John Swatsley (American, B. 1937) "Morocco Desert Scene with City" Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board. Signed lower left.
Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
This painting is the original painting which appeared on the Fleetwood First Day of Issue Maximum Card for the U.S. 22c Friendship with Morocco stamp issued July 17, 1987.
Morocco was among the first nations to recognize the independence of the United States after the Revolutionary War. As the new nation began to trade with Europe and the Middle East, her ships were often attacked by the Barbary Pirates of Tunis and Tripoli. After unsuccessful negotiations between John Adams and the Tripoli government, the American Congress sent Thomas Barclay to neighboring Morocco to negotiate a separate treaty of peace and friendship. Moroccan Emperor Sidi Mohammed III, agreed to provide safe harbor for American merchant vessels - and to intercede when they were seized by the Barbary states. Barclay conceded to the Emperor's demand for a nominal annual monetary tribute. Thus, an agreement was reached. In Morocco's capital, Marrakech, on June 23, 1786, the Treaty of Marrakech was signed. The next summer, on July 18, 1787, the treaty of peace and friendship was ratified by Congress and thus began the longest unbroken amnity treaty in American diplomatic history.
Image Size: 8.75 x 12.25 in.
Overall Size: 16.75 x 20.5 in.
Unframed.
(B10942)
Condition
- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.
- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.