Marine Art or ship paintings are a broad niche in the world of painting and sculpture. Many themes, ideas, emotions and periods are beautifully portrayed in such paintings, depicting ships engaged in battle, merchant vessels gliding over the horizon, exploration vessels of the bygone times, ships of powerful generals and pirates and so on.

Most of the world’s famous ship paintings date back to the Age of Exploration and the Age of Conquest, from the 16th to the 18th centuries. These were the times when rapid advancements in maritime technology brought about a revolution in shipping. Many new maritime vessels were being constructed to fulfil the needs of powerful naval states like Portugal, Spain and later the British Empire.

Ships of this era played a vital role in propelling these mercantilist economies and allowed trade between the European continent, the Americas and South East Asia. That may be why ship paintings intrigue art lovers and history enthusiasts alike.

In this article, let us look at the world’s ten famous ship paintings.

1. The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her last Berth to be Broken Up (1838)

One of the most renowned paintings by the English painter and artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, it depicts the last voyage of the Admiralty’s premier vessel 90-gun HMS Temeraire as it was being taken from the Thames River to Rotherhithe in London for being scrapped. 

The  1838 oil-on-canvas painting received great attention from art lovers and…