Distribution of the American Art-Union Prizes

1848

Francis D'Avignon

Associated Names
Francis D'Avignon

Artist, American, born France, 1813 - 1861

Saroney & Major

Printer, American, 1843 - 1853

Thompkins Harrison Matteson

Artist After, American, 1813 - 1884

This is a painting of a grand hall filled with spectators during a prize distribution event. The scene captures an opulent interior with a large crowd gathered around a central stage in a circular hall. The hall is adorned with tall, ornate columns and a domed ceiling featuring intricate decorative details. On the stage, under a grand chandelier, several individuals are engaged in the proceedings, positioned around a long table covered with a cloth. An impressive organ is situated in the background. The spectators, dressed in formal 19th-century attire, are seated around the room in tiers of benches that encircle the stage area.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(The Old Print Shop, New York); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1960; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1963

  • Progress of An American Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1963

1977

  • American Lithographs from the Corcoran's Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1977, no. 8

1981

  • Early America on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1750-1850, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1981

Inscriptions

text at bottom on stone:
T. H. Matteson Del. Drawn on Stone by Davignon. / Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1848 by John L. Ridner in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York / Lith. of Sarony & Major 117 Fulton Street. N.Y. / DISTRIBUTION OF THE AMERICAN ART-UNION PRIZES, / AT THE TABERNACLE-BROADWAY, NEW YORK; 24TH DEC. 1847. / Published by John P. Ridner, 297, Broadway, Art-Union Building, New York.

Wikidata ID

Q77011501