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Property of a gentleman JAMES E. BUTTERSWORTH (1817-1894) American Shipping displays the Flag...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:150,000.00 - 175,000.00 USD
Property of a gentleman JAMES E. BUTTERSWORTH (1817-1894) American Shipping displays the Flag...
Property of a gentleman
JAMES E. BUTTERSWORTH
(1817-1894)
American Shipping displays the Flag
signed "J.E. Buttersworth" (lower right)
oil on canvas
18 1/8 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
painted circa 1855
<p> Estimate: $150,000-175,000 <p> Provenance
Private Collection, New York, circa 1985 Private Collection, Connecticut <p> Buttersworth's depiction of a breezy late summer day off Sandy Hook is an artistic tour de force. The artist, by his skillful arrangement of the various vessels and by the juxtaposition of shadow and light on the sails and water, suggests the interaction between wind and wave in order to convey a sense of wind strength, and the speed of each individual vessel in relation to wind velocity and point of sail. Buttersworth's close attention to atmospheric detail brings further verisimilitude to the type of sailing day depicted in American Shipping displays The Flag - a smoky sou'wester. The composition depicts New York in the late 1850s which was well on its way to becoming the world's preeminent port. Buttersworth included in his demonstration piece working sail, pleasure yachts, and of course a naval vessel (possibly U.S.S. Constitution) to suggest just how truly dynamic and diverse his adopted home was.