From Under the Sea
painting by James Clarke Hook (1819–1907), Manchester Art Gallery
From Under the Sea is an 1864 oil painting by the British artist James Clarke Hook. It depicts a scene at the Botallack Mine near St Just in Penwith in the west of Cornwall. It shows one of the miners being brought his midday meal by his wife and children. The painting celebrates family life and the dignity of work. It was partly inspired by the accident at the same mine the previous year where ten had died.
The choice of a vertical painting, unusual for Hook, allows himself to emphasise the steepness of the way down to the cavern in the cliffs.
Hook was noted for his scenes of life on the English coast. The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1864 held at the National Gallery in London. Today the work is in the collection of the Manchester Art Gallery, which acquired it in 1891.
References
Bibliography
Cowling, Mary.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “From Under the Sea” as painting by James Clarke Hook (1819–1907), Manchester Art Gallery. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as painting by James Clarke Hook (1819–1907), Manchester Art Gallery. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q119085402. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1864 and 1891.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “From Under the Sea”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow From Under the Sea primary sources, From Under the Sea archive and painting research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “From Under the Sea”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “From Under the Sea” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.