Ironclad in a Crimean Harbour, Aivazovsky — Art Postcard

An ironclad rides quiet water in a Crimean harbour, the mountains behind it still snow-capped, and an elegant group of onlookers watches from the quay. Aivazovsky was painting his way through the modernisation of the Russian fleet here — the same Black Sea he had drawn for decades, with a very different ship in the middle of it.

A card for readers of naval history and anyone interested in his late, documentary register.