JAMES EDWARD BUTTERSWORTH (New Jersey/New York/United Kingdom, 1817-1894), Portrait of the American clipper ship Black Warrior, circa 1853, Oil on can

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The Marine Sale: Session II

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Aug 8, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-08-08 09:30:00 2025-08-08 09:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Marine Sale: Session II https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/eldreds/the-marine-sale-session-ii-20128
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• Lot Description
  JAMES EDWARD BUTTERSWORTH
  New Jersey/New York/United Kingdom, 1817-1894
  Portrait of the American clipper ship Black Warrior, circa 1853, flying a white flag with a red, white and blue American shield from the main mast and an American flag off the gaff. The clipper ship under shortened sail in the near distance is flying an American flag and a house flag with a red cross centering a blue dot on a white field. Another ship is on the distant horizon, visible below Black Warrior's bowsprit. Signed lower right "JE Buttersworth".
  Oil on canvas, 29" x 35.75". Framed 40" x 47".
  
  Notes:
  This exceptional work is executed in Buttersworth's typical meticulous fashion, showing each plank of the hull, a figurehead in the form of a woman with outstretched arms, several figures on board, stern decoration, detailed deckhouses and lifeboats, crisp "Black Warrior" lettering on the quarterboards, and the cathead resembling the face of a cat. The shape of the sails and stunsails is outstanding, and the seams, reef points, spars and yardarms are accurately delineated and beautifully drafted. Further, the rolling waves with white crests, the puffy clouds with delicate shades of pink and purple, and the light reflecting on the hull are superlative examples of Buttersworth's paintings from this period.
  
  "Black Warrior" was a medium clipper launched in late 1853 from the Austin & Co. yard in Damariscotta, Maine and was immediately purchased by William Wilson and Son of Baltimore for $90,000. She was 234 feet in length, 42.5 feet in breadth, 23 feet in draft and weighed 1,828 tons. Her first voyage was from New York to London, Australia and South America, returning to New York on June 23, 1855. She sailed for San Francisco on September 6, 1855, making the passage in 124 days, and then went on to Hong Kong. She was under the command of Captain Murphy for the entirety of her career until 1862, when she was sold to James Baines & Co. and went under the British flag as the "City of Melbourne". She was hulked in 1877 at Melbourne, Australia.
  
  Provenance:
  Passed down through a Connecticut family for several generations. Accompanied by several photocopies of letters about the painting between members of the family and noted museum curators and marine art specialists dating from 1956 to 1974:
  
  - January 13, 1956 from Malcolm D. MacGregor, assistant curator, on Mystic Seaport letterhead. MacGregor provides a brief biography of Buttersworth, noting he painted ship portraits for Currier & Ives and was considered the leading painter of ships from 1850 to 1875.
  - January 17, 1956 unsigned thank you note pertaining to information provided about the painting.
  - March 1, 1956 signed "Bill", presumably William Potter Lage, on Law Offices of Fennelly, Eagan, Nager & Lage letterhead. Provides a brief history of Black Warrior based on the description in American Clipper Ships 1833-1858 by Howe and Matthews, published by the Marine Research Society in 1926.
  - July 1, 1965 unsigned but addressed to M.V. Brewington, curator of maritime history at the Peabody Museum, Salem. References the Buttersworth paintings in the museum collection. Mailed with a photograph of the "Black Warrior" painting.
  - July 2, 1965 from M.V. Brewington, on Peabody Museum letterhead. Brewington gratefully acknowledges receipt of the letter and photograph above, and inquires if the work is dated.
  - July 7, 1965 unsigned but addressed to M.V. Brewington. In response to the above, the writer notes the painting is undated.
  - July 13, 1965 from Helen Comstock, on her personal letterhead. Comstock, a leading American antiques expert at the time, had recently written an article about Buttersworth for Antiques magazine. In the letter she notes the Black Warrior painting "seems to be in the very best style of Buttersworth's ship portraits" and that "Mr. Brewington's reaction [...] is flattering. In my opinion he knows more about American marine painting than anyone else". She suggests contacting the Old Print Shop in New York should the owners be interested in selling.
  - July 16, 1965 from M.V. Brewington, on Peabody Museum letterhead. Brewington responds to the July 7 letter above.
  - March 22, 1973 from Rudolph J. Schaefer, on his personal letterhead, to Maria Naylor of Kennedy Galleries, Inc. Schaefer, retired former owner of Schaefer Brewing Co. and an avid Buttersworth collector, is conducting research for a book on the artist. He asks Kennedy to share his information with owners of Buttersworth paintings so that their works could be included in his index. His resulting book, J.E. Buttersworth 19th-Century Marine Painter, was published in 1975.
  - September 20, 1973 from R.J. Schaefer, on his personal letterhead. He gratefully acknowledges information about the Black Warrior painting submitted to him and asks for permission to publish the painting in his book.
  - March 19, 1974 from R.J. Schaefer, on his personal letterhead. He writes of his appreciation for permission to include the painting in his book and regrets that it will not be illustrated with a color photograph as he considers it "a very lovely painting".
  
  
  Exhibited:
  Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit, Massachusetts: "Masters of the Maritime -The Art of James E. Buttersworth", June 28-August 20, 2017.
  
  References:
  J.E. Buttersworth: 19th-Century Marine Painter by Rudolph F. Schaefer (Mystic, Ct.: Mystic Seaport, 2009). Full-page color illustration with caption and discussion of the work, p. 84.
  
  J.E. Buttersworth: 19th-Century Marine Painter by Schaefer (Mystic, Ct.: Mystic Seaport, 1975). Paintings with two clippers, as seen here, are illustrated on p. 111, 112 and 113. Other Buttersworth clipper ship paintings are illustrated on p. 86, 116 and 117.
  
  Ship, Sea & Sky: The Marine Art of James Edward Buttersworth by Richard B. Grassby (N.Y.: Rizzoli / South Street Seaport Museum, 1994). The frontispiece painting of the clipper ship "Witchcraft" is extremely similar in rendering and coloration to this painting. Buttersworth's portrait of the "Dreadnought", in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum and one of the most well- known of the artist's clipper ship paintings, is illustrated on p. 66. It is comparable to this painting in terms of color, crispness, quality of light and condition.
  
  American Clipper Ships, Vol. 1 by Octavius T. Howe and Frederick C. Matthews (Salem, Mass.: Marine Research Society, 1926).
  
  Flying the Colors: The Unseen Treasures of Nineteenth-Century American Marine Art by Alan Granby and Janice Hyland (Manchester and N.Y.: Mystic Seaport in Association with Hudson Hills Press, 2009) includes a ful-page color illustration of this work, p. 184, plate #III.7.
  
  American Fine Art Magazine July/August 2017 issue includes an illustration and caption of this work, p. 94-97 .
  
  American Art Review August 2017 issue includes a color illustration and caption of this work, p. 60-63.

  Condition

  Housed in a 19th Century frame that has been recently fitted to the painting and the gilt surface has been restored.
  
  The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction. 
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