Mr. and Mrs. Daniel T. Mellom, East Amherst, New York
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1981
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1982

The following condition report has been prepared by Simon Parkes Art Conservation: This large, important work has probably been restored in the last 30 years. The canvas has been lined with wax. However, the cracking that may well have been eliminated with the lining is becoming raised again and reversing the lining is not only appropriate to de-acidify the canvas but also to allow the fresh lining to eliminate the cracking. The painting is probably slightly dirty. One can see slight abrasion to the rigging in the brightest part of the central sail, but this is minor. The area that has been retouched is in the lower sky on the right side above the smaller boat. There is also a thin scratch, measuring about 1 ½ inches, which has been retouched in the top of the sails of the white sailboat on the far right. These retouches have changed color and should be reexamined if and when the picture is cleaned and restored. The water is healthy, as is the boat, and although there are a few retouches elsewhere in the sky, the remainder of the condition is very good. There is slight thinness in the upper left sky which is oddly isolated, but this could be retouched. Overall the condition is very good.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Born in England to a family of marine painters, James Buttersworth traveled to New York in 1847 and settled there permanently by the following year. At the time of Buttersworth's arrival, New York was primarily a maritime city and the largest center of transportation in the nation, affording the artist plenty of subject matter in the form of the ships and steamers that came in and out of the surrounding ports. John Wilmerding notes that Buttersworth's yachting pictures are "valuable expression[s] of the ambitions, industry, and competitive pleasures in ninteenth-century America" (American Marine Painting, New York, 1987, p. 150). Over the next few decades, however, as new innovations abounded and the shipping industry was restructured, New York's harbor became markedly less active. Richard B. Grassby writes, "Paradoxically, as American shipping declined and steam edged out sail, interest in recreational sailing boomed. Buttersworth was very much aware of this, and from the 1870s on he focused his attention on yachting" (Ship, Sea and Sky: The Marine Art of James Edward Buttersworth, New York, 1994, p. 19).

Yacht Race in New York Harbor, a quintessential example of the artist's racing subjects, is✤ impressive not only in its accurate rendering of the minute details of the yachts, but also in its ability to capture the effects of the weather on the sea, the sky and the sails. "In contrast to other seascapists, whose works were usually static, Buttersworth had the knack of conveying the illusion of movement... In his narrative action, Buttersworth not only encapsulated the key moment of drama, but implied what came before and what followed" (Ibid., pp. 46-7).