A fine flag commemorating the 1st Massachusetts Light Battery. Hand painted and gilded to both recto and verso on silk. Approx. 48" x 36 1/2". Trimmed on three sides with gold silk fringe. 

The standard bears an intricate charge composed of a federal shield with acanthus leaves to its left and a sheaf of wheat to its right. A number 1 and the artillery insignia of a pair of crossed cannons decorate the shield's face. Above, a curled arm clad in plate armor grips a sword, referencing a motif on the Massachusetts state seal. Entwined throughout are a pair of ribbons, one red and the other blue. On the red ribbon reads Massachusetts's official motto, "Ense Petit Placidam / Sub / Libertate Quietem," and on the blue, "The / 1st / Massachusetts / Lt. Battery / M.V.M."

The use of "M.V.M." to mean Massachusetts Volunteer Militia indicates that the flag was likely produced shortly after the Civil War's conclusion, though it bears a striking resemblance in its iconography to colors presented to the 1st Massachusetts Light Battery during wartime. Possible painters include Charles O. Eaton, the flag maker behind all of Massachusetts's state-issued colors and standards, and Thomas Savory (1807-1882), a prolific painter whose artistic stylings are consistent with the piece and who painted and sold several flags, sometimes under sub-contract by Eaton. 

Provenance: Antique arms expert Norm Flayderman, ca 1960s-1970s; Hindman Auctions, Sale 1250, Lot 163, 30 November 2023.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[Flags, Patriotic Textiles] [Militaria, Accouterment, Equipment, Relics] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]