Large framed painting of the Steam Yacht ‘Beryl’ cruising past Mount Vesuvius in the Mediterranean in 1907. John MacArthur of ‘The Neuk’, Vaul, is thought to have been the yacht’s piper when it cruised the Western Isles some time between 1905 and 1911, as John was known locally as Piopaire a’Bhurns / Burns’ piper, and the owner of the Beryl was James Burns, 3rd Lord Inverclyde. Also, the painting hung in the house of Willie and Hannah MacLean in Balemartine, and John was the cousin of Willie MacLean’s father.
The painting is accompanied by notes regarding the artist and the histories of several SY Beryls (stored in filing cabinet 10, drawer 4).