Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are delighted to offer for auction this stunning World War I gouache by the artist MAJOR J. WEST. This painting is one of a pair that we were listing by this artist, the other one has sold, which was signed. This one is unsigned, but obviously by the same hand, but the artist has entitled the painting in two places 'OF THE MENIES' and 'ANOLDS 1917'. We do not understand these inscriptions and can find no reference on the internet. If anyone can explain the references we would be most grateful. The painting depicts a Sopwith Camel, with British roundels, climbing, in a dogfight with a German Albatross DIII. It is inscribed verso Brown and Udet 1917 and what looks like Mengs Rd? I wonder whether it should read Menin Road, which is where the third battle of Ypres took place in September 1917. Perhaps we will never know.

Ernst Udet was a German WW1 flying ace with 62 'kills' to his credit, he survived the war, became a stunt pilot and was in films in America. He was involved with the Luftwaffe prior to WW2 and became head of a section under Herman Goering. After being unfairly blamed by Goering for his own failure, he shot himself in 1941, while on the phone to his girlfriend Inge.

The Brown depicted, may have been Captain Roy Brown, a Canadian WW1 flying ace, who flew Sopwith Camels and was credited with shooting down 'The Red Baron' - Baron Manfred Von Richtofen, although this has been disputed. It is stated in some quarters that it was, in fact, ground fire that killed the Red Baron.

What we do know is that in the late summer of 1917, Udet and Brown were flying the two aircraft depicted in this painting, and might have fought each other, with neither claiming a victory, but known to comrades on the ground. Alternatively, it may purely show the two how they would have looked having a dogfight that only existed in the imagination of the artist.

As we are not experts if this field, if we have made any factual errors in this description, we should be most grateful if any aviation or WW1 enthusiasts would let us know.

Unfortunately, there are several J. Wests listed in the Dictionary of British Artists and we have no way of knowing whether Major J. West was one of them. We have also done an internet search of Major West, but with no results.

The painting has been double mounted in two tone to complement and is newly framed in a 1 3/8 inch reeded silver frame to suit. It Will be supplied with new brass hangers and brass picture wire and will be ready to hang.

Image size: 11 x 7 3/4 inches - 28cm x 19.7cm

Frame size: 19 1/8 x 15 1/2 inches - 48.5cm x 39.25cm

Medium: Gouache on paper.

Condition: Excellent. The mounts and frame are new.