maritime antiques & marine art

Some years ago it was suggested that I build waterline models for profitable sales, similiar to the work of noted builder Charles Van Ryper. At that time I was not familiar with his work, nor did I know the history about his contemporary "Art Deco' style which emerged when he produced his Travel Series prior to the Second World War. Today, in the maritime arts, especially in the Collectible market of ship models, there seem to be a strong resurgence of collectors sprouting up in America and across the atlantic relative to the antique shipmodels of Charles Van Ryper. This is due, in part, ...

Read Post

It's evident on the collectible's circuit that miniature ship models have taken on a new perspective as an artform. In recent times it has been garnered the distinctive titleship as being a highend collectible under the auctioneer's hammer -and bidding participants who look upon these tiny gems, with awe and appreciation, anticipate ownership. These ship miniatures have been bought, sold, and appraised for hundreds (sometimes thousand of dollars) -attesting to the fact that these are, indeed, highly desirable art pieces. Ship models, or rather, the ship model has long been regarded in ...

Read Post

It has been long regarded that ship models exist as a craftsman's art and has never been taken seriously as a true artform. On the contrary... Over the years, as both artist and historian, I have studied this art trend -and to my amazement and awe, found that the artist and the artform has, in my most humble observation, been a medium much sought after. Moreover, with the recent passing of noted British artist Donald McNarry, world-wide collectors have scowered the maritime searching for his signature miniatures since his retirement from the medium in 1983. At the auction house of ...

Read Post

What is marine art ? Marine art is a painting that the main element is water. From there it can include many different kinds of vessels from clipperships to tugboats and yachts. It can also include detailed harbors, and even figures on a beach. The subjects go on and on from there. Most people start their search for a perfect ship painting to go over a mantle. Others develop a passion and fill the walls! In the last 44 years we have sold over 10,000 paintings and carry both antique and contemporary works. The antique side of collecting can include artists such as Thomas ...

Read Post

Shadowboxes came into vogue as sailor keepsakes during the 18th century when crews placed in this window-framed box items that denoted a sailor or officer's career while with a ship. This was the early shadowbox. Since then, the shadowbox has developed into pictureque two-dimensional form containing either cultural or maritime-related subjects. As the American maritime market grew in the mid-70s, so did the shadowbox. These were bulky wall pieces that centered around a shipmodel that was plaed in a setting with other vessels or coastal scenes which either depicted a lighthouse or town. ...

Read Post

Fall River Line models are extremely attractive and worthy of exhibition anywhere. As a collectible their value rarely diminish as I've recently discovered. The next area of interest in New England would be the island steamers that operated around Cape Cod between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. These are beautiful one of a kind pieces that are rarely seen in today's market. Once they are on the circuit for auction they are gathered up quickly; inpart, because of their rarity and collectible status. The Northeast carried an extensive line of steamboats of various types. Collectors have ...

Read Post

Definition of PERIL 1: exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost. and this is the definition of the word "joy: a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. As an artist, I have found that if I want to have a chance at success, good fortune or the prospect of possessing what I desire, I have to risk the possibility of being injured, destroyed or lost. An artist's life is not one of hiding in solitude and indulging in self expression. An artist's life demands that I must expose myself, my ...

Read Post

   I grew up in an art colony by the sea and I have a fondness for the mentality of "beach people". Beach people value relaxation. I've painted Laguna Beach for years since it is my home. I've also traveled to Hawaii several times and painted Island seascapes. Now I'm enjoying the experience of the East Coast beaches. What I like about them is the subtlety of the colors there and the openness of the beaches. There's a Zen feeling on the East Coast beaches. There are fewer colors available, so these paintings are more restful. In this series I'm accentuating the delicious feeling of solitude ...

Read Post

April 21, 2011We took a quick walk down to the docks in Chestertown where I finally got my first glimpse of the schooner Sultana. This is the Sultana, quiet and crewless. I cannot imagine what it must be like in foul weather, with sailors clambering over her decks, coiling lines, pulling and moving in unison. So much choreography in so tight a space!The Sultana and the Pride of Baltimore will be hosting some public sails on April 30. http://www.sultanaprojects.org/

Read Post

April 18, 2011This is St. Michaels, Maryland, from the water, with a view of the wedding cake-like lighthouse and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. With the warmer weather finally upon the Eastern Shore it is time to take advantage of the great outdoors and the many opportunities to paddle about in the water. We saw some ducklings this weekend, having a giddy time getting their bearings under the strict tutelage of their parental units. We also saw some ospreys working on new home construction - it looks like spring is finally here!

Read Post

James E. Buttersworth (1817-1894), was a 19th century artist that many consider to be one of the finest American marine painters of his time. Paintings by Buttersworth have been treasured and collected by museums and collectors for many generations. Although some of his works may be purchased for less than $100K, strong examples of his most desirable paintings can be worth hundreds of thousands dollars. If you are considering acquiring a work by this artist, there are several factors to keep in mind. The Gold Standard – Not just any yachting scene, but an America’s Cup yachting scene. The ...

Read Post

Ever since scholars began to pry into the life of the 19th century American marine painter Fitz Henry (formerly Hugh) Lane, they have been aware of Lane’s role as an art instructor to a Mrs. Mary Mellen, a personal friend of Lane’s and the unfortunate possessor of limited artistic skills.  So narrow has the academic focus been upon Mary Mellen that over time a belief has arisen declaring her to have been Lane’s only student.  Yet in-depth analysis of significant paintings combined with new testimony penned by a Mr. John Trask, Fitz Henry Lane’s next door neighbor, close personal friend, ...

Read Post

Fitz Henry (formerly "Hugh") Lane’s career as an artist officially began in the year 1832, when at the age of 27, he was hired by Pendleton’s Lithography firm in Boston to serve as an apprentice. As the earliest known lithographic creation by Lane had been his "View of the Old Building at the Corner of Ann Street," 1835, it was long supposed that it had taken Lane roughly three years of instruction at Pendleton’s to master the medium of lithography.  Yet, new findings from the archives of the Boston Athenaeum now reveal that Lane pretty much hit the ground running when he came aboard ...

Read Post

Perhaps we should be grateful that world events occasionally derail us from the deeply grooved course of modern society so that we are forced to consider our own journey. We seek a reference to gauge the nature of our own experience and art has a vital role in this process.  The economic disruption and disillusionment of recent times has increased our awareness of this quality and refocused our attention on the art that is personally meaningful. As a dealer observing the ebb and flow of the American art market, I detect a fundamental change in the way collectors perceive the value ...

Read Post

The marine art of Frank Vining Smith (1879-1967) has become part of America's collective consciousness. When we envision a wind-propelled sailing ship plying the high seas, often the image in our mind's eye is inspired by, if not actually painted by, Smith. Prints of his ship paintings adorn seafood restaurant walls, original oils grace art museums and corporate office suites, and his best works now inspire collectors to bid upwards of $25,000 at auctions. The life and work of this beloved artist of America's great age of sail has finally been rightfully recognized with the ...

Read Post

Our gallery has sold many paintings by the American artist Jay Hall Connaway (1893-1970) over the years.  So it is with great pleasure that we greet the current reappraisal of Connaway's lengthy career recently undertaken by two prominent New England museums. Beginning with the Portland (ME)  Museum of Art exhibition last fall of 39 paintings  by Connaway donated by Mrs. Marjorie Osbourne and culiminating with an ambitious show currently on exhibit at the Shelburne (VT) Museum through October 24, 2010, we are able to closely examine and appreciate the paintings of Jay Hall Connaway, an ...

Read Post

As much a museum as it is an authentic Colonial tavern, Connecticut's Griswold Inn famously houses the largest privately-owned collection of paintings by Antonio Jacobsen (1850-1921), America's most prolific marine artist.   Since 1776, travelers have clamored here to dine, sleep, and sing sea shanties. The current owners, the Paul family, have extended the art collection and lately, added a wine bar which has kindled its own audience. New York magazine toasted the inn's cozy Tap Room, clad in maritime antiques: "It just may be the best drinking room anywhere in America." Situated in ...

Read Post

Sailing to auction this fall is a 7-inch-long whale’s tooth decorated by private James Bute of the Royal Marines while aboard the ship from which Charles Darwin surveyed the Galapagos Islands in 1835. Darwin made significant scientific observations from the H.M.S Beagle which formed the basis of his seminal work, “The Origin of Species.” The hand-engraved ivory depicts the three-masted sloop H.M.S. Beagle slicing through rough waters against a mountain backdrop. With a high estimate of 50,000 pounds, the carved tooth will be auctioned by Bonhams in London on Sept. 16. Known as scrimshaw, ...

Read Post