PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the Artist by the present Private Collection, Ontario, circa 1980

LITERATURE
William Gough, The Art of David Blackwood, 1988, reproduced plate 23, unpaginated, same image

The narrative in this mysterious and evocative copperplate etching by David Blackwood revolves around Captain Noah Bishop. One night at sea, Captain Bishop experienced a vision of his wife approaching across the ice floes. The apparition filled him with dread, and he set sail for home. According to the story, he returned to his wife, presumed dead, who was then revived by the cold night air. The fantastical qualities of this image point to the profound influence of Gustave Doré and his renowned engravings depicting scenes from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

The original owners of this work were introduced to David Blackwood by Woodrow “Woody” Roberts, also a native of Wesleyville, Newfoundland. Roberts, by all accounts, was a living embodiment of the long and rich tradition of storytelling from that region. This work comes from an impressive private collection of Blackwood’s work that includes the iconic Fire Down on the Labrador, lot 28 in Heffel’s Spring 2024 live auction.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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