Gawen Hamilton, Scottish
“Oh, My Mistake, Sir. When You Commissioned This, I Thought You Said You Liked Big BOATS and You Could Not Lie,” ca. 1735
Oil on canvas
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Info, or links that point to more info, about this artist can be found here and here, perhaps in addition to what’s in his Wikipedia page (Google translated French Wikipedia page may have more).
/// Peter Monamy, painter of ships,
sees the frown on his rich patron’s lips.
Thomas Walker had paid
for a basking mermaid,
(and to watch while the young model strips).
/// The strange sails on these ships don’t look right.
Is that smoke; could they be in a fight?
Could some cannonball hits
tear thick canvas to bits?
Or did several sails somehow ignite?
/// Walker mocks Peter’s maritime vision.
His words aren’t critique— they’re derision.
So Monamy agrees
to make changes to please
Thomas. (Mermaids are in the revision.)
/// Peter Monamy stood by Thom Walker,
who, it seems, is not much of a talker.
Cleared his throat and then swallowed,
“I don’t like being followed,”
Peter had Thomas charged as a stalker.