Provenance

Berry-Hill Galleries

Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc.

Explore selected works

See all 11 works of art
We look slightly down onto a rocky, natural stone arch next to a cave opening, both perched on a high, grassy cliff in front of a shimmering, aquamarine-blue body of water in this horizontal landscape painting. The arch is situated to our left of center, and the cave beyond the gaping opening extends off the left side of the canvas. In tones of ash and caramel brown, the jagged arch and outcroppings are lit from our left so deep shadows are cast along crevasses to our right. Shadow also sweeps across the emerald-green grass at the base of the arch and cave. A few more serrated rocks poke out of the water like teeth far below, to our right, presumably at the base of the cliff on which we are situated. To our left, the rocky shoreline juts into the water in the distance in front of mauve-purple mountains in the deep distance along the horizon, which comes about halfway up this composition. Tiny in scale, minuscule, triangular white sails dot the waterway. Similarly tiny white birds fly high above the water. Pale, petal-pink and white clouds line the horizon beneath a sky that deepens from light turquoise over the clouds to the same aquamarine blue of the water below.
William Stanley Haseltine, Natural Arch at Capri, 1871, oil on canvas, Gift of Guest Services, Inc., in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1989.13.1

Natural Arch at Capri

William Stanley Haseltine · 1871 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1989.13.1

About two dozen round, pale green plums tumble out of an upended square wooden box onto a reflective, dark brown surface in this horizontal still life painting. Many of the plums have a frosty sheen and about half of them lie in a pile within the basket. The other dozen spill out of the box onto the wood tabletop. Most have stubby stems, and one, closest to us, has a longer stem with two browning leaves. The leaves and round fruit create reflections on the polished wood surface. The box was made by weaving broad sheets of light wood into a square. The layers are visible along the upper edge, which faces us. There are a few dark spots and imperfections in the wood. An ice-blue cloth hangs behind the box and crinkles in folds along the table. The artist signed the work in the lower right, “J.Decker.”
Joseph Decker, Green Plums, c. 1885, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1994.59.4

Green Plums

Joseph Decker · c. 1885 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1994.59.4

In this painting, two clusters of dark blue-black grapes hang from a thin brown branch against a beige background. The branch stretches horizontally across the top of the painting, and olive-green vines from the top of the grapes wrap around it. The grapes reflect light and cast dark shadows on the beige wall behind them.
Joseph Decker, Grapes, c. 1890/1895, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1994.59.3

Grapes

Joseph Decker · c. 1890/1895 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1994.59.3

Two pieces of paper money, two coins, and a small black and white photograph of a bearded man seem to be affixed to a dark surface surrounded by a wide wooden frame, to which several stamps have been affixed in the lower left corner. A dollar bill with frayed edges is stuck to the black background across the center, and the lower left corner lifts up. The dollar bill has a portrait of George Washington in an oval at the center with “UNITED STATES” above. The serial number “Z143091888” appears in red to the left and is repeated in the upper right corner, and “ONE DOLLAR WASHINGTON DC” is printed in black to the right. Overlapping the top left of the dollar bill, another bill about half the size is printed with a portrait of a cleanshaven, light-skinned man in a high-necked coat and frilled collar, angled to our right but looking at us over a long, hooked nose and wide lips. To our right, the bill reads, “UNITED STATES FRACTIONAL CURRENCY,” and, below a seal, “FIFTY CENTS.” Above the dollar bill, a worn, copper-colored coin is held to the panel by three small prongs. The coin has the head of a person facing our left in profile. An inscription around the edge reads, “AUCTORI CONNEC.” A small photograph showing the head and shoulders of a bearded, balding man wearing glasses and a dark suit seems to have been tucked into the lower left corner between the dark background and the wood frame. Slightly behind the photograph, a silver coin resting on the ledge of the frame has a six-pointed star with a striped crest at the center, and is inscribed around the edge, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1853.” Above the photograph is a dark circular stamp stuck with a pin. Attached to the bottom left corner of the wood frame are several different colored, cancelled stamps, some of them torn. In the bottom center, a piece of paper with the typed words “J. Haberle” seems to have been pasted onto the frame. The painting is inscribed in the upper right with red against the black field: “J. HABERLE NEW HAVEN, CT. 1887.” Upon closer inspection, we notice the edge of the wood frame is actually rough canvas. There also does not seem to be a gap between the painted picture and the wood frame. We eventually realize that all of it—the money, photograph, stamps, and frame—are all painted to create an illusion.
John Haberle, Imitation, 1887, oil on canvas, New Century Fund, Gift of the Amon G. Carter Foundation, 1998.96.1

Imitation

John Haberle · 1887 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1998.96.1

This is a drawing of figures in an ornate room. There is a figure preparing tea, another lounging, one engaging with the group, a pianist, and a figure observing music sheets. Another figure strikes a pose. The drawing showcases expressive line work and intricate detailing, depicting a sophisticated gathering.
Charles Dana Gibson, His Granddaughters Discover He Knows the Words of the Star Spangled Banner, 1920s, pen and black ink over graphite on paperboard, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Orme Wilson, 1965), 2015.19.1036

His Granddaughters Discover He Knows the Words of the Star Spangled Banner

Charles Dana Gibson · 1920s · pen and black ink over graphite on paperboard ·  Accession ID  2015.19.1036

This painting shows a person sitting on a rocky outcrop, looking out over a vast landscape. The horizon is placed in the upper third of the composition, and the sky transitions from pale blue at the top of the painting to light yellow and then to pale pink. In the distance, rolling hills and valleys extend towards the horizon, painted in shades of cream, light blue, and pale green. Closest to us, there are large, rounded rocks scattered around in shades of pale yellow, pale pink, and light, reddish-brown. On the right, the rocky ground slants upward into a hill. A person in a white shirt, gray pants, and a brown hat sits on the rocks, facing away from us and looking towards the view below. On the left, more hills fade into the distance, their reddish-brown stones covered with green plant life.
Jervis McEntee, Mount Desert Island, Maine, 1864, oil on canvas, Gift of John Wilmerding in honor of Jo Ann and Julian Ganz, 2016.141.1

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Jervis McEntee · 1864 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2016.141.1

A person and dog trudge through ankle-deep snow to approach a barn and farmhouse under a heavy, lead-gray sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The person has pale-toned skin and wears a brown hat and suit. He carries a sack over one shoulder and a handled basket looped over his other forearm. He walks away from us and to our right so the side of his face is painted with a triangular touch of peach. The dog is mostly brown with some gray spots. The pair approach a break in a stone wall built with light and dark gray boulders. Snow sits in the crooks of branches in barren trees and bushes to the left and right. A short distance away, six cows stand looking off to our left or nuzzle through the snow to find grass. A gray-sided, snow-topped barn is just beyond them to the right of center. More trees and other smaller structures are around and behind the barn. Another stone wall stretches from the right side of the barn and off the right edge of the painting. The main section of the three-story house to the left is butter yellow. A single-story structure jutting off the right side of the house is pale terracotta red. Laundry hangs on a line outside the house, and a person, also wearing brown, stands nearby. On the roofs, the snow is painted white where the low sun falls and mauve-pink where it falls into shadow. The distant horizon, which comes about a third of the way up this composition, is lined with slate-gray hills. A strip of warm yellow light lines the horizon beneath piles of gray clouds that mostly obscure a lavender-blue sky. The artist signed the painting as if he had inscribed a boulder in the lower right corner, “DURRIE N HAVEN.”
George Henry Durrie, Winter in the Country, c. 1858, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1994.59.1

Winter in the Country

George Henry Durrie · c. 1858 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1994.59.1

The image is an illustration of a row of six women walking from right to left. Each woman is shown in profile with detailed facial features, varied expressions, and stylish hairdos. They are dressed in attire evocative of an earlier era, including long dresses, coats, high collars, puffy sleeves, and hats embellished with ribbons or feathers. One woman is carrying a handbag. The background is plain and unadorned.
Charles Dana Gibson, The New Hat, 1905, black ink and graphite on paperboard, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Orme Wilson, 1965), 2015.19.1038

The New Hat

Charles Dana Gibson · 1905 · black ink and graphite on paperboard ·  Accession ID  2015.19.1038

The image portrays three individuals standing together. The central character is an older man with a long mustache, glasses, and neatly combed hair. He wears a jacket with stars, a striped vest, and matching striped pants. To his right, a woman leans towards him with her left arm raised, wearing a spiked helmet, long braided hair, a garment with circular and striped patterns, and armored boots. To his left, another woman appears to be in motion, with wavy hair visible under a cap with a forward-facing decoration. She wears a flowing gown. The background shows a textured sky with cross-hatching suggesting clouds and a sparse setting.
Charles Dana Gibson, Uncle Sam Shielding France from Germania, c. 1917, pen and black ink over graphite on heavy wove paper, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Orme Wilson, 1965), 2015.19.1037

Uncle Sam Shielding France from Germania

Charles Dana Gibson · c. 1917 · pen and black ink over graphite on heavy wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.19.1037

""

Still Life, "Trilby"

Louis Maurer · c. 1895 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2014.136.81