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HMS Nonsuch, Painting 1991 by Geoffrey Hunt

On Tuesday 23rd May 2017 Wellers had a rather interesting painting turn up at auction. This was an oil on canvas painting c.1991 by Geoffrey Hunt depicting the HMS Nonsuch on a voyage on the open seas. Built in 1668, this 53-foot ketch was built and launched in Gravesend, England. Having famously been mentioned in CS Forester’s The Commodore, which explored the fictional journey of Horatio Hornblower through the Late 1700’s and Early 1800’s, this painting was of great significance as this was the ship that opened up trade with the west coast of Canada and was at the forefront in the establishment of the Hudson Bay Company.

The painting went on to realise an auction hammer price of £3,100 and was a really neat and unique piece of history, with the ship being so famous as to warrant a replica being built in 1970 to celebrate the Hudson Bay Company’s 300th anniversary. The replica can now be found in Manitoba Museum in the Nonsuch Gallery.