$9,480
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923) No. 2 of the Fable of the Miller and His Son Initialed and dated "V. 1866" l.l., signed, inscribed, and dated "Elihu Vedder/Paris ...Nov. 1866" within a flourish on the reverse. Oil on panel, 12 x 20 3/4 in. (30.0 x 52.7 cm), framed. Condition: Scattered abrasions, craquelure, discolored varnish, surface grime. Literature: Elihu Vedder, "Appendix: A List of the Works of V. Sold Since the Year 1856," The Digressions of V: Written for his Own Fun and That of His Friends (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910), p. 464. Provenance: Descended within at least four generations of the family of the present owner. N.B. Vedder illustrated The Fable of the Miller, His Son, and the Donkey on several occasions. The painting at hand, which has a Parisian colormen's stamp on the reverse, is dated November 1866. The painting is listed in the index of works sold by Vedder, under the heading "Paris Second Time" and under the year 1866. Vedder recorded that he left for Paris December 8, 1865. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, holds a number of Vedder's graphite sketches and several small oils on the theme of this fable, including a pencil sketch for Scene No. 2 (1860-61) and a small oil (6 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.), dated c. 1867-68, that bears a close resemblance to the painting at hand with minor changes to the poses of the figures on the right. Panel with a stamp from Vieille color manufactureres, Paris, on the reverse.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2012-02-03
