ARCHIVE MARINE OFFERS


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2.             CAMMILLIERI, NICOLAS 1845        

The Brig "N.S. del Boschetto" in a storm  forehead of the calabrian coast 

Watercolor on paper, cm 32x 45 (inv. Costa n. 11)  signed: Cammillieri

Known data:

   TYPE:                      brig
   SHIPOWNER:       John Baptist Ferrari called "U Caritin"
   CAPTAIN:              John Baptist Ferrari called "U Caritin"

Caption:

"Offer of Sardinian Brig N.S. del Boschetto, Capt. John Bapt. Ferrari from Camogli, in the Coast of Calabria, between the Gulf of S. Ofemia and Policastro, on 29th January 1845. V.F.G.R."

Notes:

The faith of the shipowners of Camogli towards "their" Madonna is legible in the frequency of boats dedicated to the Holy Virgin: we find testimony in others two offers of the Sanctuary, one executed for the captain Giuseppe Mortola by the painter Domenico Gavarrone in 1851 (cfr. nr. 8), the other anonymous work of 1894 offered by the Razeto family (cfr. nr. 4-D). 

Another homonimous boat was constructed in Genoa-Prà in  1843 for the shipowner Giuseppe Schiaffino, painted by Nicolas Camillieri, conserved in the Maritime Museum of Camogli (cfr. Velieri di Camogli, Genoa 1984, p.20 and ref. # 8). 

Finally, another "Our Lady Madonna del Boschetto", of which Captain and shipowner was Bartolomeo  Chiesa, has carried out many travels in the East and above all in India (cfr. G.B. Roberto Figari, S. Bagnato Bonuccelli, The Merchant marine of Camogli, Genoa 1983, p. 31). 

On the boat here represented another painting exists, always of the Cammillieri, in a camogliese private collection (cm 32x44): commander and shipowner, the Capt. John Baptiste Ferrari, called " U Caritin ", had as second officer the twenty years old brother, the Capt. Gio Bono Ferrari said "Gianu" (the Yellow).

 The ship was returning from the Greek islands, coming from Manfredonia with a wool cargo and had to call in a port of the Sicily in order to load cases with manna to carry to Marseilles: unfortunately for the boat the travel was concluded on the cliffs of Policastro.

 
BIBLIOGRAPHY: G.B. Ferrari, The heroic age of the sail, Rapallo 1941, p.711;
G. B.R. Figari,  The offer of the "Caritin" in "La Madonna del Boschetto" Bulletin, 1988 (3), pp.15-18.