Nicholas Matthew Condy, British 1816-1851- A first rate -of-the-line beating up Plymouth Sound and calling for a pilot to take her into the Hamoaze; oil on panel, 37.3 x 45.8 cm. Provenance: Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 10 December 2020, lot 103. Note: Condy, who grew up and lived in Plymouth until his death, took to recording the s that made up the fabric of his daily life. His work gained admiration from the Earl of Egremont, one of Turner’s patrons, and he exhibited three maritime paintings at the Royal Academy between 1842 and 1845. In the present work, the first-rate sits at the centre of theposition with the pilot boat in the left foreground transporting the maritime pilots between land and the , which is to be piloted from Plymouth Sound into the Hamoaze, its primary inflow of water. The Hamoaze flows past Devonport Dockyard, one of three major bases of the Royal Navy today.The panel sits well in the frame and the paint surface is stable on the support. A few minor areas of settled craquelure. A tiny loss in the front mast middle sail. A tiny brown speck of dirt to the right of the 's sails in the sky. Minor surface dirt and occasional marks. The details are finely preserved, and areas of impasto remain. Under UV light, historic scattered retouching is apparent - especially to infilling in the craquelure, to the orange sections of sky to the right of the , and to sections of the water.