Attributed to Edward William Cooke (1811-1880) British, Oil on Canvas. Title: "Breaming a Calais Lugger." Breaming was a method of cleaning a ship's bottom by careening, then burning off the barnacles. 

Overall: 27 1/2 X 33 1/2 in. 

Sight: 18 3/4 X 24 1/2 in. 

Depth: 2 3/4 in. 

#2701 . 

Edward William Cooke, RA, FRS, FZS, FSA, FGS was born on March 27th, 1811 in Pentonville, London. He was the son of a well-known line engraver named George Cooke; his uncle, William Bernard Cooke (1778-1855), was also a line engraver of significance, and Edward was raised in the company of artists. He was a precocious draftsman and a skilled engraver from an early age, and many of his earlier drawings favored Dutch pastoral landscapes and animal subjects. He published a series of engravings entitled “Shipping and Craft” in 1829, when he was just 18. He benefited from the advice of many of his father’s associates, notably Clarkson Stanfield (who became his primary mentor) and David Roberts. Cooke began painting in oils in 1833 and took formal lessons from James Stark starting the next year. He first exhibited at both the Royal Academy and British Institution in 1835, by which time his style was essentially formed and growing in recognition. He visited the Netherlands in 1837, where his marine images greatly increased. He divided the next 23 years between the two countries, studying the effects of light on differing coastal landscapes. His later years included travels to Scandinavia, Spain, North Africa, and particularly to Venice. In 1858 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Honorary Academician. A polymath, he also developed serious natural history and geological interests, becoming a Fellow of the Linnean Society, Geological Society, Zoological Society, and of the Society of Antiquaries. He died in London on January 4th, 1880.