“Nelson’s Bright Yellow”

Yellow, Nelson ‘s bright yellow and HMS Victory

"“Nelson’s Bright Yellow”", 41 x 28 cm (16" x 11"), £5,000 (about $6,300) by Gordon Frickers.


Yellow? an order from Nelson to the dockyard at Malta for paints to make a bright yellow paint, a colour he thought looked “more warlike” and which became the ‘signature of his ships including those who sailed with him, his “Band of brothers”.

Any reputable gallery should be delighted to offer you this painting for this price… and are welcome to help you buy this classic painting, a timeless subject.

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This abstract painting

started life with an order from Nelson to the dockyard at Malta for paints to make a bright yellow paint, a colour he thought looked “more warlike” and which became the ‘signature of his ships including those who sailed with him, his “Band of brothers”.
Next, back in the early 1995 when I was official artist to HMS Victory, a project for raising funds to help with her renovation there came a day while standing near HMS Victory with the keeper Peter Goodwin Gordon pointed out the bright chrome yellow the Royal Navy used on her hull was wrong.

Disbelief was followed by consternation when he said chrome yellow was not in general use until about 1818 before which it was a very expensive ‘exotic’ colour.

Many years later Peter Goodwin in his role as Keeper and Curator of Victory found a letter from Nelson for paint which included the bright yellow mix ratio.
Peter asked Frickers to run some test.

This painting is one of those tests.

I thought I’d painted a ‘technical test’ for my mate …. wrong !

Katie Goodwin who besides being Peter’s wife, is deputy head of Portsmouth Museum and a qualified archaeologist, on seeing this exclaimed “No it’s a painting, sign it“!

Seen in retrospect Katie is of course right, this is a lot more story than an after dinner yarn.

Nelson's Bright Yellow, detail, 'Winsor & Newton' light gold compared with 'Rembrandt' yellow ochre..
Nelson’s Bright Yellow, detail, ‘Winsor & Newton’ light gold compared with ‘Rembrandt’ yellow ochre…

Available

> with your credit card Purchase Now  < via Paypal, in any currency, or £/, or bank to bank; or in instalments by arrangement, contact Gordon Frickers.

How much in my currency?

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My painting “Nelson at Gibraltar” is the first painting since living memory to be sure to show correctly “Nelson’s Bright Yellow“.

By happy coincidence a visit to Her Majesties United Kingdom Hydrographic Office confirmed our findings when I was shown a series of Serres watercolours made at that time that ‘live’ in The coffin at HMHO, are very rarely exposed to light and as with numerous treasures at HMHO, have never been exhibited so still ‘as painted’.

Serres was official marine artist appointed by King George III

Credit where it is due: Special thanks to the now living ledgend, Mr. Peter Goodwin, who was for some 20 years “Keeper and Curator of HMS Victory”, is the author or 17 + naval books and a most excellent researcher.
I doubt there anyone alive or dead knows more about the Georgian Navy and HMS Victory in particular than Peter Goodwin.

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Gordon Frickers © updated 14.10.2020

Further Reading: Useful facts + excellent stories about “Nelson’s Bright Yellow”.

Gordon Frickers artist
This Gordon Frickers art signature is on all my more recent paintings.