May 20, 2008 10:00 EST
Modern & Contemporary and European & American Art
2245
William Trost Richards
William Trost Richards
American, 1833-1905
Gray Cliff, Conanicut, Rhode Island
Signed Wm T. Richards (lr) and inscribed and titled Gray Cliff/Conanicut-Gray Cliff on the reverse
Oil on panel
8 3/4 x 16 1/4 inches
William Trost Richards spent his first summer in Rhode Island in 1874. In 1882, he built a home, Gray Cliff, on Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay. For the remainder of his life, vistas of the bay and the island's rocky promontories, such as the present painting, dominated his work.
Richards' summer refuge was described in 1912, by Harrison F. Morris: "It stood - a long, shingled house with a roof that tucked it snugly in, with porches overlooking the sea, and walks about on the rocks, with the rich verdure of that coast running to the friendly threshold, and with its detached gray studio in hailing distance as you approached it - it stood on a cliff made conspicuous from land and sea by a jagged white streak of quartz running up through the rock to the doorway. It looked out on the changeless blue horizon, on the curving granite coast, and on the dune-like 'Dumplings,' where an older generation had set the ancient fort of that name, now, alas gone with 'Gray Cliff.'" [Harrison F. Morris, Masterpieces of the Sea: William T. Richards. A Brief Outline of his Life and Art. Philadelphia and London: J. P. Lippincott Company, 1912, p. 42.]
Sold for $18,750
Estimated at $25,000 - $35,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
William Trost Richards
American, 1833-1905
Gray Cliff, Conanicut, Rhode Island
Signed Wm T. Richards (lr) and inscribed and titled Gray Cliff/Conanicut-Gray Cliff on the reverse
Oil on panel
8 3/4 x 16 1/4 inches
William Trost Richards spent his first summer in Rhode Island in 1874. In 1882, he built a home, Gray Cliff, on Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay. For the remainder of his life, vistas of the bay and the island's rocky promontories, such as the present painting, dominated his work.
Richards' summer refuge was described in 1912, by Harrison F. Morris: "It stood - a long, shingled house with a roof that tucked it snugly in, with porches overlooking the sea, and walks about on the rocks, with the rich verdure of that coast running to the friendly threshold, and with its detached gray studio in hailing distance as you approached it - it stood on a cliff made conspicuous from land and sea by a jagged white streak of quartz running up through the rock to the doorway. It looked out on the changeless blue horizon, on the curving granite coast, and on the dune-like 'Dumplings,' where an older generation had set the ancient fort of that name, now, alas gone with 'Gray Cliff.'" [Harrison F. Morris, Masterpieces of the Sea: William T. Richards. A Brief Outline of his Life and Art. Philadelphia and London: J. P. Lippincott Company, 1912, p. 42.]
Not examined out of frame. Good condition. No evidence of inpaint. Fingerprint in paint surface at upper center edge.
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.
Auction: Modern & Contemporary and European & American Art, May 20, 2008
