Captain Cook's Bark Endeavour at sea
His Majesty's Bark Endeavour is shown under sail on the open ocean - alone, far from land, making good progress in a fresh breeze with a moderate sea running. It is a simple portrait of the ship at sea, the kind of day that made up the vast majority of Cook's first voyage: weeks of steady sailing between landfalls.
The Endeavour was originally the coal carrier Earl of Pembroke, purchased by the Admiralty in 1768 for Cook's scientific expedition to the Pacific. She was small for such an ambitious voyage, but her flat-bottomed hull designed for the shallow rivers of the northeast coast coal trade proved ideal for exploration, allowing Cook to beach her for repairs and to navigate the shoal waters of uncharted coastlines. She carried Cook, Joseph Banks, and a complement of 94 men on a voyage of nearly three years that encompassed the observation of the Transit of Venus at Tahiti, the circumnavigation of New Zealand, and the charting of the east coast of Australia.
The painting captures the ship in her element, alone on the ocean, pushing solidly onto the next discovery. Sold through Marine Artists gallery to the USA.
The research the painting was built on
For this painting, I drew initially on the plans of Endeavour: these can be used directly to draw the vessel out in perspective. From there, the replica is an excellent source, filling in detail and giving a true picture of the bark out at sea under sail. Some elements, like the rigging can be sourced from academic texts. Whilst this is a general view of Endeavour at sea, the journals of Cook and Banks still provide some of the atmosphere of the voyage.
Browse more subjects of this period, or explore commissions
More paintings of sailing ships
Explore the collection →
Read about the process of creating your own painting
Commission a painting →This painting found its home.
Yours is waiting.
If it's Endeavour that interests you, perhaps in a different sea state, a different moment in Cook's voyage, I can paint a variation of a similar scale and spirit. And if it's a different subject entirely, the same research and approach applies.
Just a ship's name or a general idea is plenty to start. I'll reply personally, usually within one working day.
Full details of how commissions work →