purchasers of Gribble paintings included
Queen Mary
, the German
Kaiser
, and
Jackie Onassis
. The Kaiser was so impressed by Gribble's work that
King George V
summoned the artist to a royal residence to meet him.
Gribble was in demand as an illustrator, and his work appeared in many leading
magazines
, including '"
The Illustrated London News
and '"
The Graphic
. He illustrated numerous books, his work appearing even on royal
postcards
and
chocolate boxes
.
After his death in 1962, his widow donated many of his works to
Poole Museum
, which now possesses the world's largest collection of Gribbles. The collection numbers 250
paintings
,
drawings
,
prints
and
photographs
. Typical paintings in the Poole collection are
The Plague Ship
,
The Whelp of the Black Rover
and
The Return of the Argosy Galleons
, but there are also some local topographical works such as depictions of the Guildhall, the Custom House, views of the
Quay
and harbour, a portrait of former
Mayor
of Poole, Herbert Carter, in civic regalia, and one of a woman believed to be Gribble's wife Nellie.
Although Gribble's work has been out of fashion for some decades, Poole Museum has taken the opportunity provided by the First World War Centenary to reassess Gribble's art by staging an exhibition of his marine paintings, based on its collection and focusing on his war paintings. Part of the national centenary programme led by Imperial War Museums, the exhibition also includes loans from private and public collections, including the National Maritime Museum, and the highlight of these is a painting of the scuttling of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow, of which Gribble was an eye witness, from the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston. The exhibition, titled Painting Drama at Sea, continued until February 2014.
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