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AMERICAN STEAM SHIP
OIL ON CANVAS
19th Cent.
Oil on canvas 19th Century
Unframed 21 7/8" L x 12 3/4" H Framed 27" x 17 1/2"
Unsigned
Presented is a China Trade painting of the three island steamship AZTEC in the turbulent wind tossed waves and cloudy skies of a full storm. She is steaming under reduced speed into a head sea and heeling to starboard with no flags flying. The horizon is indistinct in the background. The sky is a blackish gay with many dark weather clouds. A moody painting by an accomplished China Trade artist that is in suburb condition. The painting is unsigned which is typical of this genre.
CONDITION: It is in excellent condition. There seems to be some indistinct writing on the front lower left that has worn off. The painting is mounted in a valuable gilded wood frame of the period which also is in fine condition with a patina of age, and some scuff marks.
PROVENANCE: From the private collection of George W. Davis from at least 1963. Mr. Davis was the senior partner of Davis Skaggs & Co., San Francisco, an investment banking firm whose operations date back to the mid 1920's. The firm is still in business, but was acquired by Shearson American Express in 1983. On its stretcher is the notation that it is the property of George W. Davis, and dated 1964
THE SHIP: The AZTEC, owned by the Oriental Navigation Co. of Englewood, NJ, was a slow moving freighter of 3727 gross tons that was built in Newcastle, England in 1894. She was 350 Feet long with a beam of 43 feet. She left New York on March 18, 1917 for Le Harve, France under the command of Captain Walter O'Brien. She was sunk by a German submarine at 9:15 PM on the night of April 2, 1917 off the coast of Brest. Nineteen of the crew were rescued by a French patrol boat and twenty eight were reported missing.
CHINA TRADE PAINTINGS: There were numerous artists who painted portraits of Western vessels throughout the Orient and some migrated to Europe to practice their craft. Their paintings were somewhat flat in their style, and more simply executed than European and American artists. Frequently the ships and landscapes in the backgrounds gave an indication of where they were painted. The paintings may have age crackles in their varnish, and many of them are in poor condition requiring restoration. They were frequently presented with a carved wooden frame, in the so called Chinese Chippendale. Chinese craftsmen proved adept at copying Western styles and industrial-style workshops employed crews of low-paid artisans to create the wares that were sold at trade centers called "hongs," originally along the Pearl River at Canton and later throughout Asia. Since the artists considered themselves no more than workmen, most did not sign their works.
Today, signed paintings by the few that did such as Spoilum, Lamqua, Foeiqua, Sunqua and Tinqua can bring hundreds of thousands of dollars so that China Trade paintings are one of the most desirable items to have in any collection of marine art or nautical antiques.
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OUR UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE: If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned, if without damage, within three days of receipt in its original packaging. Return items must be insured for their full value. A prior email authorization by us for the return is required. Unfortunately, shipping charges are not included in this offer and are non-refundable unless due to our error.
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An beautiful painting of the China Trade Period with an American ship as the subject, and from a known collection
Copyright 2007 by Land And Sea Collection™, All Rights Reserved
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