English: The yacht 'Royal Sovereign' with the Duchess of Clarence on board, leaving Portsmouth to view the visiting Russian squadron anchored in Spithead, 8 August 1827

This painting was formerly (to July 2014) titled 'HMY "Royal Sovereign" and the experimental squadron leaving to inspect the Russian squadron'. However, it is either the original for, or more probably an oil replication of, a plate (see PAD8010) in Moses' series entitled 'Visit of William the Fourth when Duke of Clarence, as Lord High Admiral, to Portsmouth In the year 1827, with Views of the Russian Squadron'. In that set it is simply captioned 'The Yacht ['Royal Sovereign'] sailing from Portsmouth with Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Clarence on board to view the Russian Squadron, Augt. 8th 1827'. The print itself is dated 1830 and the series bears dates up to 1837, although the subjects are all during the Duke's visit to Portsmouth in late July and early August 1827: it was also only apparently published as a set later, since its engraved title plate is dated 1840. One of the other plates shows HMS 'Columbine' of the Experimental Squadron returning to Portsmouth, but it is the only example which expressly mentions this. The Duke visited a number of ships at Portsmouth (as shown in other plates) apart from the Russian Squadron, which arrived while he was there, and the present image relates solely to that aspect of the occasion. The yacht is heading out of Portsmouth Harbour with the Royal Standard at the main, signifying the presence of the Duchess on board.The painting was acquired in 1940 with BHC3611, which shows another episode also replicated in the Moses prints, though they are not strictly a pair since this one is slightly shorter, but of the same width.

Henry Moses (1782 - 1870) was born in London and died in Cowley, Middlesex. He was a fine engraver of paintings and images of Classical antiquities, especially but not solely from a long connection with the British Museum, in which line his most important work was a 'Selection of Ornamental Sculptures' from the Louvre. How he became interested in marine work is unknown, but in that area he did views at Ramsgate (1817), 'Sketches of Shipping' (1824), the views of Clarence's visit to Portsmouth (as above), and six of the 'Columbine' and the Experimental Squadron (1830). The sheer difference of these from his other engraved work, suggests they may have been a more personal (albeit also commercial) interest. This painting and its pair (BHC3611) are the only two attributed to Moses in British public collections and very few others have ever been seen at auction, especially anything signed. This scarcity poses the question as to whether he really was an oil painter: these two, which replicate two of his prints, might be copies by another hand (and a skilled one, though who remains to be clarified) and others might be similarly misattributed.

HMY 'Royal Sovereign' and the experimental squadron leaving to inspect the Russian squadron