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This Fine Silkwork Has Been Sold. Thank you!   RACING SCHOONER GRAYLING SILK THREAD ON CANVAS Ca 1863 Attributed to Thomas H. Willis (1850-1925)      Embroidery on oil on canvas on board           19 th Century, Ca 1883 to 1887 Unframed  31" L x 18" H                                 Framed 37" x 25" x 1 1/2" D Unsigned                                                      Weight 14 pounds       Presented is an embroidery of the American racing schooner GRAYLING. The schooner was designed by Philip R. Ellsworth and built at Brooklyn's Richard & Cornelius Poillon Shipyard in 1883, for the ardent yachtsman and club commodore, Latham Avery Fish. As a point of pride, in 2008, we sold an original oil on canvas painting of "GRAYLING" in the lead in the Goelet Schooner Race of 1884 or 1886 which she won in both years. See http://landandseacollection.com/id441.html   GRAYLING, designed by Ellsworth for Fish, Commodore of the Atlantic Yacht Club, was 91 feet long with a beam of 23 feet and only drew 5 feet with her centerboard in the raised position. Later she unsuccessfully competed in the America's Cup Eliminations of 1887.   Photo taken without the frame and glass The line appearing to hang down is the dolphin striker.     This work, even though unsigned, with its extremely fine attention to the details of the ship, is clearly the work of  Thomas H. Willis, the recognized master of using silk thread, satin and embroidery on painted canvas, to portray all types of vessels, or someone schooled by him. In this work, the gaff headed racing schooner is of a type that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th Century and early in the 20th Century. Philip Elsworth designed three similar schooners of this general type. They were Fortuna, Grayling and Norseman, all built at the Poillon Shipyard. Here Grayling is flying the Thirteen star ensign with fouled anchor from her main gaff which was popular with yachtsmen, and the burgee of the Atlantic Yacht Club from her fore truck and the owner's personal pennant from the main truck. The top painting is shown with its frame and under glass and the lower picture is without the glass, but with the gold fillet around it. The glass is original with a few small bubbles and ripples.   THE ARTIST: There is little information available about the master of this technique which is surprising since he is well known in the art world. Thomas Willis was born in Connecticut in 1850, and as an adult, he moved to New York City. His early days there were spent in working for a silk thread manufacturer which must have influenced his choice of mediums. As far as is known, he was a self trained artist who had a love of sailing vessels and the sea, and experimented in the use of thread and fabric in portraying them. His scenic backgrounds were painted, and he was skilled in the use of a brush which added a pleasing contrast to the silk work. In 1880, he decided to spend full time as an artist and began to portray well-known New York area yachts using his distinctive silk technique. He advertised in local papers as the sole maker and creator of "silk ware" pictures by creating ship portraits using fabric hulls, silk and satin sails with painted backgrounds and embroidered details. Many feel that Willis’s superb handling of this specialized technique made his paintings indistinguishable from more traditional mediums. As his reputation grew, he counted many of the members of the prestigious New York Yacht Club as his clients and the images of their yachts have become a lasting memory of the Golden Days of Yachting during the Turn of the 20th Century. He died in New York in 1925.   His works are now in the Mariner's Museum, the Mystic Seaport Museum and the Peabody Museum, and many of the finest private collections of Americana, and his name appears in various registries of American artists. His signature was a "T" over a "W" and many of his works were known as unsigned.   Embroidered gold scroll work on the bow Crew members in the cockpit to scale Ship's boat secured to davit 13 Star Yacht Ensign at main gaff From the bow showing three dimensional quality of the workmanship   Willis had the ability to capture the image of ships and yachts using mostly silk thread and embroidery techniques as others would use paint. His work is startlingly realistic as is this one.   CONSTRUCTION: The background is oil on canvas which appears to have been mounted on board. The hull of the yacht is black satin. The sails appear to be silk or satin fabric. The rigging is silk thread, and the detailing such as rubbing strakes, American flag, burgees, and figures is embroidered in heavy thread. The panels of the sails are drawn in pencil.   CONDITION: The painting is very old but in fine condition. There are a couple of broken threads and some minor stains on the sails which are mentioned only for thoroughness and are not distracting.  The wood frame has all the signs of being original with a well worn name plaque, and weighs 14 pounds. It has a gold fillet which is mounted around the painting and which acts as an inner frame. SHIPPING & PACKING: The cost of shipping, packing, handling, and insurance to your destination is an additional charge. We price our shipping honestly, but we expect to be reimbursed for the nominal cost of packaging materials and handling. OUR UNCONDITIONAL NO NONSENSE GUARANTEE: If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned, if without damage, within three days of receipt in its original packaging. Return items must be insured for their full value. Only a prior email authorization by us for the return is required. Shipping charges within the continental United States are  included in this offer if the error is due to our fault.   International buyers welcome, but inquire first.  We have satisfied customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dubai, Estonia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Nova Scotia, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, St. Maarten, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, USVI and the Eastern Caribbean.   ACCEPTED FORMS OF PAYMENT are Bank wire transfer, cashier's check, or personal check in which case the item will be held until cleared. Our prices are quoted net to seller, but credit cards may be accepted through PayPal for verified members by special arrangement.   Copyright 2012 by Land And Sea Collection™. 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