Study for "Commerce"

c. 1885

John La Farge

Associated Names
John La Farge

Artist, American, 1835 - 1910

The image features three separate panels of detailed pencil drawings, each depicting multiple figures in various poses and settings. In the left panel, a group of individuals, mainly women, are shown in dynamic positions; one is seated while the others stand, with a prominent figure holding a large basket above their head. A winged horse is in the background. The middle panel features a central seated figure with a staff, flanked by others who are standing or seated around them, potentially on a boat as three figures are rowing with oars. The right panel contains two central figures draped in flowing garments; one of them appears to have a large, circular object behind their head reminiscent of a halo. Below them are cherub-like figures, some of which are in water, with visible wings. The background includes detailed architectural and nature elements like columns, fabric drapes, and foliage.

Media Options

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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Weyhe Gallery, New York); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1951; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1975

  • American Art in the Making: Preparatory Studies for Masterpieces of American Painting, 1800-1900, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1975-1977, pp. 80-81, fig. 116, repro

1983

  • Sargent's Contemporaries, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1983, no. 15

Bibliography

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 76, no. 474.

1984

  • La Farge, Henry A. "John La Farge's Work in the Vanderbilt Houses." American Art Journal 16, no. 4 (Autumn 1984): p. 38, fig. 12.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite by unknown hand: Stair; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: John La Farge; center right verso in graphite by unknown hand: 7A [circled]; lower right verso in graphite by unknown hand: E3

Wikidata ID

Q64582832

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