A Storm at Sea with a Large Ship and a Small Boat with Two Figures
1765–1800
Medium
Pen and black ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 1/4 × 13 1/16 in. (21 × 33.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2014
Accession Number
2014.657
Tags
Art Historical Context
Carl August Ehrensvärd’s *A Storm at Sea with a Large Ship and a Small Boat with Two Figures* captures the raw power of nature through a dynamic pen-and-ink composition. Created between 1765 and 1800, the drawing contrasts a towering vessel battling turbulent waves with a fragile rowboat carrying two figures, highlighting the drama and peril of maritime life. Ehrensvärd, a Swedish naval officer and artist, drew upon his firsthand experience at sea to convey both technical accuracy and emotional intensity. Executed solely in black ink on a modest sheet measuring roughly 8 by 13 inches, the wor...