$1,896
American School, 19th Century Marine View , 1850 Signed indistinctly l. l., identified as Thomas Birch on a presentation plaque, with a canvas stencil from W.E. Rogers, Philadelphia, on the reverse, incised "....ec. 20, 1850" on the stretcher. Oil on canvas, 29 1/16 x 35 7/8 in. (74.0 x 91.0 cm), framed. Condition: Skinning, retouch, patch reinforcements, craquelure. Provenance: Cyril Joseph Bowdring, Washington, D.C., to a private collection by family descent. N.B. The canvas stencil " W.E. Rogers, 16 ARCA...PHI..." on the reverse refers to the firm of William E. Rogers, located at 16 Arcade St W. Ave. in Philadelphia between 1846-1853. (1) The framer's label from Tracy & Newkerk, New York, references a firm known to have been located at 118 Grand Street from 1848 to 1849. (2) 1. Katlan, Alexander W., American Artists' Materials , Vol. II, Sound View Press, Madison, Connecticut, 1992, p. 428. 2. Op Cit. Vol. I, p. 247. There are two repairs near the upper edge of the composition. The retouch is myriad dots and dashes. These are extensive within the sky, but are throughout the entire composition. The skinning is visible throughout.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2011-01-28
