The European Art Sale Part I

The European Art Sale Part I

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 249. Happy Days.

Montague Dawson

Happy Days

Auction Closed

January 27, 10:47 PM GMT

Estimate

80,000 - 120,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Montague Dawson

British

1895 - 1973

Happy Days


signed Montague Dawson (lower left)

oil on canvas

canvas: 50 by 36 in.; 127 by 91.4 cm

framed: 55½ by 41 in.; 141 by 104 cm

Frost & Reed Ltd., London, no. 7994 (acquired directly from the artist, 22 November, 1938)
Private collection
Forstmann Family Collection
Private collection (acquired from the above by the present owner, 21 November, 2017)

With Happy Days, Dawson captures the thrill of a race under sunny skies and across white capped water suggesting the high winds perfect for the event. This is a one-design race, in which all of the boats competing would have been of the same size and type. The buoy on the left side of the composition is the mark, and the foremost boat has already passed it and turned upwind on a port track in a close-hauled position. 


These racing boats with cutter rigs were designed for long-distance ocean racing with the burgee, the flag on top of the mast, indicating the club to which the boat's owner belonged.