Ark of the Covenant

c. 1865/1880

Erastus Salisbury Field

Associated Names
Erastus Salisbury Field
Artist, American, 1805 - 1900
The artwork presents a pastoral scene with a group of people engaged in harvesting wheat. The figures have simplified features and are dressed in period clothing, with some holding tools like sickles. In the distance, a procession accompanies a cart carrying the Ark of the Covenant, marked by its distinctive design and gold color. The landscape has rolling hills and clusters of trees, leading to a mountainous backdrop. The sky above has a mix of soft clouds with hints of pink and gray. The color palette is dominated by earthy greens and yellows, with subtle contrasts in the figures' clothing. The brushwork is smooth and stylized.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Recorded as from Massachusetts. Purchased in 1952 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift to NGA, 1956.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1954

  • American Primitive Paintings from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part I, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1954, no. 86.

1955

  • American Primitive Paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1955.

1957

  • American Primitive Paintings from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part II, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1957.

1963

  • Erastus Salisbury Field 1805-1900, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1963, no. 110.

1968

  • The American Primitive Paintings Exhibit, organized by the Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, for de Saisset Art Gallery, University of Santa Clara, 1968.

1978

  • The American Folk Art Tradition: Paintings from the Garbisch Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978.

1984

  • Erastus Salisbury Field: 1908-1900, traveling exhibition, 1984-1985, 51, no. 93, fig. 50 (cat. by Mary C. Black). First venue: Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts.

1998

  • American Light: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Art Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, 1998, no cat.

Bibliography

1963

  • Feld, Stuart P. "The Tradition of the Primitive Imagination--Denied." Antiques 83 (January 1963): 101.

  • French, Reginald F., and Agnes M. Dods. "Erastus Salisbury Field, 1805-1900." Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin 28 (October 1963): 129, no. 254 (includes their "Checklist of Paintings attributed to E. S. Field").

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 58, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 158, repro.

1992

  • Chotner, Deborah, with contributions by Julie Aronson, Sarah D. Cash, and Laurie Weitzenkorn. American Naive Paintings. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 133-134, repro. 134.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 182, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20188656

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