$13,000
Estimate: $12,000 - $18,000
American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists
Auction: June 7, 2015 3:00:00 PM EDT
Signed in ligature, dated, and located 'CWChapman Mexico 1898' bottom left; also inscribed 'Valley of Puebla from the Pyramid of Cholula, for Eustace Barron, Esq. - by C.W. Chapman' verso, oil on panel
5 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (13.3 x 23.5cm)
Provenance: Private Collection, Pennsylvania.
NOTE:
We are grateful to Dr. Ben Bassham, author of Conrad Wise Chapman: Artist & Soldier of the Confederacy (Kent, Ohio, 1998) for his assistance in researching and cataloguing this lot.
According to Dr. Bassham, the painting's subject matter, which depicts a horizontal, panoramic view of the landscape in the Valley of Mexico, is consistent with the artist's oeuvre. The painting also includes salient stylistic treatment of figures, animals, trees, and other plants, as well as characteristic handling of atmospheric effects and brushwork techniques. The color choices are also highly typical of Chapman's pallet; the Naples yellow, burnt siennas, viridian greens, and lavenders correspond to many other paintings executed by the artist in the 1890s.
Dr. Bassham notes that the inscription on the back most likely refers to the recipient of the painting, Eustace Joseph Barron, a member of the Barron Family, who settled in Mexico in the early nineteenth century from Spain, and was involved in mining and banking there.
The present painting will be accompanied by his letter of research and opinion of authenticity.