William Bradford (American, 1823-1892) The Whaleship Speedwell of Fairhaven Outward Bound off Gay Head , 1853.

Description:

William Bradford (American, 1823-1892)

The Whaleship Speedwell of Fairhaven Outward Bound off Gay Head, 1853. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in., in original ornate gilt-gesso frame; accompanied by the Speedwell's daybook, kept by Benjamin J. Gibbs, Master, dated from September 1, 1857, through February 5, 1861, the ship's final voyage. Condition: Minor retouch.

Provenance: Descended in the family of Captain Benjamin J. Gibbs, the ship's first and only master.

Exhibitions: William Bradford: Sailing Ships and Arctic Seas, New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Massachusetts, May 22-October 26, 2003.

Literature: Exhibition catalogue William Bradford: Sailing Ships and Arctic Seas, by Richard C. Kugler, New Bedford Whaling Museum, 2003, p. 91, plate 4.

Note: In depth discussion of this painting by Richard Kugler in letters to the Gibbs family accompanies the lot.

According to the Ship Registers of New Bedford, Massachusetts, vol. II, 1851-1865, p. 243, the Speedwell was "built at Fairhaven, 1853, 475 49/95 tons, length 122 ft. 4 1/2 in., depth 16 ft. 4 in., two decks, three masts, square stern, no galleries, a billethead." The entry goes on to list all of the owners of the vessel.
Estimate $100,000-150,000

There are some areas of retouch to sky between sails and on sails, sparsely scattered specks of retouch in sky; a fabric strip has been applied with staples around the tacking edge. The painting was cleaned in 2002.

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