This late 19th-century oil painting by English artist Frederick Joseph Sang (1846-1931) depicts a coastal landscape with a stormy sky. Sang was an accomplished painter of maritime subjects, views and harbours.Gathered on a wind-battered cliff top, several monochromatic figures peer through pelting rain across a heaving turbulent sea. In the distance, set against a glimmer of horizontal light, a stricken ship navigates the waves. Did the sailors return to shore? We will never know. On the reverse, a partially legible title appears to read ‘An Anxious Moment’.Born in St John’s Wood, London, Sang’s father was the distinguished decorative artist Frederick Sang, responsible for numerous neo-classical ceiling designs and frescoes. His commissions included ornate decorative schemes for St Pancras station, London’s Royal Exchange and Spencer House at St James’ Palace among others.Young Sang was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps and was probably trained by him. But alongs...