$248,000
William Bradford (American, 1823-1892) The Whaleship Speedwell of Fairhaven Outward Bound off Gay Head , 1853. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in., in original ornate gilt-gesso frame; accompanied by the Speedwell's daybook, kept by Benjamin J. Gibbs, Master, dated from September 1, 1857, through February 5, 1861, the ship's final voyage. Condition: Minor retouch. Provenance: Descended in the family of Captain Benjamin J. Gibbs, the ship's first and only master. Exhibitions: William Bradford: Sailing Ships and Arctic Seas, New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Massachusetts, May 22-October 26, 2003. Literature: Exhibition catalogue William Bradford: Sailing Ships and Arctic Seas , by Richard C. Kugler, New Bedford Whaling Museum, 2003, p. 91, plate 4. Note: In depth discussion of this painting by Richard Kugler in letters to the Gibbs family accompanies the lot. According to the Ship Registers of New Bedford, Massachusetts, vol. II, 1851-1865 , p. 243, the Speedwell was "built at Fairhaven, 1853, 475 49/95 tons, length 122 ft. 4 1/2 in., depth 16 ft. 4 in., two decks, three masts, square stern, no galleries, a billethead." The entry goes on to list all of the owners of the vessel. There are some areas of retouch to sky between sails and on sails, sparsely scattered specks of retouch in sky; a fabric strip has been applied with staples around the tacking edge. The painting was cleaned in 2002.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2011-03-06
