A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas, Claude-Joseph Vernet (1773)

A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas captures nature’s overwhelming power, depicting towering waves battering ships along a jagged coast as survivors struggle against the surf. Commissioned for the King of Poland but purchased by Lord Clive in 1773, the painting combines meticulous detail with dramatic composition, emphasizing the fragility of human life against the immensity of the sea. Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714–1789) was a French painter celebrated for his masterful marine and landscape works. He skillfully balanced realism with theatricality, capturing both the sublime terror and serene beauty of the natural world. Paired with its calmer counterpart Calme, this painting reflects Enlightenment-era fascination with the sublime, portraying disaster as both spectacle and meditation on human vulnerability. Product Details: Cotton and polyester canvas on Radiata pine wood frame sourced from renewable forests. Includes back mounting. Due to variation in monitor settings, finished products may appea