Lot 127: William Clark of Greenock (British, 1803-1883) The cutter Avon winning the prize at the opening cruise of the Clyde Yacht Club

The cutter Avon winning the prize at the opening cruise of the Clyde Yacht Club
signed 'Wm. Clark' and dated 1871 (lower left)
oil on canvas
68.5 x 112cm (27 x 44 in).

PROVENANCE :
Collection of Hugh Walker, Woodburn.
The Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club.

EXHIBITED :
Helensburgh, The Artist and the River Clyde, 1958, no. 94.
London, Sothebys, Rule Britannia !, 1986, no. 226.

LITERATURE:
A.S. Davidson, Marine Art and the Clyde, (Upton, 2001), p. 73, illustrated.

Avon, a 30 ton cutter, was designed and built by the prestigious yard of William Fife and Sons at Fairlie in 1866 (Lloyd's Yachting Register 1891). Originally named Elilda and owned by William Wylie, she was renamed on being acquired by Hugh Walker of Greenock, who commissioned this commemorative painting of her successful finish in the Kyles of Bute.
Closehauled on a port tack, Avon romps home well ahead of the rest of the fleet, and is acknowledged by a gun from the commitee boat, anchored and dressed overall on the left of the painting. In the right foreground is an anchored dinghy displaying a large flag, marking the outer end of the finishing line. Just above this flag lies Black (Farland) Point on the island of Bute, the observed looking southwards from the vicinity of Tighnabruaich.

Beyond the point, the waters of the West Kyle continue towards distant Carry Point at the tip of the land on the right. Amidst idyllic surroundings, the composition recalls the halcyon days of large yachts with professional crews, and a regular coastwise programme of successive regattas throughout the summer at the various prestigious 'Royal' yachting clubs.

Wealthy patrons often attended in their private steam yachts, adding elegance to the occasion and providing the privileged with a grandstand view of the main events. One such auxiliary steam schooner is visible in the distance above the tip of Avon's bowsprit.

We are grateful to Dr. Sam Davidson for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.