Lot 608: Joe Moran (American/Mississippi, 1919-1999),

Joe Moran (American/Mississippi, 1919-1999), "U.S.C.G. Barque Eagle", oil on canvas, signed and dated "'70" lower right, 28 in. x 30 1/4 in., in a period frame with a brass plaque bearing the artist's name and title.

Provenance: Estate of noted antiquarian Tullius Brady, Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Note: The grandson of potter George Ohr, Joe Moran began his career as a boat builder. While working for Higgins, Inc. in New Orleans he designed integral parts of the PT boats used during World War II. Post-war, Moran returned home to Biloxi, Mississippi, and started his own boat-building business, which was eventually destroyed by the 1947 hurricane. Coming from a long line of boat builders and artists, Moran subsequently combined the two and began painting Gulf Coast shrimp-boat fleets. The "U.S.C.G. Barque Eagle" is the seventh ship bearing that name and has the distinction of being the only commissioned operational cutter in the United States maritime services. Built in 1936, the "Eagle" is currently a training barque for Coast Guard Academy cadets learning seamanship. Moran's marine paintings are included in the collections of the Smithsonian and the White House. Reference: "Moran's Art Studio", http:moransart.com, "Aircraft, Boats, and Cutters: Cutters "United States Coast Guard" http://www.uscg.mil/datasheet/wixtrain.asp