In the Roman Campagna
- Artist
- George Inness, American, 1825–1894
- Date
- 1873
- Material
- Oil on canvas mounted on board
- depicts
- Rome, Lazio region, Italy, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 336
- Dimensions
- 26 x 43 in. (66 x 109.2 cm)
framed: 38 x 55 3/16 x 5 1/16 in. (96.5 x 140.2 x 12.9 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 115:1946
NOTES
A picturesque flock of sheep graze in an Italian countryside awash in light. The quiet tones of blue and green, and simple forms evoke nature’s quiet poetry. Ruins in the foreground frame the shepherdess and bring to mind Italy’s ancient past. They are contrasted with the background, where the Church of St. John Lateran is visible. This mingling of past and present, of a “golden era” gone by, reflects the way many Americans at the time interpreted the Italian landscape. They viewed such images as a contrast to the promise they believed the United States had as a new country, with no ruins or bygone eras to impede its progress.
Provenance
Dr. George A. Bethune, Boston, MA [1]
- c.1894
E. W. Noyes, Boston, MA, purchased from Dr. George A. Bethune [2]
c.1894 -
Vose Galleries (Seth Morton Vose) Boston, MA, purchased from E. W. Noyes [3]
Mr. Slater, Norwich, CT, purchased from Vose Galleries
Vose Galleries (Seth Morton Vose), Boston, MA, exchanged with Mr. Slater [4]
Dr. Joseph C. Ely, Providence, RI, purchased from Vose Galleries [5]
Joseph C. Ely, Esq., by inheritance [6]
Mrs. Joseph C. Ely, Providence, RI, by inheritance [7]
Vose Galleries (Robert C. Vose), Boston, MA, purchased from Mrs. Joseph C. Ely
Hiram H. Logan, Brookline, purchased from Vose Galleries [8]
Vose Galleries (Robert C. Vose), Boston, MA, exchanged with Hiram H. Logan
Ainslie Galleries (George H. Ainslie), New York, NY, purchased from Vose Galleries
- 1946
M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, NY
1946 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc. [9]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a letter from Robert C. Vose [letter, July 22, 2006, SLAM document files].
[1] Dr. George A. Bethune may well have purchased this painting from the artist.
[2] E. W. Noyes was a Boston art dealer.
[3] Robert C. Vose explains that his father, Seth Morton Vose, purchased the painting from E. W. Noyes a few years before Robert C. Vose took over the Boston gallery (in 1897).
[4] Mr. Slater, a wealthy manufacturer, did not like the picture and exchanged it with Seth Morton Vose.
[5] Dr. Joseph C. Ely was the Vose family physician.
[6] Joseph C. Ely, Esq. inherited the painting from his father, Dr. Joseph C. Ely.
[7] Upon the death of Joseph C. Ely, Esq., Mrs. Ely inherited the painting. According to the invoice from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., Mrs. Ely lived in Providence [invoice, dated April 10, 1946, SLAM document files].
[8] It is not clear in which state Hiram H. Logan resided.
[9] Invoice from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., dated April 10, 1946 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, April 4, 1946.
- c.1894
E. W. Noyes, Boston, MA, purchased from Dr. George A. Bethune [2]
c.1894 -
Vose Galleries (Seth Morton Vose) Boston, MA, purchased from E. W. Noyes [3]
Mr. Slater, Norwich, CT, purchased from Vose Galleries
Vose Galleries (Seth Morton Vose), Boston, MA, exchanged with Mr. Slater [4]
Dr. Joseph C. Ely, Providence, RI, purchased from Vose Galleries [5]
Joseph C. Ely, Esq., by inheritance [6]
Mrs. Joseph C. Ely, Providence, RI, by inheritance [7]
Vose Galleries (Robert C. Vose), Boston, MA, purchased from Mrs. Joseph C. Ely
Hiram H. Logan, Brookline, purchased from Vose Galleries [8]
Vose Galleries (Robert C. Vose), Boston, MA, exchanged with Hiram H. Logan
Ainslie Galleries (George H. Ainslie), New York, NY, purchased from Vose Galleries
- 1946
M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, NY
1946 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc. [9]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a letter from Robert C. Vose [letter, July 22, 2006, SLAM document files].
[1] Dr. George A. Bethune may well have purchased this painting from the artist.
[2] E. W. Noyes was a Boston art dealer.
[3] Robert C. Vose explains that his father, Seth Morton Vose, purchased the painting from E. W. Noyes a few years before Robert C. Vose took over the Boston gallery (in 1897).
[4] Mr. Slater, a wealthy manufacturer, did not like the picture and exchanged it with Seth Morton Vose.
[5] Dr. Joseph C. Ely was the Vose family physician.
[6] Joseph C. Ely, Esq. inherited the painting from his father, Dr. Joseph C. Ely.
[7] Upon the death of Joseph C. Ely, Esq., Mrs. Ely inherited the painting. According to the invoice from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., Mrs. Ely lived in Providence [invoice, dated April 10, 1946, SLAM document files].
[8] It is not clear in which state Hiram H. Logan resided.
[9] Invoice from M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., dated April 10, 1946 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, April 4, 1946.