In his lifespan of 87 years, British painter James Scott Maxwell (1845-1932) stayed centered on huge ships, warships, and sea.
He though painted only technical water objects, especially the ones related to war and British scenery, but he did them all with immense creative perfection, as is evident in his most famous painting "United States Corvette "Alliance.
" 6 Guns.
1375 Tons.
571 H.
P.
183 L.
35 B.
14 D.
Bt Norfolk, 1875.
G.
Q.
B.
N.
185 Men 9 Knots.
" All through his life and even posthumously now, James remains a 'vague' phenomenon, because of his hazy roots and other family details.
James Scott Maxwell's entire portfolio, figuring to almost 200 paintings, mainly encircled two themes, Seascapes of Pre World War - I, British seagoing saga of steamers to be precise, and the beautiful people of war (war-o-men).
James Scott's works are widely known as British or Continental Watercolors.
Rather than being artistic, his pictures are more of drawing, exactly capturing actual scenes.
They can therefore, be called 'Photo Realistic,' such as "United States Corvette "Alliance.
" 6 Guns.
1375 Tons.
571 H.
P.
183 L.
35 B.
14 D.
Bt Norfolk, 1875.
G.
Q.
B.
N.
185 Men 9 Knots.
" Maxwell's sketches of American steamships, such as 'St.
Paul' and 'Haverford' are technical sketches with tremendous 'Realism,' scaling well towards photographic reproduction.
While some of James' works were huge such as 'Villefranche 188,' most of his other works however, were small & humble watercolor depictions of steamers, such as 'Clyde,' 'Duchess of York,' and 'Ben Lemmond.
' Almost all of these modest works, including "United States Corvette "Alliance.
" 6 Guns.
1375 Tons.
571 H.
P.
183 L.
35 B.
14 D.
Bt Norfolk, 1875.
G.
Q.
B.
N.
185 Men 9 Knots," measure approximately 7" x 9".
Owing to his passion for sea vessels, James Maxwell hardly ever went beyond the port towns of the British Isles, especially Kenningston.
This points to the probability that he might have roots in coastal belt or might have spent his lifetime there.
James Scott Maxwell's one of the most famous paintings, "United States Corvette "Alliance.
" 6 Guns.
1375 Tons.
571 H.
P.
183 L.
35 B.
14 D.
Bt Norfolk, 1875.
G.
Q.
B.
N.
185 Men 9 Knots," is a watercolor on paper work portraying the steam/sail U.
S.
Navy frigate "USS Alliance.
" Alliance is shown sailing in the sea, driven by steam at full force.
Created in 1879, this painting measures 6" x 9 ½".
It is framed in an old glass frame of 10" x 13 1/4".
Fortunately, this work of Maxwell stays as intact and as beautiful as it was, when painted over about a century ago.
The initials of James Scott are present at the lower left of the painting, as "J.
S.
M.
1879.
" The painting shows a great use of color and a realistic and practical representation, brought to life by covering every meticulous detail, including guns in their ports, crewmembers on the deck, and two other sea vessels on the horizon.
Owing to the photographic presentation, "United States Corvette "Alliance.
" 6 Guns.
1375 Tons.
571 H.
P.
183 L.
35 B.
14 D.
Bt Norfolk, 1875.
G.
Q.
B.
N.
185 Men 9 Knots" looks very much on the move.