Harold Wyllie (British, 1880-1973) America's Cup Race off Newport, c. 1930

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American Furniture & Decorative Arts

By Bonhams Skinner

Apr 1, 2020 - Apr 13, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-04-01 12:00:00 2020-04-13 19:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Furniture & Decorative Arts https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/skinner/american-furniture-decorative-arts-4993
This April’s American Furniture & Decorative Arts auction offers an opportunity to acquire fine early American urban-made furniture from two Massachusetts private collections, the roots of which began in the 1930s and which represent over a hundred years of combined connoisseurship. Bonhams Skinner bidsquare@bonhamsskinner.com

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• Lot Description
  Harold Wyllie (British, 1880-1973)
  
  America's Cup Race off Newport, c. 1930
  Signed "Harold Wyllie" l.l.
  Oil on canvas, 28 x 36 in., in a gilt molded frame.
  Condition: No obvious retouch.
  
  Provenance: Deaccessioned from the Ulster Museum, Belfast.
  
  Note: The 1930 America's Cup was the first to be held off Newport, Rhode Island. It was also the first Cup to be raced with the new and incredibly expensive J-Class yachts. The previous year Sir Thomas Lipton had offered his fifth and final challenge on behalf of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, and like all his other contenders he named his yacht Shamrock. Being his fifth challenge she was naturally called Shamrock V.
  
  Four American J-Class yachts were launched in preparation for defense of the Cup: Whirlwind, Yankee, Weetamoe, and Enterprise. The last was eventually selected after a very competitive and hard fought set of three trial races. Built of Tobin bronze by Nathaniel Herreshoff, Enterprise had a mast made of duralumin which was over a third lighter than Shamrock V's heavy wooden mast. However, Shamrock V had had an outstanding racing season during the summer of 1930, winning 15 races and coming second in four more, and she crossed the Atlantic with a great deal of expectation. Built mostly of steel by Camper and Nicholson, she was 81.1 feet on the waterline. One major disadvantage was that her rigging and gear were not as high quality as that of Enterprise. In addition the crew of Shamrock V was a combination of professionals and amateurs, compared with the all professional crew of Enterprise.
  
  The competition was organized as a best of seven races event. It began in hazy conditions off Newport, and Enterprise, skippered by Harold Vanderbilt, won the first two races, particularly the second, easily, but in the third race Shamrock V was leading until she lost her main halyard and had to be towed back to port. In the fourth race Enterprise won by nearly 6 minutes and so retained the Cup.
  
  Wyllie exhibited at the Royal Institute, at the Royal Academy from 1905-1924, and was a founding member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists. He was marine painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes from 1934-1946, although only a handful of his yachting paintings are known to exist. This is the only one of the America's Cup.
  Estimate $4,000-6,000
  
  
  Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
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