American School, 
late 19th century- 

A naval action during the American Civil War, with a paddle steamer, possibly the SS Pevensey, having suffered an explosion, followed by a three-masted sailing vessel and three small tenders flying Unionist flags, and with Unionist cavalry troops approaching on the shore; 

pencil, pen, black ink, watercolour and bodycolour on paper, 50.4 x 72 cm. 

Provenance: 
Private Collection, UK. 

Note: 
The present work illustrates a scene from the American Civil War (1861-1865), depicting the destruction of a paddle steamer, of the type that the Confederate forces typically used to run the Union Blockade. The watercolour is a rare and dramatic depiction of a vessel mid-explosion, with components of the ship being hurled into the sky by the sheer force of the blast. 
It has been suggested that the scene represented is the 1864 explosion of the 'iron steamer' SS Pevensey, which was run aground at Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina, by the Union supply ship New Berne. It is worth noting that the New Berne was rigged as a brigantine, and not a three-master as shown in the present picture, but that may simply be an oversight on the part of the artist who was likely working from second-hand accounts of the conflict and not familiar with the specific details of the ships involved. 
While the picture serves as a remarkable historical record of the conflict, the unidentified artist does also demonstrate considerable confidence and skill in the handling of the visual components of the scene, crisply rendering the architecture of the ships and taking special care with the movement of the waves and the dynamic figures of the cavalrymen approaching on land. These elements are reminiscent of works by other artists and watercolourists working in America during the Civil War, particularly those of Xanthus Russell Smith (1839-1929) and Robert Fulton Weir (1838-1927). 
We are most grateful to Dr. Pieter van der Merwe for his advice on the possible historical context of the scene.