Eric Tufnell 1963 WWII Naval Watercolour of Battleship Yamato

Eric Tufnell 1963 WWII Naval Watercolour of Battleship Yamato The Sinking of the Japanese Battleship Yamato, 7 April 1945 – an original Parker Gallery commissioned watercolour with surviving 1963 documentation. Highlights * Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell (British, 1888–1978) * Original 1963 naval watercolour * Depicts the Japanese battleship *Yamato* during Operation Ten-Go * Signed “E. TUFNELL” lower right * Inscribed “SINKING OF THE ‘YAMATO’ / APRIL 7TH. 1945.” lower left * Commissioned through The Parker Gallery, Albemarle Street, London * Original Parker Gallery correspondence and invoice accompany the work * Commissioned for Mr Banks of Tadley, Hampshire * Painted only eighteen years after the historical event * Private collection provenance * Subsequently sold through The Cotswold Auction Company * Presented in a period glazed frame Introduction A compelling and unusually well-documented naval watercolour by Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell, depicting the Imperial Japanese battleship Yamato under American carrier-aircraft attack during Operation Ten-Go on 7 April 1945. Painted in 1963, only eighteen years after the destruction of *Yamato*, the work was privately commissioned through The Parker Gallery of Albemarle Street, London. Of particular importance is the survival of the original Parker Gallery correspondence and invoice associated with the commission, providing documentary evidence linking the original purchaser, gallery, artist and historical subject. Catalogue Details Artist: Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell (British, 1888–1978) Title: The Sinking of the Japanese Battleship Yamato, 7 April 1945 Date: 1963 Medium: Watercolour heightened with white on paper Signed: “E. TUFNELL” lower right Inscribed: “SINKING OF THE ‘YAMATO’ / APRIL 7TH. 1945.” lower left Subject: Operation Ten-Go and the final sortie of *Yamato* Presentation: Period glazed frame The Composition Tufnell depicts Yamato dominating the centre of an intensely active naval composition. Aircraft sweep overhead while towering columns of water erupt around the battleship. Smoke and fire rise from the superstructure, with escorting Japanese vessels visible amid the action. Tufnell combines carefully observed naval detail with freely handled blue-grey washes describing sea, sky and smoke. Heightened white is particularly effective in the explosions, spray and breaking water. The painting captures the sustained aerial assault preceding *Yamato's* destruction rather than concentrating solely upon the final catastrophic explosion. Operation Ten-Go In April 1945 the Imperial Japanese Navy dispatched *Yamato*, the light cruiser *Yahagi* and eight destroyers towards Okinawa as the Surface Special Attack Force during Operation Ten-Go. The force was detected before reaching its objective. On 7 April, American carrier aircraft attacked in successive waves. Repeated bomb and torpedo strikes caused extensive damage to *Yamato*, progressively compromising her stability. The battleship eventually capsized and suffered a catastrophic internal explosion north of Okinawa. Her destruction became one of the defining naval episodes of the closing months of the Second World War and demonstrated the increasingly decisive role of carrier aviation in modern naval warfare. Commander Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell Eric Erskine Campbell Tufnell was a British Royal Navy officer and accomplished marine painter. His professional naval background provided the detailed understanding of ships, naval architecture and maritime conditions that became characteristic of his artistic work. Tufnell specialised in depictions of named warships, historical naval engagements and significant maritime events, combining documentary precision with atmospheric watercolour technique. The Parker Gallery in London became closely associated with his work, handling his marine paintings and arranging commissions for private collectors. The Parker Gallery Commission The surviving documentation accompanying this painting is particularly significant. Correspondence from The Parker Gallery dating from 1963 discusses the commissioning of a Tufnell watercolour depicting a particular Second World War naval incident. The correspondence refers to providing details of the desired subject and photographic material where available to assist the artist. The subsequent Parker Gallery invoice identifies the completed commission with the Battle of the East China Seas and the destruction of the Japanese battleship *Yamato*. The documentation therefore records not simply subsequent ownership but circumstances directly surrounding the creation of the painting. Provenance Commissioned from Commander Eric Tufnell in 1963 for Mr Banks of Tadley, Hampshire, through The Parker Gallery, 2 Albemarle Street, London. Original Parker Gallery correspondence and invoice dating from August–October 1963. Private collection. Subsequently sold through The Cotswold Auction Company. Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. Dimensions Framed: Height: 44 cm Width: 54 cm Depth: 1.4 cm Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record. Attribution and Research The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market. These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations. Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art. Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service. 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