Dennis Lyall (American, B. 1946) "U.S.F. Constellation" Original Oil painting on Canvas laid on Illustration Board. Signed lower right.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 8.4c U.S.F. Constellation Envelope issued April 12, 1988.

With 36 guns, the United States Frigate (U.S.F.) Constellation was built in 1797. It was the second frigate ever built by the United States Navy. Designed for battle, the ship was launched that same year in Baltimore, Maryland. Two years later, during an undeclared war with France, Constellation became the first U.S. Navy ship to capture a foreign warship. Under the command of Commodore Thomas Truxton, the ship encountered the French frigate Insurgente in February of 1799. Of the ensuing battle, Truxton wrote, "She hailed me several times and as soon as I got in a position for every shot to do execution I answered by commencing a close and successful engagement." But discipline was stern, and Lieutenant Andrew Sterett wrote that the atmosphere on board was tense. "...we would put a man to death for even looking pale on board this ship." A year later, the Constellation engaged in yet another action against the Vengeance, also a French ship. Idle for many years after that, the Constellation was fully commissioned in 1940, and put to sea as a flagship of the Atlantic Fleet during World War II. In more recent years, anchored at Baltimore, site of its original launching, the Constellation was restored, and today is maintained there as an officially named National Historic Landmark.

Image Size: 17 x 13 in.
Overall Size: 20.5 x 18.5 in.
Unframed.
(B11575)

- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.

- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.

- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com

- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.

- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.

- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.