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

JAMES EDWARD BUTTERSWORTHNew Jersey/New York/United Kingdom, 1817-1894Portrait 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