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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

National Gallery of Art

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Tours and Guides
    • Explore the Campus

    Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

    Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights

    Through September 5

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    America’s 250th

    Celebrating American art and artists

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Fun and Games
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Open Call

    Artists Reimagining the Collection

    Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Utility

  • Support
  • Shop
  • Become a Member

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Tours and Guides
    • Explore the Campus

    Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

    Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights

    Through September 5

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    America’s 250th

    Celebrating American art and artists

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Fun and Games
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Open Call

    Artists Reimagining the Collection

    Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Utility

  • Support
  • Shop
  • Become a Member

Directions

  • Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
  • See extended hours

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    3. Lady Violet Mary Nairne
    Provenance

    Lady Violet Mary Nairne

    British, 1865 - 1965

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    Artwork

    This painting shows a seascape with large sailboats on choppy blue-green waters. The horizon is in the bottom third of the painting, dividing the sea from the cloudy white-and-blue sky. The boats are seen from a distance, their tall sails in shades of white, cream, and tan. Small dots of color suggest people standing on the decks, but the details are unclear. Closer to us, some dark brown shapes emerge from the water; on the left are three vertical shapes that look like tree branches or driftwood, while on the right is a round object like a floating barrel. Around these objects are splashes of white waves, and in between them is a small V shape that could be a bird or the tail of a fish.
    Richard Parkes Bonington, Seapiece: Off the French Coast, c. 1823/1824, oil on canvas, Paul Mellon Collection, 1982.55.1

    Seapiece: Off the French Coast

    Seapiece: Off the French Coast

    Richard Parkes Bonington · c. 1823/1824 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1982.55.1

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    Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
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      6th St and Constitution Ave NW
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      4th St and Constitution Ave NW
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      7th St and Constitution Ave NW
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