SANFORD ROBINSON GIFFORD (American, 1823-1880). A STUDY FROM NATURE (MT. DESERT, MAINE), 1864, signed on verso. Oil on canvas - Framed, 11 in. x 19 in. Estimate $20,000-30,000
Accompanied by letter of authentication from Ila Weiss, PhD, New York, NY, discussing this work and stating, "Not only is this a delightful and characteristic oil sketch by Gifford, it is an important find that documents what has been until now only inferred: That Gifford occasionally sketched in oils from nature." This letter states that "In 1864 Sanford R. Gifford, his sister Mary, and their friend Jervis McEntee (the artist) and McEntee's wife Gertrude, spent three weeks on Mt. Desert Island, ME, July 14-August 5, touring, camping out and sketching...The drawings at Porcupine Island, their first stop in mid July, where cliffs and boulders meet the sea, suggest the location of this view."
Not lined. Surface dirt and debris with uneven varnish. Minor craquelure especially lower right quadrant and minor abrasion along framed edge lower left.
UV: Small area of inpainting upper right corner and 1 in. x 2 in. area of inpainting mid canvas above rocky outcropping.
