The Golfers - Golf's Greatest Artwork?

“The Golfers” by Charles Lees is perhaps the most iconic golf painting in the world. Our resident historian Dr Milton Wayne researches the remarkable story behind the image

Peter Howson, “Hacker”However, in terms of historical artworks, the most iconic (and most expensive ever) is surely Charles Lees’ masterpiece “The Golfers” from 1846. Now in the National Gallery of Scotland, the original reportedly cost over HK$30m when purchased in 2002.

To give it it’s full title “The Golfers: A Grand Match Played over the Links of St Andrews on the Day of the Annual Meeting of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club", the picture is far more than a unique interpretation of a critical moment on the links. It served as a “Who’s Who” of golf in the 1840’s, and the story of “The Golfers” creation is a fascinating one.

Its fame comes not merely from age - the first known painting of golf in St Andrews dates from over 100 years earlier - but from the craftsmanship and historical relevancy of the subject, and the bridge it formed with the nascent development of photography.

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Written by Dr. Milton Wayne

Photography by National Galleries of Scotland

Click here to see the published article.

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