What defines the British marine watercolour tradition?

The British marine watercolour tradition emerged prominently in the late 18th and early 20th centuries, focusing on maritime topography, coastal harbours, and shipping vessels. Artists used transparent washes on paper to capture shifting atmospheric conditions, coastal light, and water reflections.

What materials are typically used in early 20th-century watercolours?

Early 20th-century watercolours were executed using water-soluble pigments made from natural minerals and dyes applied onto heavy rag paper. Works were often mounted on acid-free boards and housed behind glass to protect the delicate water-based medium from environmental moisture.

How do you identify authentic original watercolours from this era?

Authentic period watercolours usually bear hand-written artist signatures or monograms, often accompanied by institutional postnominals such as RBSA (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists). Original pieces display subtle age tones or foxing on paper and reveal fine paint layers under magnification rather than printed dot matrices.

How can a marine watercolour artwork be styled in modern interiors?

Marine watercolours integrate effectively into coastal, traditional, or contemporary interiors. Framing the artwork in a simple oak, gilded, or painted wooden frame with a generous mount allows the subtle color palette to complement neutral or blue-toned walls.

How should antique watercolour paintings be preserved?

To preserve watercolour paintings, display them away from direct sunlight and high-humidity areas. Utilise UV-filtering protective glass and conservation-grade, acid-free backing materials within the frame to prevent fading and discoloration over time.

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William Greenwood Fine Art

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"St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

Name: "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1155947
Price: 680 GBP
Availability: InStock

1900 - 1920

For Sale by William Greenwood Fine Art

Description

Artist: Ernest Frederick Hill RBSA, AMC. (1873-1960).

Title: ''The Harbour, St. Ives".

Signed. Circa 1920. Watercolour.

Inscribed on verso.

Provenance: Inherited by the present owner through family descent.

Size: 10''x 15''. Framed size: 20 1/4''x 24 1/4''.

Now cleaned and framed. In very good ready to hang condition . Free UK delivery.

For more info please contact us at:

Tel: 01677 424830.

Mob: 07885 175279.

Email: williamgreenwoodfineart@gmail.com

Website: wgreenwoodfineart.co.uk

Trade enquiries welcome. Ernest Frederick HILL RBSA (Ern Hill)

1873-1960

The artist was born on 26 October 1873 in Birmingham, the only child of William J R Hill and his wife Julia. His father was employed as a lithographic artist, and had moved to Birmingham for employment from his original home in Gloucestershire. Julia had been born in Birmingham, and the couple settled there at 22 Bristol Road, Edgbaston.

He exhibited titles of Newlyn subjects at the RBSA in 1900, indicating that he had been in Cornwall prior to that year. However, family correspondence has revealed at least two paintings of Newlyn dated in 1905, so it is clear that he returned. His earliest exhibition date, as found so far, is from c1897. The 1901 Census finds Ernest living at home, age 27, with his parents, and his occupation listed as Art Master/School. Later he was to serve as a Vice President of the RBSA, and an associate of Professor Thomas Bodkin, the Founding Director of the Barber Institute at Birmingham University. His death certificate lists his occupation as Headmaster of Bournville Art School (retired).

His exhibiting dates extend to as late as 1946 from a sending-in address listed as Holmleigh, Langley Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham. His landscape and coastal subjects show that he travelled far and wide in Britain to paint - Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and other English locations. From paintings noted to date he was adept at both watercolour and oil. A painting entitled An Impressionist Landscape (oil on canvas, 1929) from its content of thorn trees re-shaped by the winds, could also be of Cornwall, and he may well have returned more than once.

Most of his exhibition work was hung in Birmingham, that famous place that was supposed to have invented 'the Newlyn school'. Though Hill was not one of the original Newlynites, he was clearly of the group that implied that in order to be a well-educated Birmingham artist, one must at least take a look-see at Newlyn.

Hill was married to Catherine who survived him, and he died on 4 September, 1960, at the age of 86. At the time of death the couple remained living on Langleys Road, Birmingham.

Physical Dimensions

Height

51.5cm (20.28")

Width

61.5cm (24.21")

Depth

3cm (1.18")

Declaration

William Greenwood Fine Art has dated this St Ives Marine Watercolour to the 1920s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1155947

Dealers Internal Reference

wgb

Description

Artist: Ernest Frederick Hill RBSA, AMC. (1873-1960).

Title: ''The Harbour, St. Ives".

Signed. Circa 1920. Watercolour.

Inscribed on verso.

Provenance: Inherited by the present owner through family descent.

fig 1. A marine watercolour painting depicting traditional fishing boats moored in St Ives harbour near a stone lighthouse under a soft blue sky. — fig 1. "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

Size: 10''x 15''. Framed size: 20 1/4''x 24 1/4''.

Now cleaned and framed. In very good ready to hang condition . Free UK delivery.

For more info please contact us at:

Tel: 01677 424830.

Mob: 07885 175279.

fig 2. A marine watercolour painting depicting traditional fishing boats moored in St Ives harbour near a stone lighthouse under a soft blue sky. — fig 2. "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

Email: williamgreenwoodfineart@gmail.com

Website: wgreenwoodfineart.co.uk

Trade enquiries welcome. Ernest Frederick HILL RBSA (Ern Hill)

fig 3. A marine watercolour painting depicting traditional fishing boats moored in St Ives harbour near a stone lighthouse under a soft blue sky. — fig 3. "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

1873-1960

“

The artist was born on 26 October 1873 in Birmingham, the only child of William J R Hill and his wife Julia.

William Greenwood Fine Art

His father was employed as a lithographic artist, and had moved to Birmingham for employment from his original home in Gloucestershire. Julia had been born in Birmingham, and the couple settled there at 22 Bristol Road, Edgbaston.

fig 4. A marine watercolour painting depicting traditional fishing boats moored in St Ives harbour near a stone lighthouse under a soft blue sky. — fig 4. "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

He exhibited titles of Newlyn subjects at the RBSA in 1900, indicating that he had been in Cornwall prior to that year. However, family correspondence has revealed at least two paintings of Newlyn dated in 1905, so it is clear that he returned. His earliest exhibition date, as found so far, is from c1897. The 1901 Census finds Ernest living at home, age 27, with his parents, and his occupation listed as Art Master/School. Later he was to serve as a Vice President of the RBSA, and an associate of Professor Thomas Bodkin, the Founding Director of the Barber Institute at Birmingham University. His death certificate lists his occupation as Headmaster of Bournville Art School (retired).

fig 5. A marine watercolour painting depicting traditional fishing boats moored in St Ives harbour near a stone lighthouse under a soft blue sky. — fig 5. "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

His exhibiting dates extend to as late as 1946 from a sending-in address listed as Holmleigh, Langley Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham. His landscape and coastal subjects show that he travelled far and wide in Britain to paint - Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and other English locations. From paintings noted to date he was adept at both watercolour and oil. A painting entitled An Impressionist Landscape (oil on canvas, 1929) from its content of thorn trees re-shaped by the winds, could also be of Cornwall, and he may well have returned more than once.

fig 6. A marine watercolour painting depicting traditional fishing boats moored in St Ives harbour near a stone lighthouse under a soft blue sky. — fig 6. "St Ives" Ernest F. Hill R B S a . Marine Watercolour.

Most of his exhibition work was hung in Birmingham, that famous place that was supposed to have invented 'the Newlyn school'. Though Hill was not one of the original Newlynites, he was clearly of the group that implied that in order to be a well-educated Birmingham artist, one must at least take a look-see at Newlyn.

Hill was married to Catherine who survived him, and he died on 4 September, 1960, at the age of 86. At the time of death the couple remained living on Langleys Road, Birmingham.