Significant John Blair St. Andrews

Watercolor Painting

            The presented lot is an original circa 1890-1910 watercolor painting by celebrated Scottish artist John Blair. Blair was a well-known Scottish landscape painter (almost always in watercolor) who gained popularity back in the 1870's, and his paintings relating to golf have appreciated dramatically over the years. Some of the greatest golf art collections in the world contain original watercolors by Blair, including the Royal & Ancient Golf Club and The British Golf Museum. Surely few original "Blairs" reside in private collections. While we are admittedly biased, the offered lot is quite possibly our favorite Blair painting in existence, with its striking portrayal of the Old Course at St. Andrews and the town behind it. Blair's original title for this work is unknown, but we have dubbed it "Red Golfer" for the all-red clad golfer prominently displayed by Blair stalking the links of the Old Course. This painting itself measures 14 1/2" x 10 1/4" and has been framed to 20 1/4" x 17".