Thomas Willis (Denmark, NY, 1850 - 1925)
Signed and dated (1910) lower right. Oil on Canvas with applied silk accents to boat and sail. Inscribed verso on stretcher.
Sight Size: 15 x 25 in.
Overall Framed Size: 17 x 27 in.
Framed behind glass.
Thomas Willis was born in Denmark in 1850 and sailed to New York in 1870 where he settled in Brooklyn, NY. There, for a time, he worked for a manufacturer of silk embroidery thread (and this very likely influenced his choice to incorporate textiles into his paintings). Willis became a marine artist advertising himself as 'Inventor & sole maker of silk ware pictures' and 'Inventor and for over 30 years the only maker of silk marine pictures' (words written on original studio labels on the backsides of examples of the artist's works). In 1880, Thomas Willis was listed as a silk goods maker in New York: 'Willis, Thomas. Marine Pictures in Silk. 91 Degraw Street, Brooklyn.' Several original Willis studio labels identify other studio locations for the artist, including 'Telephone 1615 Bedford', and Sumpter St., at Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY', and '426 Stuyvesant Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.". The '3 Sumpter St' address is noted in pencil on the label on the verso of this piece.
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.
- Due to the size of our gallery not all items are out for preview at one time. If you plan on coming to preview any lot(s) we recommend letting us know prior so we can have them collected and prepared for your preview.
- 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.
- All artwork is listed and sold per section (10) of our terms and conditions, please read over all definitions of authorship prior to bidding to better understand artwork listings.
- 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.