LOT #72428 |
Sold on Jun 29, 2008 for: Not Sold
Xanthus Smith (American, 1839-1929). . United States Steamer Kearsarge Leaving Boston Harbor . 1869. Oil on canvas . Sig...
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Description
Xanthus Smith (American, 1839-1929)United States Steamer Kearsarge Leaving Boston Harbor
1869
Oil on canvas
Signed bottom right Xanthus Smith, 1869
7-3/4 x 11-3/4 inches (19.7 x 29.8 cm)
Xanthus Smith served in the Union Navy during the Civil War as a ship's clerk, a perfect vantage point for seeing warships and action up close. He made sketches of what he saw, later transferring the images onto canvas in small scale in order to capture the intimate details of the majestic ships that, like him, became so famous.
The USS Kearsarge was one of the most famous gunboats in the Union Navy. Its destruction of the Confederate ship CSS Alabama in the English Channel made it a legend. Technically a Mohican-class "sloop-of-war," the 1550-ton steamship was commissioned at the Portsmouth Naval Yard in response to the outbreak of the Civil War. It searched for Confederate ships throughout the coast of Europe where the raiders were sinking Union ships at a prolific rate, especially the steamer CSS Alabama. On June 14, 1864 the Kearsarge found the Alabama at the French port of Cherbourg and sank her five days later in one of the most famous naval battles of the Civil War.
Xanthus Smith depicts the Kearsarge's glorious return to sea out of Boston Harbor after the ship had returned to the United States for repairs the next year. The white sails are full; the naval ensign flying proudly as she gallantly sails out to sea to chase Confederate shipping until the close of the Civil War. The ship served gallantly around the world until it sunk after striking a reef off Nicaragua in 1894. Smith went on to be regarded as the premier naval artist of the Civil War. Known for his portraiture art as well, he is most revered for works such as this, ones that memorialize the proud ships that served both North and South.
Auction Info
2008 June Signature Civil War Auction #6002 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2008
29th-30th
Sunday-Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,248
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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