Two flying fish

This is a watercolour sketch by William Lionel Wyllie. It depicts two flying fish. The fish are shown swimming in bright blue water, which has been rendered with expressive brushstrokes. The water surrounds the fish but does not extend across the full breadth of the page. The top fish is much larger than the bottom but both fish have the same features and have been rendered in the same colours. The fish are a silver blue hue, with darker colouring on their backs and lighter colouring on their underbellies. There is dappling on their backs to indicate how the light changes when reflecting off their scales. The fish have large pectoral dorsal fins which are soft and ridged. The pectoral fins are a brown, blue hue. Both fish have forked tails. Both fish have dorsal fins and pelvic fins. The underside of the smaller fish is slightly less defined.

Object Details

ID: PAD0499
Collection: Fine art
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Wyllie, William Lionel
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection
Measurements: 252 mm x 354 mm