About this artwork
Based in Philadelphia, Thomas Birch was a leading marine painter who helped establish the genre in early 19th-century America. Shipwreck near a Rocky Coast is a romantic, imaginative composition that highlights human struggle against the forces of nature: the ship’s sails are torn, its masts lean to one side, and a tiny group of seafarers attempts to flee the disaster. Birch rendered the scene in dramatic detail, yet left the narrative unresolved.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 171
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- Thomas Birch
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Title
- Shipwreck near a Rocky Coast
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1833
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Medium
- Oil on canvas
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Inscriptions
- Signed at lower right: "T Birch 1833"
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Dimensions
- 51.4 × 76.8 cm (20 1/4 × 30 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of the family of Richard H. Daniel
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Reference Number
- 2018.363
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/244013/manifest.json