2020 August Golf Memorabilia Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/9/2020
Original 'Jumping Golfer' at St. Andrews Watercolor by Artist Major F.P. Hopkins Shortspoon
Jumping Golfer at St Andrews 7.875 x 11.25 inches. Unsigned. Golfer has leapt off of the ground at top of backswing. Town of St Andrews sketched at lower left. Has some light toning slightly visible down center. Paper has light toning, blue color has faded to light brown on front, within mat window . Paper is whole and strong with no holes or tears. Started with as much or more toning as the following two. A conservator did a simple test clean which removed almost all of the toning. Still could be cleaned more, but wanted the eventual owner to be able to use their conservator of choice.
In high demand are Major 'F.J. Hopkins' Sportspoon's original pieces of artwork, many that give an accurate first person documentation through illustration and painting of those significant figures, courses and events to the history of the game of golf in a time period that was sans photography such as this one. As he was in fact one of the first of golf's journalists, using his artwork to help tell the story. Upon retirement from the Army future prolific artist Francis Powell Hopkins went to the Westward Ho! region where he became passionate about the game of golf in addition to fishing, where he resided for the remainder of his life until his passing in 1913. As written in his biography/portfolio hardback publication 'Shortspoon: Major F.P. Hopkins': "From the evidence of the portraits mentioned in the Will we learn that Hopkins had the ability to paint portraits and the figures who may be recognized in the illustrations reproduced in this book, many of them easily identifiable, are evidence of his ability." This quotation speaks on his pieces such as the ones located in this auction that contain the likeness of some of golf's then luminaries including Horace Hutchinson and Everard. Touching on value of an original Major Sportspoon in the Winter 2018 No. 2 issue of 'The Golf - Journal of the Golf Heritage Society,' "His (Hopkins) works often fetch $20,000 or more."
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