Edward William Cooke R.A. (1811-1880) - Sailing barge off the coast of Sheerness

A delicately painted watercolour of a sailing barge off the coast of Sheerness on the south-east coast of England. Cooke was not known to depict Sheerness often but produced a work titled 'The Temeraire 90, off Sheerness with the Admiral in his gig &c, 1st July 1833' early in his career. [1] This watercolour, despite being painted many decades later, has a freshness and skill portrayed throughout Cooke's artistic career. 
 
Medium: watercolour on paper with scratching out, signed l.l. 'E.W. Cooke 1865', 14.1 x 22.2 cm, framed.
 
Provenance: Gerard O'Farrell Watercolours, Faringdon, Oxfordshire (label verso).
 
Condition report: the watercolour is in excellent condition. The frame has a few chips which have mostly been painted over.
 
References:
 
[1] John Munday, 'E.W. Cooke 1811-1880: A Man of his Time', Antique Collectors' Club Ltd.: Woodbridge, 1996: p.61 for more information on Cooke's earlier work of Sheerness which is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum.