March 2018, New York, NY — Hawthorne Fine Art is pleased to announce its participation in the inaugural Antiques on the Hudson show and sale at Tarrytown’s historic Lyndhurst Mansion on April 7th and 8th, from 10am to 5pm. The event also features a guest appearance and complimentary walking tour by the renowned Antique expert, Leigh Keno entitled “The Hudson River Valley and New York” on Saturday, April 7th at noon.
Hawthorne’s booth will showcase pieces that are pertinent to the history and folklore of the Hudson River Valley, the Hudson River waterway and the surrounding enclave of Westchester. Particularly rare pieces to be shown include a cycle of four original watercolors by George Henry Boughton (1833-1905) that were created for illustration in Macmillan & Co.’s 1893 edition of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, as well as two masterful sculptures of Rip Van Winkle by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) and William Clark Noble (1858-1938). An early 1856 depiction of the Old Dutch Church at North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow by William Rickarby Miller (1818 – 1893) will also be shown. Additionally, an exceptional work by Eastman Johnson (1824-1906) will be highlighted due to its reflection of the gothic aesthetic developed at Lyndhurst by Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892) in the mid-19th century.
As Americans grappled with forming their own sense of cultural identity, the Hudson Valley became a popular setting for writers, who melded tales from the recent Revolution with the Dutch folklore of the early settlers. Washington Irving’s captivating short stories like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, inspired artists such as Boughton and Miller to portray their legendary characters and settings. Boughton produced a cycle including four featured watercolors chronicling the tale of Rip Van Winkle. The charming Rip Van Winkle at Rest represents the title character reclining on a rocky outpost admiring the tranquil valley below before falling into his famed prolonged slumber. French and Noble both depict the revived Van Winkle in bronze, yet the artists’s individual styles and interpretations of the character become apparent through a comparison of French’s more classicized figure with Noble’s more romantic and emotive portrayal. Miller’s historic early pastel image of The Old Dutch Church, North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, brings to mind for modern viewers the idyllic country landscape that once filled the now bustling region, which inspired countless historic writers and artists. Similarly, Hart’s (1823‒1894) Summer Idyll in the Hudson Valley is a rare and very early depiction of the pastoral landscapes for which he became well-known. Some artists were entranced with the serenity of the landscape further north, as evidenced by Hill’s (1839-1922) tranquil watercolor of sailboats In the Hudson Highlands.
The Hudson River has inspired artists in a myriad of ways throughout the centuries. Havell’s (1793-1878) View of the Hudson is a classic serene 19th century Hudson River School landscape painted in the artist’s signature luminist style. In the early 20th century, Hopper’s (1882-1967) The Family House at Nyack captures a reflexive view toward the waterway from his childhood home, while Low’s (1858-1946) Battleships on the Hudson River depicts a much more ominous scene of the United States fleet anchored along the river at the close of World War I.
Some urban artists like Hirsch (1888-1935) and Clough (1824-1901) sought respite from modern life in New York City through their depictions of city parks. Clough’s Balcony Bridge, New York City, affords a picturesque view of the Upper West Side, a nascent neighborhood that experienced a building boom at the end of the 19th century. Hirsch’s The Arch at Washington Square Park, NYC, is representative of her energetic and lively Impressionistic style she used to capture the atmosphere of her favorite subject: New York and its many neighborhoods. In the early 20th century, some artists like Symmers (1882-1941) sought a quiet retreat from the city and built homes in nearby Westchester. Symmers’s The Artist’s Garden, Rye, NY, features the vibrant flowering landscape of her home on the eastern side of Westchester overlooking the sound.
With its original 19th- and early 20th-century period architecture and décor, Lyndhurst Mansion is a reflection of the development of American identity and taste, making it a perfect setting to view the historic American artworks in Hawthorne Fine Art’s collection. In addition to fine art, Antiques on the Hudson will showcase garden décor, period furnishings, jewelry, folk art and furnishings in a festive setting in a tent pavilion at the Carriage House at Lyndhurst Mansion.
Tarrytown’s historic Lyndhurst Mansion is located at 35 South Broadway in Tarrytown, NY (10591). Please see their website for directions: http://lyndhurst.org
On view:
George Henry Boughton (1833-1905), Rip Van Winkle at Rest, c. 1893, watercolor and gouache on paper, 10 x 14 inches, signed lower right.
George Lafayette Clough (1824—1901), Balcony Bridge, Central Park, New York City, oil on canvas, 11 1/8 x 16 1/8 inches, signed lower left.
Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), Rip Van Winkle, 1925, bronze, 17 1/2 inches (height), signed and dated on the base.
William Hart (1823‒1894), Summer Idyll in the Hudson Valley, 1849, oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inches, signed and dated 1849, lower right.
Robert Havell (1793-1878), View of the Hudson, oil on canvas, 30 x 50 inches.
John Henry Hill (1839-1922), In the Hudson Highlands, 1884, watercolor on paper, 10 1/4 x 14 3/4 inches, signed lower right.
Alice Hirsch (1888-1935), The Arch at Washington Square Park, NYC, oil on board, 12 x 16 inches, signed lower left.
Edward Hopper (1882-1967), The Family House at Nyack, 1906, pencil on paper, 12 13/16 x 10 inches, signed and dated 1906, lower right.
Eastman Johnson (1824-1906), Washington’s Headquarters, 1860, oil on paper laid on board, 8 2/5 x 6 1/4 inches, signed lower left.
Mary Fairchild Low (1858-1946), Battleships on the Hudson River, 1919, oil on canvas, 22 x 29 inches, signed and dated 1919, lower right.
William Rickarby Miller (1818 – 1893), The Old Dutch Church, North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY, pastel on paper, 15 x 20 inches, signed and dated 1856, and inscribed NY, lower left.
William Clark Noble (1858-1938), Rip Van Winkle as portrayed by Joseph Jefferson, circa 1895, bronze, 10 1/2 inches (height), signed: Noble on the base. JNO. Williams, Founder, N.Y. (signed on base).
Agnes Louise Symmers (1882 – 1941), The Artist’s Garden, Rye, NY, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches, signed lower left.
Hawthorne Fine Art 