Blue Harbour, Port Maria, Jamaica

Details

Sir Noël Coward (1899-1973)
Blue Harbour, Port Maria, Jamaica
signed 'NOëL COWARD' (lower left), signed again and dated 'NOëL COWARD/1952' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas-board
10 x 14 in. (25.4 x 35.6 cm.)

Provenance

The Noël Coward Collection; Christie's, London, 18 February 1988, lot 24, where sold for £9000 hammer.

Special notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.

Lot Essay

Nöel Coward first visited Jamaica in 1944, where he wrote the memorable song 'Uncle Harry'. He was determined to return as soon as opportunity would allow. His chance came in 1948 when he heard that Ian Fleming's house 'Goldeneye' at Oracabessa was available to rent. He took the house fox six weeks and promptly nicknamed it 'Golden Eye, Nose and Throat' because of its lack of comfort.

He decided to make Jamaica his winter home and began to look for a suitable site on which to build a house. This was found eight miles along the coast at Port Maria and Coward decided to name his property 'Blue Harbour'.

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