James Edward Buttersworth

Estate of Katherine Matthies (sold: Christie’s, New York, December 4, 1987, lot 7)
Glen S. Foster (acquired at the above sale) 
Estate of Glen S. Foster (sold: Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg, New York, May 21 2002, lot 88)
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale

Roslyn Harbor, New York, Nassau County Museum of Art, The Sea Around Us, June-September 2010

John Parkinson, Jr., The History of the New York Yacht Club, New York, 1975, vol. I, pp. 87-88
William Picard Stephens, Traditions and Memories of American Yachting, Camden, Maine, 1981, pp. 29, 32, 275
Richard B. Grassby, Ship, Sea & Sky: The Marine Art of James Edward Buttersworth, New York, 1994, pp. 93-94, illustrated pl. 28
James Taylor, Yachts on Canvas: Artists’ Images of Yachts from the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day, London, 1998, p. 81, illustrated

Please contact the American Art department for this condition report: (212) 606 7280 or americanart@sothebys.com
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

We would like to thank Bryan Oliphant for his assistance in researching this lot and for writing the following essay. 

Buttersworth’s depiction of New York Yacht Club Schooner Resolute reaching on a brisk autumn afternoon is an artistic tour de force. Resolute, built by David Carll of City Island, New York, and owned by A.S. Hatch, appears to be sailing off the canvas as the following schooners and sloops engage in futile pursuit. Buttersworth, by his skillful placement of the yachts, 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 speed of Resolute. Buttersworth’s close attention to atmospheric detail brings further verisimilitude to the type of racing day depicted in the painting. The race in question is certainly not being contested “over the Club Course,” or “from the Lightship to Cape May and return.” More than likely, it is a private match or stakes race. ‘Uncle Rufus’ Hatch was known to have been “ready to sail any schooner in any day in October with an eight-knot breeze, over the Club Course, or to Cape May and return.” Vesta and Dreadnought took up his offer to race over the Club course for dinners with twenty covers, Dauntless accepted a friendly match with no stakes, and Comet raced for a $500 cup over the Club Course. Races such as the one depicted in New York From the Bay were typical of the day.