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Maritime & Marine Drawings

Maritime and marine drawings typically feature scenes of docks, harbors, and vessels including steamships and sailboats in the midst of traversing the seas. Maritime and marine drawings can also include tableaus or taxonomic portraits of marine life.

Collectors enjoy maritime and marine drawings for a variety of reasons, including the age old yet continually evolving tradition of navigating the seas by boat, or a personal connection to the ocean. Many are also attracted to maritime and marine drawings due to the intrinsic beauty of the sea, its inhabitants, and the nautical vessels that travel across its surface.

The tradition of maritime and marine drawing appears seemingly as old as the advent of boats themselves. Petroglyphs featuring reed watercrafts dating back to roughly 12,000 B.C. have been discovered in modern day Azerbaijan. Maritime paintings spiked in popularity during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, as sailboats amounted to a vital tool for Imperial expansion, and again during 19th-century Europe as the steamboat became an increasingly popular means of transportation.


Quick Facts

  • Impressionists including Claude Monet produced a number of maritime scenes such as "Cliffs and Sea Saint-Adresse," which depicts the cliffs of Normandy in the foreground with steamboats in the distance
  • Winslow Homer, one of the great early American artists, created a prolific number of maritime drawings, often depicting fishing and sailing leisure scenes
  • Maritime and marine drawings appear to constitute a fundamental human interest, appearing in various incarnations by practically every culture in close proximity to the sea

Recommended Items at Auction

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ORIGINAL! THOMAS KINKADE "SEA OF TRANQUILITY" PENCIL ON VELLUM
Mar 16, 9:00 AM MST
ORIGINAL! THOMAS KINKADE "SEA OF TRANQUILITY" PENCIL ON VELLUM
by Bradford's
Est: $0- $0
$506 Bids
CHARLES LIVINGSTON BULL (NY, 1874-1936)
Feb 21, 11:00 AM EST
CHARLES LIVINGSTON BULL (NY, 1874-1936)
by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Est: $500- $700
$2005 Bids
MARINE PENCIL SKETCH SIGNED 'P. SCOTT'
Feb 21, 11:00 AM EST
MARINE PENCIL SKETCH SIGNED 'P. SCOTT'
by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Est: $200- $300
$501 Bid
William Hentschel Airbursh
Feb 19, 11:00 AM EST
William Hentschel Airbursh
by Caza Sikes
Est: $60- $100
$301 Bid
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André Robillard (born 1931) Bateau anglais rapide
Feb 19, 3:00 PM CET
André Robillard (born 1931) Bateau anglais rapide
by Piasa
Est: €400- €600
€4000 Bids
ROBERT 'BOB' RICHARDSON (born 1938); a pair of pastels, harbour scenes, signed, 29 x 39cm, framed and glazed (2).
Feb 22, 11:00 AM GMT
ROBERT 'BOB' RICHARDSON (born 1938); a pair of pastels, harbour scenes, signed, 29 x 39cm, framed and glazed (2).
by Adam Partridge Auctioneers
Est: £200- £300
£1200 Bids
Christopher A. D. Murphy, Sloop Near Savannah
Feb 25, 10:00 AM EST
Christopher A. D. Murphy, Sloop Near Savannah
by Everard Auctions and Appraisals
Est: $400- $600
$3000 Bids
Bertram Goodman (1904-1988) Antique American Modernist Seascape Sailboat Framed Drawing
Feb 23, 11:00 AM EST
Bertram Goodman (1904-1988) Antique American Modernist Seascape Sailboat Framed Drawing
by Curated Gallery Auctions
Est: $300- $500
$100 Bids
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A Walter von Bernaud Pastel
Feb 18, 10:00 AM CET
A Walter von Bernaud Pastel
by Veilinghuis de Jager
Est: €120- €240
€800 Bids
ROBERT 'BOB' RICHARDSON (born 1938); pastel, Continental river scene, signed, 45 x 62cm, framed and glazed.
Feb 22, 11:00 AM GMT
ROBERT 'BOB' RICHARDSON (born 1938); pastel, Continental river scene, signed, 45 x 62cm, framed and glazed.
by Adam Partridge Auctioneers
Est: £80- £120
£500 Bids
Christopher AD Murphy (1902-1973) River Street Study
Feb 25, 10:00 AM EST
Christopher AD Murphy (1902-1973) River Street Study
by Everard Auctions and Appraisals
Est: $400- $600
$2000 Bids
Rudolf Heinrich Schuster (zugeschr.) "Pünderich / Mosel". 1889.
Mar 08, 10:00 AM CET
Rudolf Heinrich Schuster (zugeschr.) "Pünderich / Mosel". 1889.
by Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden OHG
Est: €350- €400
€3000 Bids
Oskar Zwintscher "Bei Diesbar an der Elbe". 1892.
Mar 08, 10:00 AM CET
Oskar Zwintscher "Bei Diesbar an der Elbe". 1892.
by Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden OHG
Est: €600- €700
€5000 Bids
Oscar Mendlik (1871-1963) Driemaster op zee, gesig…
Feb 25, 7:00 PM CET
Oscar Mendlik (1871-1963) Driemaster op zee, gesig…
by Veilinghuis Van Spengen
Est: €80- €120
€600 Bids
Co Breman (1865-1938) Zeilschepen aan de kade, ges…
Feb 25, 7:00 PM CET
Co Breman (1865-1938) Zeilschepen aan de kade, ges…
by Veilinghuis Van Spengen
Est: €200- €400
€1500 Bids
Hendrik Jan Wolter (1873-1952) Bootjes in de haven…
Feb 25, 7:00 PM CET
Hendrik Jan Wolter (1873-1952) Bootjes in de haven…
by Veilinghuis Van Spengen
Est: €400- €600
€3000 Bids
Hollandse school, 19e eeuw, Twee zeegezichten met …
Feb 25, 7:00 PM CET
Hollandse school, 19e eeuw, Twee zeegezichten met …
by Veilinghuis Van Spengen
Est: €200- €300
€1000 Bids
AGOSTINO CARRACCI (1557-1602) (FOLLOWER)
Feb 25, 2:00 PM CET
AGOSTINO CARRACCI (1557-1602) (FOLLOWER)
by Bernaerts Auctioneers
Est: €600- €800
€3500 Bids
Anthonie Waldorp (1803-1866) Aangemeerde vissersbo…
Feb 25, 7:00 PM CET
Anthonie Waldorp (1803-1866) Aangemeerde vissersbo…
by Veilinghuis Van Spengen
Est: €400- €600
€3000 Bids
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Dale Rayburn Pencil Drawing of Harbor
Feb 25, 12:00 PM EST
Dale Rayburn Pencil Drawing of Harbor
by C Biddle Auction Gallery
Est: $10- $1,000
$100 Bids
Erwin Shoultz-Carrnoff Tusche / Erwin Shoultz-Carrnoff ink
Feb 28, 2:00 PM CET
Erwin Shoultz-Carrnoff Tusche / Erwin Shoultz-Carrnoff ink
by Kunstauktionhaus Georg Rehm
Est: €0- €0
€800 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Maritime & Marine Drawings


East Coast Books

East Coast Books

Veilinghuis Van Spengen

Veilinghuis Van Spengen

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries

Adam Partridge Auctioneers

Adam Partridge Auctioneers