Or save it to favorites and we'll tell you if this item goes on sale!
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
1950s Giant Refreshed, 1953. Boac Boeing 377 Stratocruiser David Shepherd Oil Painting, Framed
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
Details
Description
David Shepherd.
English ( b.1931 – d.2017 ).
Giant Refreshed, 1953. BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, Canopus
Oil on Canvas.
Signed …
more
David Shepherd.
English ( b.1931 – d.2017 ).
Giant Refreshed, 1953. BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, Canopus
Oil on Canvas.
Signed & dated 1953 lower right.
Image size 19.7 inches x 29.5 inches ( 50cm x 75cm ).
Frame size 24.2 inches x 34.3 inches ( 61.5cm x 87cm ).
Available for sale from Big Sky Fine Art in the English county of Dorset, this original oil painting is by David Shepherd and is dated 1953.
The painting is presented and supplied in its original frame (which is shown in these photographs).
The painted surfaces, the canvas and the frame are entirely in their original untouched condition. No restoration, cleaning or conservation has been performed on the piece.
This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
The painting is signed and dated 1953 lower right. The reverse carries the title and the address of David Shepherd’s parents’ house at Frimley Hall, Camberley, Surrey which was his home in his early twenties.
Provenance: The artist’s estate.
One of Britain’s best known and loved artists, David Shepherd CBE was a passionate advocate for engineering achievements and conservation, both of which are widely represented in his wonderful works. This respected artist and author was hugely successful, earning an enduring international reputation and wide collector base.
Richard David Shepherd was born in Hendon, London on 25th April 1931. He showed early artistic talent and attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. After leaving school he travelled to Kenya in the hope of becoming a game warden but was rejected. He returned to the UK with the hope of studying art at the Slade School but was rejected there too. He was considering becoming a bus driver when, following a chance encounter, he was taken on by the artist Robin Goodwin, who trained him in Chelsea for three gruelling years.
Shepherd began his artistic career as an aviation artist, prompted by his early boyhood experience in London during the Blitz. He was well suited to painting aircraft because he had been taught to be accurate, while avoiding the pitfalls of making a painting look like a photograph. His passion for aircraft endured and he was a founder-member of the Society of Aviation Artists. Shepherd’s talents were recognised and he was commissioned to paint many military works by the Royal Navy, the Parachute Regiment, the Green Howards and the Special Air Service. His love of transport with finely tuned engineering extended to steam locomotives too and he personally bought two mainline steam trains, Black Prince and The Green Knight and founded the East Somerset Railway.
In 1960 the Royal Air Force flew Shepherd to Kenya and asked him to paint the local wildlife. From this point his career really took off and he never looked back. He subsequently gained an international reputation for his sensitive portrayals of animals, particularly the big cats and elephants. Images of his most famous paintings are familiar to us all as prints, and other merchandise. Shepherd was also known for his stunning portraits, including HM Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother.
After his early expeditions into the African bush Shepherd became interested in not only painting wildlife but conserving it too, and he later devoted much of his life to campaigning to preserve the endangered species of Africa and their natural habitat. He founded the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and raised millions of pounds to help this vital cause.
David Shepherd was given many awards for both his artistic and charitable endeavours; he was awarded an Honorary Degree on Fine Arts by the Pratt Institute in New York in 1971 and, in 1973, the Order of the Golden Ark by HRH The Prince of The Netherlands for his services to conservation. He was made a Member of Honour of the World Wide Fund for Nature in 1979 and in the same year received the Order of the British Empire for his services to Wildlife Conservation. In 1986 David was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and in 1988, President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia awarded him the Order of Distinguished Service. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1989 and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science of Hatfield Polytechnic (now the University of Hertfordshire) in 1990. In 1996, David was made an Officer (Brother) of the Order of St. John. In 2008 he was awarded the CBE for his contribution to conservation. In 2012, David was the first artist to receive the 'True Englishman' Award.
Shepherd published five books about his art, including two volumes of autobiography, The Man who loves Giants, An Artist among Elephants and Engines, 1975, and David Shepherd, The Man and His Paintings, 1985.
© Big Sky Fine Art
This magnificent original oil on canvas by David Shepherd depicts the aircraft in BOAC livery named Canopus, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
The plane is viewed from the inside of a vast hanger. We see the wooden structure of the inside of the hanger roof, and this gives a sense of perspective and space. The plane itself is stationary, its main doorway open, steps lowered. There is a mobile platform positioned aside one of the wings with a figure carrying out checks on a propellor blade. The plane is seen as a magnificent giant, a feat of engineering, in perfect condition and ready for its next mission.
The Stratocruiser set a new standard for luxury air travel and represented Boeing’s re-emergence into the commercial market after World War II. This new giant benefited from all the speed and technical improvements available to bombers at the end of the war, but was built for a new passenger era with its tastefully decorated extra-wide cabin and gold-appointed dressing rooms. A circular staircase led to a lower deck beverage lounge, and flights attendants prepared hot meals in a state-of -the-art galley. As a sleeper, the Stratocruiser was equipped with 28 upper and lower bunk beds. Between 1947 and 1950 Boeing built 56 Stratocruisers; this model marked the company’s first significant success selling passenger planes to airlines in other countries.
We provide a professional shipping and delivery service on this particular painting which is free to customers in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. We can also provide other worldwide delivery on any purchase. Please contact us for further information.
less
- Dimensions
- 34.3ʺW × 2ʺD × 24.2ʺH
- Frame Type
- Framed
- Art Subjects
- Architecture
- Period
- Mid 20th Century
- Country of Origin
- United Kingdom
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Canvas
- Oil Paint
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Blue
- Condition Notes
- The painted surfaces, the canvas and the frame are entirely in their original untouched condition. No restoration, cleaning or conservation … moreThe painted surfaces, the canvas and the frame are entirely in their original untouched condition. No restoration, cleaning or conservation has been performed on the piece. This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. less
Need more product details?
Shipping Options
Standard Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified in the description of the product.
Extended Return for Trade
- Expands return window for trade members to 14 days (12 days more than our standard return policy)
- Trade member to notify Chairish of intent to return within 14 days of item delivery
- Buyer refunded item cost. Buyer pays return shipping cost
- Does not apply to damages that occur post-delivery
Questions about the item?
Related Collections
- Oversized Paintings
- Abstract Oil Paintings
- 19th Century Paintings
- French Oil Paintings
- Abstract Landscape Painting
- Mughal Paintings
- Alice Ford Paintings
- Emanuel Romano Paintings
- Bathing Paintings
- California Paintings
- Lemon Paintings
- Large Scale Paintings
- Plein Air Paintings
- 19th Century Oil Paintings
- Amedeo Clemente Modigliani Paintings
- Angel Paintings
- Habersham Furniture Paintings
- Dibond Paintings
- English Country Home Paintings
- Edgar Degas Paintings
- Ilana Greenberg Paintings
- Paintings in Midland, TX
- Haley Mathewes Paintings
- Photogram Paintings
- Patrick Nagel Paintings
Returns
- Does not arrive
- Is broken during transit
- Is entirely different than what you purchased
- Some made-to-order items and a limited selection of other items (noted as non-refundable in the returns and cancellations section of the product description)
-
Orders where Free Local Pickup or Seller Managed Local Delivery were selected:
- Upon inspection, If you decide not to move forward with the purchase, you or your agent must refuse the item at the time of pickup/delivery from the seller
- Once you have taken possession of the item, all sales are final
- International, cross-border returns may require different processes depending on the countries between which the item is shipping to/from, and the buyer is responsible and duties (if applicable, on cross-border orders).
- On approved returns, the buyer is responsible for the full cost of return packing and shipping.
Cancellations
- Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for any reason, with the exception of some Made-to-Order items, where supplies have been purchased or work begun on the item.
- Please notify us within 24 hours of purchase if you would like to cancel an order, as prompt cancellation will reduce the likelihood that you will incur return shipping charges.
- Once shipping or pickup has been initiated, the cancellation will be considered a return and you will be responsible for the cost of shipping.
Shipping
Note: Made-to-Order items typically include a lead time or custom delivery window that is added to the delivery time.
- Chairish Express In-Home Delivery
- Chairish Express In-Home deliveries are currently only offered for international cross-border shipments.
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
- Shipping charges start at $999 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Deliveries can take anywhere from 6 to 9 weeks to be delivered.
- Chairish Freight Delivery
- Delivered in a crate, to your front door.
- You will need tools and/or equipment to open the crate.
- Shipping charges start at $799 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Chairish Freight deliveries can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
- Only available in selected markets.
- Chairish In-Home Delivery
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
-
Shipping charges start at $149 and based on the size and the distance between pickup and delivery
(for approximate values see table):
Delivery Type Within 50 miles radius Within 1,500 miles radius Over 1,500 miles radius International Cross-Border Shipping Price $149 - $299 $199 - $799 $449 - $899 Over $899 Transit Time 2 to 4 weeks 3 to 6 weeks 4 to 8 weeks 12 to 17 weeks - For some items, the shipping price may vary depending on the size, weight, material and/or value of the item.
- Free Local Pickup
- Local pickup allows customers to inspect an item at the time of pickup and avoid shipping costs.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification & Seller's contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate pickup
- Once the item has been picked up (by you or your representative) it cannot be returned or refunded.
- Free Shipping
- Free shipping may be offered on select listings.
- Smaller items are typically delivered within 2 weeks of the purchase date, while larger items and furniture may take up to 6 weeks for delivery.
- When an item with Free Shipping is returned, the cost of return shipping fees will be charged to the buyer.
- Parcel Delivery
- Shipment is arranged through recognized carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
- Only pieces that can be safely packed in a box or envelope may be shipped via parcel.
- Shipping charges start at $9 — and vary based on the size, weight, packaging and the value of the item.
Delivery Type US Domestic International Cross-Border Shipping Price $9 - $99 $39 - $499 Transit Time 1 to 2 weeks 2 to 4 weeks - Seller Managed Delivery
- Shipping is offered and managed by the seller, through a shipper of the seller’s choice.
- Available on items at the seller’s discretion.
- Seller Managed Local Delivery
- Local curbside delivery is offered and managed by the seller, within a limited geography.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the confirmation email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification Code & Seller’s contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate delivery.
The Chairish Buyer Guarantee
Make an Offer
Fees and shipping costs will be calculated in the next step
Have questions about how offers work? Learn more or .
Flag this comment for moderation?