Robert Dodd (1748-1815), was an important British marine artist during the French Revolutionary Wars. Many of his pictures were used to produce aquatints and engravings of the battles fought. One of his more well-known images is the engraving of Bligh being cast adrift from the BOUNTY after the mutiny of a part of the crew.
West Indiaman ships were set-up to ship semi-refined sugar in barrels to the United Kingdom where it was processed into refined granular sugar. The ship KENT was involved in this trade.
On verso there are manuscript legends as follows:
 
The Ship Kent
T. Bowman Commander.
Blowing from her Anchors off Monserrat. 1813
By R. Dodd 1813
(Frame 1813).
 
A newspaper clipping recounts the destruction of the KENT by fire in 1825 in the Bay of Biscay, the fire recorded in a message bottle recovered eighteen months later in the Bahamas.
 
Oil on canvas on board support.
530 x 745 mm. (Sight line).
Original frame.