(b New York, 1821; d Detroit, Michigan, 1872) African-American Painter. Robert Scott Duncanson was born in the state of New York, but spent most of his childhood in Canada with his Scottish father. Duncanson later relocated, joining his mother in Cincinnati. The artist holds an important position in American art as the first African-American artist to achieve national and international recognition. His contemporaries recognized him as the leading landscapist west of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1863, due to the Civil War, Duncanson returned to Canada in self-imposed exile and remained there for two years. His extended stay greatly influenced the local artists, for Montreal and the surrounding areas offered Duncanson a vast array of idyllic subject matter.* Always remaining true to his own mandate to paint the landscape which he believed God to have created, Duncanson painted works that echoed the peace and tranquility of an unspoiled and idyllic earthly paradise, particularly interesting in a time of turmoil in the States. The artist returned to Michigan in 1867 and remained there until his death in 1872. (Credit: *Christie’s, New York, Important American Paintings, May 20, 2009, Lot 81)
Robert Scott Duncanson (American, 1821-1872) The Morning Hike, 1852 Oil on canvas 12 x 19-7/8 inches (30.5 x 50.5 cm) Signed lower right: R.S. Duncanson Property of a Distinguished New York Collector PROVENANCE: Richard Smith, Rhode Island; Acquired by the present owner from the above, circa 2000. HID01801242017
River landscape with figures, attributed to Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872), oil on canvas, 18 x 26 inches; original period frame 23 1/2 x 32 inches. Painted circa 1850-1855.
ROBERT S. DUNCANSON (1821 - 1872) On the Banks of the Doune, Scotland. Oil on linen canvas, 1871. 483x413 mm; 19x16 1/4 inches. Signed, titled and dated in oil, verso. Provenance: private collection, Pennsyvlania. The painting has been in the same family for several generations. With a two page certificate of authenticity by Duncanson expert, art historian and curator Joseph D. Ketner II (1955 - 2018). This charming Scottish scene was inspired by the tales of Doune Castle in Sir Edward Waverley's 1814 popular novel Waverly and by Duncanson's own travels in Scotland. It is also a rare painting by Duncanson to include a female figure as the subject. Duncanson's career in the 1860s was interrupted by the Civil War and the upheaval that it brought to his life in Cincinnati. After a few years in Canada, Duncanson traveled throughout England and Scotland beginning in the summer of 1865. Upon his return to Cincinnati in the winter of 1866, Duncanson painted many sweeping, romantic landscapes of the Scottish Highlands based on his sketches and inspired by the poems and novels of Sir Walter Scott. Ketner describes how Duncanson "developed these sketches into larger, more ambitious paintings enlivened by staffage figures that alluded to literary sources" - his Pass at Levy, 1867, also creates a scene from the Waverley novels. Reflecting the popularization of Scottish legends in the late 19th Century, Duncanson's late paintings brought him commercial and critical success. Today Duncanson's landscapes are found in museum collections, including Ellen's Isle, Loch Katrine, 1871, at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Loch Long, Scotland, 1867, and Scottish Landscape, 1871, both at the Smithsonian American Museum of Art, Washington, DC. Ketner pp. 156 and 160-161.
Attributed to Robert Scott Duncanson (American 1821-1872) River Landscape Signed Duncanson l.r. Oil on canvas 30 x 50 in (76.2 x 127 cm)Property of Various Owners
Attributed to Robert Duncanson, U.S. 1821-1872. European windmill with figures in countryside. 18-1/2" h x 20" w. framed; 11-1/2" h x 13-1/4" w unframed.
Robert Scott Duncanson (American, 1821-1872). Oil on canvas, signed and dated 1843 on reverse of canvas. Framed; 28.75 x 24 in. (sight). Robert S. Duncanson was born in Fayette, New York, and grew up in Monroe, Michigan. He moved to Cincinnati in 1841 with the ambition of becoming an artist, after having trained as an ornamental painter and carpenter in Michigan. He soon received portrait commissions, and extended his skills to genre, still life, and historical painting. After familiarizing himself with the works of Hudson River School artists Thomas Cole and William Sonntag, he established a reputation as a landscape painter and received the attention of Nicholas Longworth, a well-known Cincinnati art patron, who sponsored Duncanson's trip to Europe in 1853-1854, making him the first African American artist to undertake the Grand Tour. Back in Cincinnati, during the late 1850s, he returned to portraiture, producing several portraits of local abolitionists. This portrait, dated 1843, is an early example in Duncanson's career. James Foster, Jr. (1814-1873), was a significant figure of Cincinnati's business life in the mid-19th century. An optician, he took a keen interest in scientific progress and became a maker of scientific instruments, running a shop at 5th and Race streets after 1853. James Foster Jr.'s instruments are included in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Literature: Mary Sayre Haverstock, Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900, 2000. Pp. 244-245. Cincinnati Enquirer, James Foster Jr. Obituary, May 15, 1873.
Attributed to Robert S. Duncanson (American, 1821-1872) Italian Grotto, oil on canvas, circa 1860, 12 1/4 x 18 3/4 inches, relined and cleaned by Tom Yost, Oxford, Ct.
ROBERT S. DUNCANSON (1821 - 1872) Untitled (River Landscape). Oil on linen canvas, 1863. 371x587 mm; 14 5/8x23 1/8 inches. Initialed "R.S.D." and dated in oil, lower left. Provenance: private collection, New Jersey. With a two page document of authenticity by Joseph D. Ketner II. This beautiful landscape is an excellent example of pastoral painting from Duncanson''s mid-career period. Dr. Ketner identifies this composition as one that Duncanson returned to often - one of at least five known versions, painted between 1863-67. Ketner notes how the detailed foliage, the right rocky bank and the transparency of the river''s waters are all "signature elements of Duncanson''s most accomplished paintings." Duncanson also skillfully adds atmosphere to this scene. Here we share an idyllic view, bathed in a warm and soft light, with the figure seated on the river bank. This type of painting earned Duncanson both critical and commercial success - but it was interrupted by the Civil War and the subsequent upheaval to his life in Cincinnati. Duncanson most likely painted this painting before his self-imposed exile - he departed to Canada in September of that year. Duncanson stayed in Montreal for two years before traveling to the British Isles, where he toured England and Scotland until the winter of 1866-67.
ATTRIBUTED TO ROBERT S. DUNCANSON (AMERICAN, 1821-1872), OIL ON CANVAS, H 33", W 60", PARADISE & PERI THEME C. 1871; unsigned; gilt frame. Purchased c. 2002-2003 from a private individual in the Indianapolis, IN area. Thought to be possibly the missing painting that was mentioned in Joseph Ketner's book, "The Emergence of the African-American Artist, Robert S. Duncanson 1821-1872" (pp. 174-175) which was inspired by Thomas Moore's, "Paradise and the Peri" from the Orientalist poem, "Lalia Rookh". The missing Duncanson, "Paradise and the Peri" was: exhibited at Wiswell's Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio , Aug. 1871; exhibited in Monroe, MI, Sept. 1871; exhibited in Detroit, MI, Sept. 1871 and reviewed by the Detroit Free Press, Sept. 16, 1871, page 1; acquired locally by C.L. Andrews at the Detroit exhibition; loaned to the Detroit City Hall and was hung in the sheriff's office where it was vandalized by an irate citizen in 1876; donated by Andrews to the Detroit Institute of Arts, 1903-1904; the DIA sent it to G.H. Weigert to be auctioned where it was sold Nov. 29, 1918 (see Francis Waring Robinson papers, Detroit Institute of Art, Roll 511); locations after that are unknown. Stamped on verso of stretcher, "W.G. Bickford, Dealer of Artist's Colors and Materials, 189 W. Fourth St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Bickford was listed as a "Dealer of Artist's Materials" only in 1869 and 1870. The listing changed to Artist' Emporium in 1871 with the same address. Bickford lived at 185 1/2 W. Fourth St. in 1870. Duncanson lived at 187 W. Fourth St. in 1872. Bickford's business was at 189 W. Fourth St, 1869-1875. Marked on the verso of the original canvas (before being lined): "G.W. Stubbs", "A.W. Pugh" (see photo detail). G.W. Stubbs was the brother-in-law of A.W. Pugh of the Pugh family of Cincinnati. Duncanson worked with Achilles Pugh in his print shop in Cincinnati in the 1850's to early 1860's. Duncanson was a friend of the Pugh family in Cincinnati. Both G.W. Stubbs and A.W. Pugh were in Cincinnati in 1871. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE 54-PAGE SCANNED DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE PAINTING AND ARTIST. Condition: C.10% restoration of prior damage (tears, losses, etc.) as viewed under UV light; some over cleaning, lined; some stabilized craquelure; original stretchers; period frame is chipped and has losses. Natalia Nikolayev (B.A. in painting conservation), Indianapolis, IN restored the painting in June 2006 (consolidation of paint layer and ground with sturgeon glue, restoration of canvas losses with original pieces of canvas from the sides of the painting, filling made with Modostuc, lined with Beva-film, retouching with Gamblin conservation paints, etc.). Research information from the consignor, including photos of the painting before and after the restoration and the summary of the restoration done by Nikolayev, is available for viewing upon request.
Attributed to Robert Seldon Duncanson (American, 1821-1872). "The Old Mill Pond, In Light & Shadows", oil on canvas, apparently unsigned. Painting depicts a finely dressed African American couple boarding a canoe at the edge of a pond, the boat surrounded by lily pads, with brightly colored flowering bushes to the left bank behind the couple along with a tall dark ridge, the opposite bank having a wooden fence and in the distance a mill house up a hill in front of towering, full green trees, with storm clouds rolling in from the right above the scene. Pencil inscription to verso of stretcher with title. Framed approximately 34.25" x 27.75", unframed approximately 24" x 18".
DUNCANSON, Robert S. (1821 - 1872). Ohio River Valley Landscape. Oil on canvas, unsigned. Framed size: 38 x 61 1/2 inches. Provenance: Descended in the Williams family of Cincinnati, Ohio. Exhibition: Cincinnati Museum of Art, 1972. Publication: James Dallas Parks. Robert S. Duncanson: 19th c. Black Romantic Painter. Washington, DC.: Associated Publishers, 1908. Reference: Moore, Lucinda. America's Forgotten Landscape Painter: Robert S. Duncanson," Smithsonian.com, October 19, 2011, www.smithsonianmag.com. Ketner, Joseph D. "Struggles many and great: James P. Ball, Robert Duncanson, and other artists of color in antebellum Cincinnati," Magazine Antiques, December 4, 2011, www.themagazineantiques.com. Robert Seldon Duncanson was a premier American landscape painter also known in Canada, England, and Scotland for his artistic talent. An African-American born into a family of house painters and carpenters, Duncanson had loftier goals and taught himself to paint still lifes and portraits, moving on to landscapes, for which he is best known, in the late 1840s.Duncanson created the majority of his Ohio River Valley landscape paintings in the 1850s, a period when he was also collaborating with the African-American photographer and abolitionist, James Presley Ball (1825-1904). These two artists exhibited their works together at Ball's Cincinnati studio and also mentored younger artists, many of whom had immigrated to Cincinnati in order to learn more about the art trade. He worked within the regional landscape tradition pioneered a generation earlier by John James Audubon (1785-1851) and Joseph Mason (1802-1842), making excursions in local rivers for inspiration and to gather precise records of topography, flora and fauna. Duncanson's travels were by necessity confined to emancipated regions, specifically Ohio and Michigan. His works are typically monumental in scale and spiritual in tone, as seen in the canvas here.
ATTRIBUTED TO ROBERT SELDON DUNCANSON American, 1821-1872 Ohio River landscape. Unsigned. Possibly a study for a larger work titled "Ohio River Landscape". The larger painting was exhibited at the Cinncinati Art Museum in 1972 and sold at Neal Auction on April 21, 2012, Lot #333. Provenance: Purchased in Springfield, Ohio. Oil on canvas, 12" x 19". Unframed.
ROBERT S. DUNCANSON (1821 - 1872) Young America. Oil on canvas, 1846. 406x311 mm; 16x12 1/4 inches. Signed and dated in oil, lower left. Provenance: private Georgia collection, acquired in the 1960s or 1970s; thence by descent to the current owner. Young America is both a dramatic and an unusual painting by Robert S. Duncanson, which was just recently rediscovered. Few figurative paintings from the early part of his career are known, let alone have come to auction. Before becoming an acclaimed landscape painter, Duncanson made some historical paintings in addition to typical genre commissions. Joseph D. Ketner II describes how Young America is "a rare, early example by Robert S. Duncanson from the first decade of his professional career, when he was traveling regularly between Cincinnati and Detroit painting portraits, still lifes, historical and 'fancy' pictures on commission." Patriotic imagery is an unusual subject for a commission, as it is usually found in popular printed material. Duncanson had adapted some common themes found in prints in his paintings The Drunkard's Plight, 1845, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Mary Magdalene, 1846, private collection. This blonde young man and his battle scene differs from the typical representation of a youthful embodiment of nationalist spirit. This specificity makes the figure more than just an American symbol--Ketner suggests that the young man may be a son sent off to war whose family commissioned this likeness. The heroic figure of Young America, raising both his sword and the American flag, according to Ketner, is "possibly the earliest patriotic painting of the Mexican-American war period." Young America also shows the imagination and developing talent of a young American artist. This exciting discovery adds to the growing appreciation and understanding of this important 19th century painter's work. We would like to thank Joseph D. Ketner II, curator-in-residence at Emerson College and noted Robert S. Duncanson expert, for his examination report and essay confirming the work. The painting is being sold with his report, dated January 5, 2012.
Robert S. Duncanson (American/Ohio, 1821-1872), "Ohio River Valley Landscap$E", oil on canvas, unsigned, 28 1/2 in. x 52 in., framed. Provenance: Descended in the Williams family of Cincinnati, Ohio. Exhibition: Cincinnati Museum of Art, 1972 Publication: James Dallas Parks. Robert S. Duncanson: 19th c. Black Romantic Painter. Washington, DC.: Associated Publishers, 1908 Note : Robert Seldon Duncanson, who is often mistakenly called Robert Scott Duncanson, was a premier American landscape painter also known in Canada, England, and Scotland for his artistic talent. An African-American born into a family of house painters and carpenters, Duncanson had loftier goals and taught himself to paint still lifes and portraits, moving on to landscapes, for which he is best known, in the late 1840s. Duncanson created the majority of his Ohio River Valley landscape paintings in the 1850s, a period when he was also collaborating with the African-American photographer and abolitionist, James Presley Ball (1825-1904). These two artists exhibited their works together at Ball's Cincinnati studio and also mentored younger artists, many of whom had immigrated to Cincinnati in order to learn more about the art trade. Duncanson clearly worked within the regional landscape tradition pioneered a generation earlier by John James Audubon (1785-1851) and Joseph Mason (1802-1842), making excursions in local rivers for inspiration and to gather precise records of topography, flora and fauna. Duncanson's travels were by necessity confined to emancipated regions, specifically Ohio and Michigan. His works are typically monumental in scale and spiritual in tone, as seen in the canvas here. Duncanson also traveled and lived in Canada and England during the Civil War years, where his depiction of Tennyson's The Lotus Eaters was highly praised, even delighting the poet himself. By the late 1860s and early 1870s, Duncanson's fame had grown and he was known as ""the greatest landscape painter in the west"". A resurgence of interest in Duncanson's work has recently occurred; the National Gallery, Washington D.C. obtained their first Duncanson painting, an early still life scene from 1848 (acc. 2011.91.1) first on exhibition February 3, 2012 Reference: Moore, Lucinda. ""America's Forgotten Landscape Painter: Robert S. Duncanson,"" Smithsonian.com, October 19, 2011, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Americas-Forgotten-Landscape-Painter-Robert-Duncanson.html. Ketner, Joseph D. ""Struggles many and great: James P. Ball, Robert Duncanson, and other artists of color in antebellum Cincinnati,"" Magazine Antiques, December 4, 2011, http://www.themagazineantiques.com/articles/ketner-james-p-ball-robert-duncanson-antebellum-cinncinati."
Robert Scott Duncanson (American, 1821-1872) The Apennines, Italy, 1867 oil on canvas signed Duncanson and dated (lower left); titled, signed, and dated (verso) 10 x 16 inches.
ROBERT S. DUNCANSON (1821 - 1872) Untitled (Woodland Scene). Oil on canvas, circa 1860-65. 457x381 mm; 18x15 inches (oval). Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: private New York collection. Exhibited: Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, AK, and Mason Murer Fine Art, Atlanta, with the labels on the frame back. This charming, oval-shaped landscape, with two small figures engaged in a woodland scene, is from Duncanson's mature period. This time of great success was interrupted by the Civil War and the subsequent upheaval that it brought to his life in Cincinnati. By 1863, he had fled to Canada, and was traveling through England and Scotland by 1865. Duncanson often looked to other artist's leads--this landscape shares strong compositional elements with Asher-Durand's woodlands scenes. With its single vanishing point entered by small figures, this painting shares similarities with Untitled (Landscape), circa 1860-65, sold at Swann Galleries on February 17, 2011 and included in Robert S. Duncanson: The Spiritual Striving of the Freedman's Son at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site Museum.
ROBERT S. DUNCANSON (1821 - 1872) Untitled (Landscape). Oil on canvas, late 1850s. 610x915 mm; 24x36 inches. Provenance: private collection. This beautiful painting is a scarce, large example of important 19th-century painter Robert S. Duncanson's mid-career landscapes. The son of a biracial tradesman from Virginia, and the grandson of a freed slave, Duncanson apprenticed in his youth to his family's housepainting and carpentry business in Canada. A self-taught artist, he began his career by copying popular prints. Duncanson moved to Cincinnati, the city with which he is most closely associated, in the 1840s. This painting represents a culmination of the many romantic motifs Duncanson learned to employ in his landscapes. By the 1850s, he had received extensive patronage and commercial success, and by April of 1853, he was able to embark on a "Grand Tour" with fellow Cincinnati artist William Sonntag through Europe. This two year trip was a considerable achievement, the first such pilgrimage for an African-American artist. In addition to the classical ruins of Italy, Duncanson was particularly influenced by the paintings of Gainsborough and Turner, whose landscapes he studied on his first stop in England. According to Joseph D. Ketner, figures relaxing in an idyllic, park-like landscape, the small waterfall and stream, the classical buildings in the background, and the billowing clouds are all devices Duncanson used from this period. We would like to thank Joseph D. Ketner II, curator-in-residence at Emerson College and noted Robert S. Duncanson expert, for reviewing the work and for his examination report confirming this work. This painting is sold with his report, signed and dated October 21, 2009. Ketner pp. 71-72.
ROBERT SCOTT DUNCANSON (1821 - 1872) Untitled (Landscape). Oil on paper board, circa 1860-65. 190x241 mm; 7 1/2x9 1/2 inches. Signed in oil, lower right. Provenance: private collection. This inviting painting is a wonderful example of the important 19th-century painter Robert S. Duncanson's landscapes. The son of a biracial tradesman from Virginia, and the grandson of a freed slave, Duncanson apprenticed in his youth to his family's housepainting and carpentry business in Canada. A self-taught artist, he began his career by copying popular prints. Duncanson moved to Cincinnati, the city with which he is most closely associated, in the 1840s. This oval-shaped landscape, with its central figure departing a woodland scene, is from Duncanson's mature period. This time of great success was interrupted by the Civil War and the subsequent upheaval that it brought to his life in Cincinnati. At the beginning of the 1860s, he had obtained commercial success as an artist, with a thriving studio, numerous commissions and critical acclaim. By 1863, he had fled to Canada, and was traveling through England and Scotland by 1865. Duncanson painted on board throughout his career--this painting is closely related in style to Autumn Landscape, 1864, formerly at Spanierman Gallery, with its rich impasto and handling of the trees and rocks. We would like to thank Joseph D. Ketner II, curator-in-residence at Emerson College and noted Robert S. Duncanson expert, for reviewing the work and for his examination report confirming this work.
Oil on unstretched canvas shows a panoramic landscape with water having several boats on calm water with mountain backdrop and foreground low shoreline with road leading to a rustic house. Signed on the base of a fallen tree. SIZE: 22" x 36". CONDITION: Appears to have been rolled at one time with all over losses, tears & losses to edge. In need of extensive restoration. 9-21710
Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872) Meeting by the River signed and dated 'R.S. Duncanson./1864.' (lower left) oil on canvas 19¼ x 31½ in. (48.9 x 80 cm.)
oil on canvas, signed and dated 1856 in the lower center; 35.5" high x 45.5" wide (sight). This outstanding, imaginative view in the tradition of the Hudson River School provides a rare view by Duncanson with the inclusion of figures. Recently discovered, the offered painting by Robert Scott Duncanson has hung in the same Morrow, Ohio, home for generations. Coincidentally, an expansive landscape by fellow Cincinnati artist Henry W. Kemper, also dated 1856, was sold by Cowan's for the estate in 2006, and it is possible that both works were acquired directly from the artists. Duncanson and Kemper worked in a similar style, and would have certainly crossed paths. Recently cleaned. The painting is fully clean under blacklight, with the exception of one small area of inpainting on the mountain. An overall even craquelure is evident throughout the painting.
Robert Scott Duncanson (American, 1821-1872), Ohio Landscape ca. 1860-1870 oil on canvas unsigned 28.5" x 52" EXHIBITED Cincinnati Museum of Art Cincinnati, OH Robert S. Duncanson: A Centennial Exhibition March 16-April 30, 1972 Literature James Dallas Parks. Robert S. Duncanson: 19th Century Black Romantic Painter. Washington D.C.: The Associated Publishers, Inc., a division of the Association For The Study of Afro-American Life and History, Inc., 1980.
Robert Scott Duncanson painting (Ohio, 1821-1872), Native American Indians hunting in a woodland, signed lower right "R.S. Duncanson 1846", oil on canvas, 12-7/8 x 18-1/2 in.; modern stained wood frame. Original stretcher and tacking edge, cleaned and revarnished early 1970s, area of overcleaning at distant pair of Indians, crackle, cupping, cleavage, flaking at edges and lower right, retouch at edge of trees right, bottom right, left edges and top left, deteriorating tacking edge. Provenance: Purchased at a flea market in Wilmington, North Carolina area by Margaret Carmichael in 1957 for the frame. She was about to discard the painting when the consignor, then 17 years old, asked if he could have the painting; Private Collection, Oriental, North Carolina.
Mount Orford signed and dated 'Duncanson/1864' (lower left)--signed and dated again and inscribed with title 'Mt. Orford./R.S. Duncanson./1864.' (on the reverse) oil on canvas 31 1/4 x 52 in. (79.4 x 132 cm.)
signed Duncanson and dated 1866, l.l. oil on canvas PROVENANCE Private Collection, Chicago, Illinois Gift to the present owner's grandfather from the above, circa 1980
The Garden of Eden signed and dated 'R.S. Duncanson 1852' (lower left) oil on canvas 321/2 x 48 in. (82.6 x 123.2 cm.) LITERATURE J.D. Ketner, The Emergence of the African-American Artist: Robert S. Duncanson, 1821-1872, Columbia, Missouri, 1993, p. 43, illustrated EXHIBITION Cincinnati, Ohio, Art Union of Cincinnati, 1852 NOTES One of America's leading African-American artists, Robert Scott Duncanson derived his subjects from diverse sources, many literary, others biblical and still others inspired by his trips abroad, and most notably to Europe. The Garden of Eden depicts an expansive landscape in a verdant tropical setting. A stream flows in the foreground and in its waters can be seen giant gem-like crystals and flower blossoms. The central portion of the landscape includes towering palms and a profusion of flowers, just visible at the edge of a grassy expanse, the figures of Adam and Eve. In the distance, the artist includes a picturesque waterfall and a soaring peak which complete his conception of paradise as a picturesque and fantastic scene. The painting is the smaller of two versions based on an earlier conception of the same subject, Thomas Cole's The Garden of Eden of 1827 to 1828 (Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas), although the two works differ in some compositional elements and details. Cole's work was inspired by Milton's Paradise Lost, a book which had found renewed popularity in the early nineteenth century. Duncanson's undertaking to create his own version of the subject amounted to his most ambitious project to date, one which his understudy, Junius Sloan, remarked upon: "Duncanson is still driving away making ready for his 'Eden'--of which you may have heard him speak. I scarcely need tell you more, at present-for to give you a full idea would be impossible, to obtain it you must sit by and listen to his works and watch his gestures, and cath [sic] the expression in his face." (J.D. Ketner, The Emergence of the African-American Artist, Robert S. Duncanson, 1821-1872, Columbia, Missouri, 1993, p. 42) The art historian Joseph Ketner writes at length on the creation of Duncanson's Garden of Eden and its subsequent celebrated reception: "...the artist worked on the painting throughout the spring of 1852 with the intention of touring it around the Midwest during the summer. The finished canvas was an immense five by seven feet, larger than Cole's, filled with luxuriant gardens full of exotic trees and richly colored flowers that framed a view of the pyramidal Mount of God. The gates of paradise stand in the middle ground guarded by the angel Gabriel, symbolized by the star between the pillars. This conception of paradise closely paralleled the description by Milton in Paradise Lost of a place dominated by 'a rock of alabaster, piled up in the clouds', with a 'craggy cliff' for a profile. In June 1852, the press previewed the painting in Duncanson's studio before its touring exhibition. The Gazette reported to its readers that Garden of Eden was "beautiful and inspiring, shows careful study, and is far in advance of former works.'" ( The Emergence of the African-American Artist, Robert S. Duncanson, 1821-1872, p. 43) Another reviewer commented on the broader ideals represented by Duncanson's masterwork: "...the poet and the painter seek to embody their idea of the great, the good, and the beautiful, and this is the mission of the true artist...One may not look upon the artist's idea of a perfect earth--Eden, the beautiful home of the perfect man--without higher aspirations for the future, and the restoration of the pristine purity of life and beauty of earth, which is his birthright." As noted by Ketner, "implied in the latter comment is the millennialist association between the American wilderness and a spiritual paradise...America had the potential to re-create the biblical paradise on earth and avoid the fate of previous decadent civilizations. Thus, the exotic semitropical Eden depicted in Duncanson's painting is emblematic of America as the primitive wilderness garden, 'a perfect earth'." Upon its inaugural exhibition in Pittsburgh, the painting received a positive reception, including a comment by a critic who lauded its genius. The painting also came to represent a storied moment in the abolitionist movement. "In concert with the Pittsburgh exhibition," writes Ketner, "Duncanson orchestrated a ceremonious presentation of the original Garden of Eden (the present work) to the Reverend Charles Avery as a symbol of his appreciation for the Reverend's efforts on behalf of African-Americans. Several abolitionist periodicals realized the publicity potential of this presentation and ran the story. Frederick Douglass' Paper capitalized on the moment in a lengthy notice to its readers under the title 'a Token of Gratitude.' The journal reported that at the close of the exhibition Duncanson, 'a talented young gentleman of color,' offered The Garden of Eden to Avery 'as a testimonial of respect and gratitude, for his munificent friendship towards the colored people of Pittsburgh and Allegheny.' According to the journal, 'Mr. Avery was taken quite by surprise, and seemed for a few moments at a loss what to say, but after a slight demur, he accepted it warmly and expressed his acknowledgments for the compliment.' The article concluded with the question, 'Who shall answer to this age and to posterity for the sin and shame of crushing a race, thus gifted with the power of genius, the delicacy of sentiment and the capacity for sublime moral development, of which this one act proves them capable:' In Duncanson's art and in his noble gesture, the abolitionist journalists discovered an exemplar of African-Americans' intellectual and cultural capabilities." ( The Emergence of the African-American Artist, Robert S. DUncanson, 1821-1872, pp. 43-45). Duncanson painted the present work shortly after his triumph in Pittsburgh. In the fall of 1852, he exhibited this version at the Art Union of Cincinnati where The Garden of Eden was highly praised and imediately recognized as Duncanson's 'chef d'oeuvre', raising his status among the landscape painters of Cincinnati. An artistic and critical success, The Garden of Eden marked a turning point in the artist's acclaim, and remains one of his greatest realizations of the ideal landscape in his art.
signed and dated 1848 oil on canvas 14 1/8 by 20 in.35.9 by 50.8 cm. Provenance: Sale: Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., New York, 19th & 20th Century European and American Paintings, Drawings, Watercolors & Sculpture, September 18, 1980, lot 94 illustrated Exhibited: Mexico City, Fomento Cultural Banamex, Palacio de Iturbide, Presencia del paisaje Mexicano siglos XIX y principios XX, June -October, 1991, no. 37, illustrated in color.
signed "Duncanson" and dated "1865," l.r.- -oil on canvas 30 x 50 in. (76.5 x 127 cm.) In 1853, Duncanson traveled to Italy, and later to England and Scotland where some of his major works were executed and where he derived inspiration for his later paintings. In Italy, he followed the prevailing stylistic direction of painting in the neo-classical mode. Later, he combined classical ruins and a visionary interpretation of fantasy and the exotic to create his own painterly world. Always remaining true to his own mandate to paint with a passion God's handiwork in nature, Duncanson created works of art that echoed the peace and tranquility of an unspoiled and all but idyllic earthly paradise. Adhering to this imagery, he painted "Scene in the Canadian Rockies" during a short visit to Canada, 1864-65. Another work painted during this brief period, "Waterfalls of Montmorency" (east of Quebec), dated 1864, is in a private collection. This painting will be included in Joseph D. Ketner's forthcoming monograph, "The Emergence of the African American Artist: Robert S. Duncanson," to be published by the University of Missouri Press. See footnote 1 for this sale.
