$24,885
Xanthus Russell Smith (American, 1839-1929) Cape May , 1865 Signed "Xanthus Smith" l. l., titled, dedicated, signed, and dated "..Painted for Joseph Wharton Esq./ By Xanthus Smith/ 1865" in the artist's hand on the reverse, with a partial label from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (see below) affixed to the frame and stretcher. Oil on canvas, 6 1/8 x 16 1/8 in. (15.6 x 41.0 cm), framed. Condition: Fine craquelure, minor retouch, minor surface grime. Provenance: From the artist to prominent Quaker merchant, industrialist, scientist, and philanthropist Joseph Wharton, Esq. (1826-1909) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Conanicut, Rhode Island; by family descent to daughter Joanna Wharton Lippincott (1858-1938) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; by family descent to the present owner. Literature: Peter Hastings Falk, ed. The Annual Exhibition Record of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Madison: Soundview Press, 1988), p. 210. Exhibitions: 42nd Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1865, no. 623. N.B. A Philadelphia native, born in 1839, Xanthus Smith was the son of Russell and Mary Priscilla Smith, both of whom were artists and who educated and encouraged their son. Smith traveled to Europe with his parents in the early 1850s and later that decade studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. During the Civil War, Smith enlisted in the Navy, and he made many detailed sketches of ships, encampments, and engagements that were Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2012-02-03
