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Inscription

lower left: G. Inn[ess] 187[?]

Provenance

Purchased 9 June 1874 from the artist by Mr. and Mrs. J. Cleaves Dodge, Paris;[1] by inheritance 1916 to Mrs. Dodge's nephew, Henry Percival Dodge, Paris; his wife, Agnes Page Dodge [Mrs. Henry Percival Dodge], Paris, 1936-1953; her stepdaughter, Alice Lamb Cleaves Dodge [1905-1985], Paris, 1953-1955, and Washington, D.C., 1955-1962;[2] gift 1962 to NGA.

Exhibition History

1986
Extended loan for use by Ambassador Robie Marcus Hooker Palmer, U.S. Embassy residence, Budapest, Hungary, 1986-1990.
1997
Extended loan for use by Ambassador Felix Rohatyn, U.S. Embassy residence, Paris, 1997-2000.
2002
Extended loan for use by Attorney General John Ashcroft, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., 2002-2005.
2005
Extended loan for use by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., 2005-2007.
2007
America! Storie di pittura dal Nuovo Mondo, Museo di Santa Giulia, Brescia, 2007-2008, no. 135, pl. 79.

Technical Summary

The relatively fine, plain-weave fabric support is covered by a pale yellow colored ground. The impasto has been flattened, probably by a past lining, and there is extensive abrasion, although it is difficult to determine what is the result of damage and what was intentional scraping by the artist during repainting. X-radiography reveals that the artist completely revised the painting, changing it from a morning to an afternoon scene. He applied a rose-colored isolating layer over the original foreground and then painted over it. The sky has a golden yellow color consistent with other Inness paintings of the period, except in a number of small areas, where its absence may be an intentional, if ultimately unsuccessful, effect or the result of damage. The foreground has modest traction crackle, possibly indicating the presence of bitumen, and some small losses. The painting is, however, generally in good condition. In 1962, the painting was lined. Discolored varnish was removed then and again in 1986, when the prominent traction crackle in the sky was inpainted.

Bibliography

1965
Ireland, LeRoy. The Works of George Inness: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonné. Austin, 1965: 136, repro.
1970
American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 72, repro.
1980
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 180, repro.
1981
Williams, William James. A Heritage of American Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1981: 125, repro.
1985
Cikovsky, Nicolai, Jr., and Michael Quick. George Inness. Exh. cat. Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Los Angeles, 1985: 134, repro.
1992
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 209, repro.
1996
Kelly, Franklin, with Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Deborah Chotner, and John Davis. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1996: 354-357, color repro.

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