Yacht Racing Off Sandy Hook NYYC Ragatta June 14, 1877 by JE Buttersworth
Oil on canvas titled "Yacht Racing off Sandy Hook" is signed in light blue lower left. The large format painting has fantastic detail and the composition depicts three yachts completing a race around the Sandy Hook Light Ship, a subject he painted many variations of. The schooner at the center is heeling towards the viewer displaying the individual planks on the deck as well as all of the deck structures including the grating at the bow. The figures on all three boats are well defined and are actively working at sailing the vessels. In the schooner you can see the afterguard with the crew in the cockpit and the captain standing near the starboard rail pointing and shouting orders to the crew. The sails on all of the boats are accurately rendered with highly detailed sail seams and reef points.
The sloops appearing on the right and left show topsails fluttering and the winning boat on the right has its foresail fluttering, a technique Buttersworth often employed to show action. The schooner at the center has all of her sails set and beautifully shaped. One can feel the force of the wind pulling her forward. The red-hulled Sandy Hook Light Ship flying her American flag off the stern is somewhat obscured by the schooner at the center but her forward mast with a light is visible along with portions of the forward mast itself. The two sidewheel steam ship spectator boats are each flying American flags off the stern and the Union Jack off the bow. The sky is masterfully rendered in hues of plum, gray and blue which provides a splendid backdrop for the sails. This regatta described below in detail was know for a strong black squall that quickly rose toward the end of the race. This squall was described in many accounts in the press of the day and mentioned that the yachts Wanderer and the Rambler were almost sunk. The well know marine artist Fredric Cozzens painted a well know watercolor depicting these yachts floundering in the squall. Buttersworth would occasionally paint the reflections of the sails and masts in the water which in this painting can be seen in the water below the center schooner. The painting contains a greater number of the special elements and nuances that characterize and dramatize Buttersworth's finest paintings. The atmospheric and narrative qualities of this painting along with a combination of composition, detail, size, condition and framing characterize this canvas as a true Buttersworth masterpiece.