Douglas Arthur Teed (Am. 1864-1929), upstate New York scene, signed lower right. Sight size: 8 3/4" high, 11 1/2" wide. Frame size: 13 3/4" high, 16 3/4" wide. Property from a New Jersey Private Collection.
Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) Landscape painting with figure. Oil on board. Signed lower right. Sight Size: 11 x 14 in. Overall Framed Size: 15 x 18 in.
"LANDSCAPE WITH RUINS" BY DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (1864-1929). American (Michigan), late-19th or early-20th Century. Oil on canvas view of a landscape with a river, small waterfall, and ruins of a building. Signed on lower left. Sight, 15.5"h. 19.5"w. Ornate carved gilt frame, 20.5"h. 24.75"w.
TEED, Douglas Arthur, (American, 1860-1929): Orientalist merchants in a back alley with one displaying a sword in his hands, Oil/Canvas, signed lower right and dated 1927, 27.5" x 34", framed 40" x 47". No signs of inpaint or restoration under black light.
Douglas Arthur Teed (American 1864-1929), oil on canvas landscape, signed lower left and dated 1913, 16" x 20". Competitive in-house shipping is available for this lot.
Signed and dated in the lower right. Oil on canvas depicting a mermaid reclining on a rock as waves break in the background. With written notation on verso "Exhibited: Douglas A. Teed exhibit Elmira Art Museum, NY". Having a giltwood period frame, H 17", W 21". Provenance: From the Estate of Prominent Collector, Leon Zielinski, Macomb County, MI. Frank H. Boos Gallery, 6-5-1988.
Signed lower left with date 1925. Seven figures and ceramic pots with mosque in background. Original hand carved frame 34.5" x 44". Originally from the collection of George Kirchner, Detroiter, collector, patron and friend of Teed.
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1863-1929): THE SPEAKEASY DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1863-1929): THE SPEAKEASY oil on canvas, depicting a gathering of men drinking under the moonlight, presumably during prohibition, signed 'Douglas Arthur Teed', in gilt decorated frame, the painting 61cm x 46cm
Teed, Douglas Arthur (1860 New Hartford - 1929 Detroit), "Arabische Straßenszene", Öl auf Leinwand, signiert und datiert unten links Douglas Arthure Teed 1910/20?, 28 x 47 cm
Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) Florida Seascape Signed and dated 1924 lower left. Oil on Canvas. Sight Size: 19 x 26 in. Overall Framed Size: 24.5 x 31.5 in.
Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) Orientalist in a Bazar Signed and dated 1926 lower left. Oil on Canvas. Sight Size: 14 x 20 in. Overall Framed Size: 21.5 x 27.5 x 3 in.
Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) An Oriental Merchant Signed and dated 1926 lower left. Oil on Canvas. Sight Size: 25 x 30 in. Overall Framed Size: 30 x 35 in.
† Douglas Arthur Teed (American, 1860-1929), "Impressionist Style Landscape of Trees and River," 1919, oil on canvas laid to board Douglas Arthur Teed (American, 1860-1929), "Impressionist Style Landscape of Trees and River," 1919, oil on canvas laid to board, signed and dated "1919" lower right, presented in a gilt frame with linen mat,
Signed "Douglas Arthur Teed" and dated "1929" lower left. Original hand carved gilt period frame. This work is one of a very few works painted by Teed prior to his death in May of 1929 and typifies his dedication to the Orientalist movement. Provenance: The estate of a prominent Lakeshore Drive, Grosse Pointe, MI private collector.
Reclining nude near rock cave, Aegean Sea. Signed and dated. Displayed for many years in Arlington Hotel, Binghamton, N.Y. Size is canvas size, 'Nude Girl by the Sea' . Private Homes, Art Galleries and Museums. Framed.
Douglas Arthur Teed (1864 - 1929) 1919 The oil on canvas landscape of American Barbizon School style is signed/dated lower right and displayed in its original carved wood frame with custom corners and original finish. Douglas Arthur Teed traveled the world as a painter during the first decade of the 20th century. His works have been included in exhibitions from Detroit to Rome and are included in a number of US museums. Canvas measures 16.25 x 22 with a framed size of 23 x 29 inches. AN ABSENTEE BID PLACED IN ADVANCE COULD LOSE TO A LIVE BID OF EQUAL AMOUNT PLACED LATER. First bid precedence is not possible in auctions that incorporate live bidding via multiple online platforms, live bidders participating in the sale room and live telephone bidders. The only ways to avoid the possibility of losing the bid in this manner is to attend the live auction or bid absentee with plus-one option. Without proof of exemption, be aware that internet sales tax applies to all Internet transactions and local sales tax may apply to local pick-up transactions. We happily provide seamless in-house packing and shipping services on nearly everything we sell. Until further notice, we cannot offer international shipping in-house.
Douglas Arthur Teed (American, 1864-1929) Landscape oil on canvas signed and dated "Teed, '83" with illegible inscription (lower left) 26 x 21 1/4 inches (frame) 19 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches (sight)
Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) Landscape painting with figure. Oil on board. Signed lower right. Sight size: 11 x 14 in. Overall framed size: 15 x 18 in.
TEED, Douglas Arthur, ( American, 1860-1929): Landscape view of Middle Eastern town with mosque in background and figures, Oil/canvas, signed and dated 1924 lower left, 40" x 30", framed 45.5" x 35.5". Condition: Spots of inpaint.
TEED, Douglas Arthur, (American, 1860-1829): Courtyard in Algiers with figures, Oil/Canvas, signed and dated 1924 lower right, 40.5" h. x 33.25", framed 51" x 44". Condition: Craquelure, minor spots of inpaint.
ARTIST: Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) NAME: Backstreet Orientalist Bazaar Scene YEAR: 1923 MEDIUM: oil on canvas CONDITION: Some paint losses along right edge. Some craquelure. No visible inpaint under UV light. SIGHT SIZE: 20 x 30 inches / 50 x 76 cm FRAME SIZE: 25 x 35 inches / 63 x 88 cm SIGNATURE: lower left CATEGORY: antique vintage painting AD: ART CONSIGNMENTS WANTED. CONTACT US SKU#: 119403 US Shipping $120 + insurance. BIOGRAPHY: Douglas Arthur Teed was born on February 21, 1860 to Fidelia M. Rowe and Cyrus R. Teed, in New Hartford, New York. At age nine, his father left the family to develop a religious sect called "Koreshanity" after experiencing what he claimed was a divine vision. While sitting in the laboratory where he practiced medicine and Alchemy, Cyrus reported "a relaxation at the back part of the brain, and a peculiar buzzing tension at the forehead." He claimed his soul left his body and witnessed a woman whom he perceived as "His Mother and Bride." Cyrus Teed claimed this was a calling to spread the word on the true nature of our cellular cosmogony, and to bridge the gap between science and religion. Cyrus described the messenger as:"Gracefully pendant from the head, and falling in golden tresses of profusely luxuriant growth over her shoulders, her hair added to the adornment of her personal attractiveness. Supported by the shoulders and falling into a long train was a gold and purple colored robe. Her feet rested upon a silvery crescent; in her hand, and resting upon this crescent, was Mercury's Caduceus..."There was an awakening in the Teed household hinging on dogmatic opinions, mysticism, and the exotic. The family did not buy into the new lifestyle, however, and eventually the family lost Cyrus to the religious fervor which consumed him. Dr. Teed persisted in his beliefs, neglecting his duties at home, and eventually settled a communal colony called "The Koreshan Unity".The American Eagle of August 1973 reports that letters from Cyrus Teed indicated affection for his wife and child, and in spite of criticism, Delia accepted him as the messiannic personality of the age. However, Douglas and his mother never converted. Due to ill health, she and Douglas moved in with her sister in Binghamton, New York. They remained there until Delia's death in 1885.Douglas Arthur Teed began painting as a small boy in Utica having opened his own study by the age of fourteen. In his youth, Teed spent many hours in the studio of George Inness, whose tonalist landscapes greatly impressed the growing artist. Teed lived in New York as a billboard painter until 1890.Later that year he opened a studio in Rome. This would serve as the home base for his five-year study in Europe. Teed found "a land in which art had a tradition of hundreds of years of immense imaginative achievements, a lovely and dramatically varied countryside, great paintings of the past to inspire him, the accumulated magic and splendor of the past." The popular trends in European art at that time are mirrored in his paintings.Teed returned to his New York studio in 1895. He earned his living by paintings portraits and landscapes. Most of his work was sold to private collectors; often painting in trade of other services. During World War I, the bulk of Teed's income was supported by painting the portraits of such men as Senator O'Gorman of New York, Governor Whitman of New York, Judge Williams R. Day of the United States Supreme Court, and steel mogul Andrew Carnegie. Although highly praised at the time, portraits held little interest for Teed; when interviewed in 1925, he stated being "...off portraits for life."Through the years, his works adorned the walls of the Scranton Club, the Arlington Hotel, the Art Hall of the Koreshan Unity, the Arnot Art Museum, the 1911 International Exhibition in Rome, the Annual Exhibitions of Paintings by American Artists at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the San Diego Fine Arts Gallery, the Oriental Theatre in Detroit, the Binghamton Public Library, and found a healthy market within the homes of the nouveau-riche Detroit industrialists. He's exhibited in Italy, Munich, London, Boston, Philadelphia, and the Royal Academy of Canada. Three canvases were purchased to decorate the reception chamber of the executive mansion in Albany during the governship of Charles S. Whitman. Three others were purchased for the state armory.The first major retrospective of Islamic art had taken place in 1893 at the Palais de l'Industrie, while Teed was touring Europe. This was the first popular exposure of Islamic art to a newly industrialized Western world. Teed's oriental paintings dating prior to 1908 are likely to be studies of the works of popular European Orientalists such as Jean-Leon Gerome, whose colorful and romantic portraits of the Eastern world fascinated him. In pursuit of first hand inspiration, Douglas Teed left to the Middle East in 1907.Douglas Teed returned to the United States four years later. He reentered into an art world that was in a state of transition, where artists began publicly rebelling against the foreign domination of American art tastes. When Teed left to the Middle East, impressionism was still very popular in the markets. However, displays such as The Armory Show of 1913 presented the work of a new emerging culture; the European Modernists, along with the new the American Realists, (particularly the work of Arthur B. Davies and the other members of his movement, The Eight). Due to the isolation of his journey, Douglas Arthur Teed shared no involvement in the progression of the contemporary market's taste. He returned to the United States as a romantic painter of Oriental scenes still utilizing impressionist technique.The patrons of the arts at this time in Detroit were primarily wealthy industrialists who leaned toward established art forms. Teed's more conservative, impressionistic depictions of the Middle East were well received, filling the drawing rooms of the city's elite.In a 1924 review of the Annual Exhibition for American Artists, Mr. R. Poland (then Director of Education at the Detroit Institute of Arts) wrote, "...as to landscapes, Mr. Douglas Arthur Teed... has brought the beholder to intimate communion with nature. One looks into the very soul, radiant and smiling, of all humanity." Three paintings entered the exhibition, one voting runner up for the Floyd G. Hitchcock prize, awarded by public vote. The painting was entitled, "Awaiting a Buyer". It received 153 votes, the winner received 154 votes, and was purchased before the completion of the show. In 1925 he received the largest number of public votes for his painting, "Argument as to Value".Teed continued to paint experimental works privately. He explored the female figure from the standpoint of her mysterious emotions, rather than emphasizing the anatomical. In another work, "The Light Worshipers" (1910), Teed attempts to combine Roman ruins with a sense of mysticism, developing forms and atmosphere inspired by the George Inness painting, The Monk. One exhibition review from 1918 notes, "Douglas Arthur Teed, another unfamiliar exhibitor, shows four canvases. Three of them eccentricities in a pale white tone."In January 1928, ten Detroit artists, including Teed, held an independent exhibition at the Hurley Galleries, 111 East Kirby Street, in protest of the jury selection for the annual Michigan Artists Exhibition. Four "conservative" artists who were rejected by the jury were: Percy Ives, Francis Paulus, John Morse, and Charles Waltensperger. The six joining them in this show: Julius Rolshoven, William Greason, Alfred E. Peters, Roman Kryzonowsky, Joseph Gries, and Teed, "refrained from offering any work to the jury for much the same reason which prompted the rebellion -- a feeling that the annual Michigan show had grown less and less hospitable toward the more conservative painters." The exhibition stirred up quite a controversy in the city. Mr. Samuel Halpert, a juror for the 1928 exhibition stated that "many of the... artists whose work was rejected by the jury have been dead for 20 years". Mr. J. W. Young responded to this remark in an essay when he defended the 10 rebels as "Guardians of the City's Artistic Ideals". Of the works represented by the ten artists at the Salon des Refuses, he stated that "those who like the work of Douglas Arthur Teed will find his 'landscape' quite out of his usual vein, and may well conclude that it is a pretty good picture for a dead living man to have painted." Teed offered his opinion of the exhibition to the Detroit Free Press,"The Cubist, post-impressionists, the fellows who call themselves 'Ultimatists' and others classed as modernists have reverted to jungle art. They are quite free from an expose of knowledge of color, form, or any of the rudimentary principles of painting. One favorable feature of these groping young minds is that sometimes a development of the new features of art in which they are delving catches the mind of some exceptional man, who is able to couple his unusual culture with their theories, and the result is genius. Such men were Claude Monet, and earlier, Corot. So for the sake of one or two geniuses, the world must be patient with much worthless rubbish."The success of Teed's work is based on compositional harmony and a powerful maintenance of color value. Early attempts at figure drawing, such as "Angel Rescue", reveal a frustration towards the articulate separation of the subject from its surroundings. Thus began his treatment of the figure as an element in space, casting subjects against the romantic landscape - a vibrant rush of environment acting as a reflection of temper.Accurate depictions of foliage, included with the abounding beauty of the countryside, were utilized by American artists at the time to create an awe-inspiring mood in their works. These were aesthetic tenets made popular by Sir Edmund Burke's treatise anticipating classical Romanticism, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. As Teed refined his aesthetic, he began to approach his subjects less as strict anatomical studies, and more in the vein of the foliage of the classical American landscape in a delicate application of paint; as the vision which guided his hand, immemorial. In a Teed painting, we are asked to witness a scene which has fallen into the atmosphere, and plays on the same brush-stroke as of the sand in the wind.Teed successfully developed his own philosophy on the "problems of light" (concentration/diffusion), popularized by the Barbizon artists. Many of his compositions are approached in concept of light. These techniques were first introduced to Teed by George Inness, in his own study as a disciple at the Barbizon School in Europe, starting in 1847.The early influence of George Inness is clearly demonstrated within Teed's work; both practicing in a similar method, active in the same influences, emoting in the same key of atmospheric romanticism. Both Teed and Innes painted rapidly over wet paint. Teed was reported to have painted with a palette knife at great speed, able to produce a picture for a buyer in one night.Unfortunately, this manner of work causes the paint layers to dry at different rates, creating extensive cracking and paint loss in a relatively short time. This is true of many of Teed's works today.Teed remained a deep admirer of the arts throughout his life. Teed exhibited specific interest and influence in the works of Antoine-Jean Gros, Henri Rousseau, Jean-Francois Millet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-Leon Gerome, George Inness, Claude Lorrain, Eugene Joseph Verboeckhoven, and Jules Breton.Teed studied every aesthetic style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, continually searching for a successful means of conveying his passion; compelled to portray on canvas the spiritual aura. He brought himself to the reaches of the planet in search of the mystics in Nature. Teed wanted to symbolize a reverence for God and Nature; he wanted to convey allegorical messages; he wanted his paintings to become his visual poetry.Douglas Teed lived a quiet and humble life, never exhibiting the eccentric follies of the acclaimed masters he admired. His quiet did not mark a languid heart. There is a consistent temperament throughout his work, experienced strongest when seen in succession; a disconnected world, brooding and melancholy. In an article entitled "Distinguished Artist at Estero" (1905), one reviewer noted his painting's "...gravity of presence. With Mr. Teed, each image appears captured moments before the storm."Upon his return from Europe, Teed's canvases became highly acclaimed for their charm. The Boston Evening Transcript calls Teed "a man of high ambitions, with a fine sense of color, a just appreciation of values and a close observer of the subtle and delicate variations of the sensitive gamut... Rather than concentrate on specific forms, the artist has developed an overall pattern of color, light, and impasto which adds cohesiveness to the compositions."His work no longer depicted simply the local morning picturesque. His landscapes were used as mirrors of his own complexion, both an interpretation of Nature's inner-spirit and his own. He staged "worlds of atmosphere, looking forth at us through ethereal light, through shadows..." Although he never chose to alleviate realistic representation altogether, Teed's paintings were largely the product of a passionate imagination, whose emotions materialized in the works' creation. The landscape had become subordinated to the thought.There is a preference for the mystic and the exotic in his work. Early in his childhood, Douglas was exposed to various beliefs and theories through the oration of his father. No doubt, the vision Cyrus experienced concerning the Mother-Bride deity created an impression on the imagination of the young man. Both Cyrus and Douglas shared a propensity for idealism and didactic pursuits. There is a strong echo of Cyrus Teed's dogma in the work of his son.Ultimately, Teed spent his entire life searching; through an emotional expression on the canvas, for inspiration in his travels around the world, in improvement of his method and evolution of style searching for a "frankness and simplicity", stating, "simplicity is the most difficult of all things." He stands as an example of the continuous strain of romanticism used by American artists; heirs to the deep-seated religious, cultural, and intellectual convictions of a young nation founded on visionary daring and integrity.Teed left behind twenty unfinished paintings when he died in 1929.The work of Douglas Arthur Teed is currently housed in the Koreshan State Historic Site, the Arnot Art Museum, and countless private collections around the world.
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) RUG MERCHANTS Oil on canvas: 26 x 36 in., 34 x 44 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1925 Provenance: Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) RUG VENDORS Oil on canvas laid on masonite: 24 1/4 x 30 1/2 in., 32 x 37 1/2 in. (framed) Framed; lower right signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1919 Provenance: DuMouchelles Art Galleries, Inc., September 18, 2015, lot 2067; purchased at this sale and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) POTTERY SELLER, 1919 Oil on canvas: 26 x 33 in., 34 x 41 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1919 Provenance: DuMouchelles Art Galleries, Inc., March 15, 2013, lot 2013; purchased at this sale and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) MEN IN A COURTYARD Oil on canvas: 23 x 37 1/2 in., 31 x 45 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1923; verso inscribed: Chesrow-Becker Collection Provenance: Chesrow-Becker Collection; Leslie Hindman, January 23, 2014; DuMouchelles Art Galleries, Inc., November, 14, 2014, lot 2008; purchased at this sale and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) IN DAMASCUS, 1920 Oil on canvas: 24 x 30 in., 32 x 38 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1920; verso remnants of a label: Mellors Fine Arts Galleries / 759 Yonge Street Toronto; / "In Damascus" by; verso label with handwritten number in ink: 118 Provenance: Mellors Fine Arts Galleries, Toronto, Canada; Jackson's Auctioneers & Appraisers. November 18, 2014, lot 653; purchased at this auction and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) BOARD GAME, 1921 Oil on canvas: 26 x 42 1/2 in., 28 1/2 x 44 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1921 Provenance: The Potomack Company, September 26, 2015, lot 152; purchased at this sale and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) AN ARABIAN COURTYARD Oil on canvas: 29 x 37 1/4 in., 37 x 45 1/4 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1926 Provenance: Gray's Auctioneers LLC, April 30, 2014, lot 22; DuMouchelles Art Galleries, Inc., July 17, 2015 lot 2017; purchased at this sale and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico Exhibitions: 1
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) MERCHANTS IN FRONT OF A MOSQUE Oil on canvas: 30 x 40 in., 37 1/2 x 47 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1928 Provenance: DuMouchelle Art Galleries, Inc., August 14, 2015, lot 2017; purchased at this sale and by descent to the present owner; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) STREET SCENE WITH MERCHANTS Oil on canvas: 12 1/4 x 18 in., 21 1/2 x 27 1/2 in. (framed) Framed; lower right signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed / 1921 Provenance: DuMouchelle Art Galleries, Inc., March 14, 2014, lot 2023; purchased at this sale and by descent; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) MARKET SCENE, 1916 Oil on canvas: 24 x 30 in., 33 x 38 in. (framed) Framed; lower right signed: Douglas Arthur Teed 1916 Provenance: Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
Douglas Arthur Teed (American, 1864-1929) Arab Scene oil on board signed and dated "Douglas Arthur Teed, 1913" 14 x 15 1/2 inches (sight) 21 1/2 x 23 inches (frame)
ARTIST: Douglas Arthur Teed (Michigan, 1864 - 1929) NAME: Backstreet Orientalist Bazaar Scene YEAR: 1923 MEDIUM: oil on canvas CONDITION: Some paint losses along right edge. Some craquelure. No visible inpaint under UV light. SIGHT SIZE: 20 x 30 inches / 50 x 76 cm FRAME SIZE: 25 x 35 inches / 63 x 88 cm SIGNATURE: lower left CATEGORY: antique vintage painting AD: ART CONSIGNMENTS WANTED. CONTACT US SKU#: 119403 US Shipping $120 + insurance. BIOGRAPHY: Douglas Arthur Teed was born on February 21, 1860 to Fidelia M. Rowe and Cyrus R. Teed, in New Hartford, New York. At age nine, his father left the family to develop a religious sect called "Koreshanity" after experiencing what he claimed was a divine vision. While sitting in the laboratory where he practiced medicine and Alchemy, Cyrus reported "a relaxation at the back part of the brain, and a peculiar buzzing tension at the forehead." He claimed his soul left his body and witnessed a woman whom he perceived as "His Mother and Bride." Cyrus Teed claimed this was a calling to spread the word on the true nature of our cellular cosmogony, and to bridge the gap between science and religion. Cyrus described the messenger as:"Gracefully pendant from the head, and falling in golden tresses of profusely luxuriant growth over her shoulders, her hair added to the adornment of her personal attractiveness. Supported by the shoulders and falling into a long train was a gold and purple colored robe. Her feet rested upon a silvery crescent; in her hand, and resting upon this crescent, was Mercury's Caduceus..."There was an awakening in the Teed household hinging on dogmatic opinions, mysticism, and the exotic. The family did not buy into the new lifestyle, however, and eventually the family lost Cyrus to the religious fervor which consumed him. Dr. Teed persisted in his beliefs, neglecting his duties at home, and eventually settled a communal colony called "The Koreshan Unity".The American Eagle of August 1973 reports that letters from Cyrus Teed indicated affection for his wife and child, and in spite of criticism, Delia accepted him as the messiannic personality of the age. However, Douglas and his mother never converted. Due to ill health, she and Douglas moved in with her sister in Binghamton, New York. They remained there until Delia's death in 1885.Douglas Arthur Teed began painting as a small boy in Utica having opened his own study by the age of fourteen. In his youth, Teed spent many hours in the studio of George Inness, whose tonalist landscapes greatly impressed the growing artist. Teed lived in New York as a billboard painter until 1890.Later that year he opened a studio in Rome. This would serve as the home base for his five-year study in Europe. Teed found "a land in which art had a tradition of hundreds of years of immense imaginative achievements, a lovely and dramatically varied countryside, great paintings of the past to inspire him, the accumulated magic and splendor of the past." The popular trends in European art at that time are mirrored in his paintings.Teed returned to his New York studio in 1895. He earned his living by paintings portraits and landscapes. Most of his work was sold to private collectors; often painting in trade of other services. During World War I, the bulk of Teed's income was supported by painting the portraits of such men as Senator O'Gorman of New York, Governor Whitman of New York, Judge Williams R. Day of the United States Supreme Court, and steel mogul Andrew Carnegie. Although highly praised at the time, portraits held little interest for Teed; when interviewed in 1925, he stated being "...off portraits for life."Through the years, his works adorned the walls of the Scranton Club, the Arlington Hotel, the Art Hall of the Koreshan Unity, the Arnot Art Museum, the 1911 International Exhibition in Rome, the Annual Exhibitions of Paintings by American Artists at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the San Diego Fine Arts Gallery, the Oriental Theatre in Detroit, the Binghamton Public Library, and found a healthy market within the homes of the nouveau-riche Detroit industrialists. He's exhibited in Italy, Munich, London, Boston, Philadelphia, and the Royal Academy of Canada. Three canvases were purchased to decorate the reception chamber of the executive mansion in Albany during the governship of Charles S. Whitman. Three others were purchased for the state armory.The first major retrospective of Islamic art had taken place in 1893 at the Palais de l'Industrie, while Teed was touring Europe. This was the first popular exposure of Islamic art to a newly industrialized Western world. Teed's oriental paintings dating prior to 1908 are likely to be studies of the works of popular European Orientalists such as Jean-Leon Gerome, whose colorful and romantic portraits of the Eastern world fascinated him. In pursuit of first hand inspiration, Douglas Teed left to the Middle East in 1907.Douglas Teed returned to the United States four years later. He reentered into an art world that was in a state of transition, where artists began publicly rebelling against the foreign domination of American art tastes. When Teed left to the Middle East, impressionism was still very popular in the markets. However, displays such as The Armory Show of 1913 presented the work of a new emerging culture; the European Modernists, along with the new the American Realists, (particularly the work of Arthur B. Davies and the other members of his movement, The Eight). Due to the isolation of his journey, Douglas Arthur Teed shared no involvement in the progression of the contemporary market's taste. He returned to the United States as a romantic painter of Oriental scenes still utilizing impressionist technique.The patrons of the arts at this time in Detroit were primarily wealthy industrialists who leaned toward established art forms. Teed's more conservative, impressionistic depictions of the Middle East were well received, filling the drawing rooms of the city's elite.In a 1924 review of the Annual Exhibition for American Artists, Mr. R. Poland (then Director of Education at the Detroit Institute of Arts) wrote, "...as to landscapes, Mr. Douglas Arthur Teed... has brought the beholder to intimate communion with nature. One looks into the very soul, radiant and smiling, of all humanity." Three paintings entered the exhibition, one voting runner up for the Floyd G. Hitchcock prize, awarded by public vote. The painting was entitled, "Awaiting a Buyer". It received 153 votes, the winner received 154 votes, and was purchased before the completion of the show. In 1925 he received the largest number of public votes for his painting, "Argument as to Value".Teed continued to paint experimental works privately. He explored the female figure from the standpoint of her mysterious emotions, rather than emphasizing the anatomical. In another work, "The Light Worshipers" (1910), Teed attempts to combine Roman ruins with a sense of mysticism, developing forms and atmosphere inspired by the George Inness painting, The Monk. One exhibition review from 1918 notes, "Douglas Arthur Teed, another unfamiliar exhibitor, shows four canvases. Three of them eccentricities in a pale white tone."In January 1928, ten Detroit artists, including Teed, held an independent exhibition at the Hurley Galleries, 111 East Kirby Street, in protest of the jury selection for the annual Michigan Artists Exhibition. Four "conservative" artists who were rejected by the jury were: Percy Ives, Francis Paulus, John Morse, and Charles Waltensperger. The six joining them in this show: Julius Rolshoven, William Greason, Alfred E. Peters, Roman Kryzonowsky, Joseph Gries, and Teed, "refrained from offering any work to the jury for much the same reason which prompted the rebellion -- a feeling that the annual Michigan show had grown less and less hospitable toward the more conservative painters." The exhibition stirred up quite a controversy in the city. Mr. Samuel Halpert, a juror for the 1928 exhibition stated that "many of the... artists whose work was rejected by the jury have been dead for 20 years". Mr. J. W. Young responded to this remark in an essay when he defended the 10 rebels as "Guardians of the City's Artistic Ideals". Of the works represented by the ten artists at the Salon des Refuses, he stated that "those who like the work of Douglas Arthur Teed will find his 'landscape' quite out of his usual vein, and may well conclude that it is a pretty good picture for a dead living man to have painted." Teed offered his opinion of the exhibition to the Detroit Free Press,"The Cubist, post-impressionists, the fellows who call themselves 'Ultimatists' and others classed as modernists have reverted to jungle art. They are quite free from an expose of knowledge of color, form, or any of the rudimentary principles of painting. One favorable feature of these groping young minds is that sometimes a development of the new features of art in which they are delving catches the mind of some exceptional man, who is able to couple his unusual culture with their theories, and the result is genius. Such men were Claude Monet, and earlier, Corot. So for the sake of one or two geniuses, the world must be patient with much worthless rubbish."The success of Teed's work is based on compositional harmony and a powerful maintenance of color value. Early attempts at figure drawing, such as "Angel Rescue", reveal a frustration towards the articulate separation of the subject from its surroundings. Thus began his treatment of the figure as an element in space, casting subjects against the romantic landscape - a vibrant rush of environment acting as a reflection of temper.Accurate depictions of foliage, included with the abounding beauty of the countryside, were utilized by American artists at the time to create an awe-inspiring mood in their works. These were aesthetic tenets made popular by Sir Edmund Burke's treatise anticipating classical Romanticism, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. As Teed refined his aesthetic, he began to approach his subjects less as strict anatomical studies, and more in the vein of the foliage of the classical American landscape in a delicate application of paint; as the vision which guided his hand, immemorial. In a Teed painting, we are asked to witness a scene which has fallen into the atmosphere, and plays on the same brush-stroke as of the sand in the wind.Teed successfully developed his own philosophy on the "problems of light" (concentration/diffusion), popularized by the Barbizon artists. Many of his compositions are approached in concept of light. These techniques were first introduced to Teed by George Inness, in his own study as a disciple at the Barbizon School in Europe, starting in 1847.The early influence of George Inness is clearly demonstrated within Teed's work; both practicing in a similar method, active in the same influences, emoting in the same key of atmospheric romanticism. Both Teed and Innes painted rapidly over wet paint. Teed was reported to have painted with a palette knife at great speed, able to produce a picture for a buyer in one night.Unfortunately, this manner of work causes the paint layers to dry at different rates, creating extensive cracking and paint loss in a relatively short time. This is true of many of Teed's works today.Teed remained a deep admirer of the arts throughout his life. Teed exhibited specific interest and influence in the works of Antoine-Jean Gros, Henri Rousseau, Jean-Francois Millet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-Leon Gerome, George Inness, Claude Lorrain, Eugene Joseph Verboeckhoven, and Jules Breton.Teed studied every aesthetic style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, continually searching for a successful means of conveying his passion; compelled to portray on canvas the spiritual aura. He brought himself to the reaches of the planet in search of the mystics in Nature. Teed wanted to symbolize a reverence for God and Nature; he wanted to convey allegorical messages; he wanted his paintings to become his visual poetry.Douglas Teed lived a quiet and humble life, never exhibiting the eccentric follies of the acclaimed masters he admired. His quiet did not mark a languid heart. There is a consistent temperament throughout his work, experienced strongest when seen in succession; a disconnected world, brooding and melancholy. In an article entitled "Distinguished Artist at Estero" (1905), one reviewer noted his painting's "...gravity of presence. With Mr. Teed, each image appears captured moments before the storm."Upon his return from Europe, Teed's canvases became highly acclaimed for their charm. The Boston Evening Transcript calls Teed "a man of high ambitions, with a fine sense of color, a just appreciation of values and a close observer of the subtle and delicate variations of the sensitive gamut... Rather than concentrate on specific forms, the artist has developed an overall pattern of color, light, and impasto which adds cohesiveness to the compositions."His work no longer depicted simply the local morning picturesque. His landscapes were used as mirrors of his own complexion, both an interpretation of Nature's inner-spirit and his own. He staged "worlds of atmosphere, looking forth at us through ethereal light, through shadows..." Although he never chose to alleviate realistic representation altogether, Teed's paintings were largely the product of a passionate imagination, whose emotions materialized in the works' creation. The landscape had become subordinated to the thought.There is a preference for the mystic and the exotic in his work. Early in his childhood, Douglas was exposed to various beliefs and theories through the oration of his father. No doubt, the vision Cyrus experienced concerning the Mother-Bride deity created an impression on the imagination of the young man. Both Cyrus and Douglas shared a propensity for idealism and didactic pursuits. There is a strong echo of Cyrus Teed's dogma in the work of his son.Ultimately, Teed spent his entire life searching; through an emotional expression on the canvas, for inspiration in his travels around the world, in improvement of his method and evolution of style searching for a "frankness and simplicity", stating, "simplicity is the most difficult of all things." He stands as an example of the continuous strain of romanticism used by American artists; heirs to the deep-seated religious, cultural, and intellectual convictions of a young nation founded on visionary daring and integrity.Teed left behind twenty unfinished paintings when he died in 1929.The work of Douglas Arthur Teed is currently housed in the Koreshan State Historic Site, the Arnot Art Museum, and countless private collections around the world.
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) ORIENTAL COURTYARD SCENE Oil on canvas: 10 x 15 in., 15 x 20 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1926 Provenance: Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1863-1929) ARAB STREET SCENE Oil on canvas: 16 1/4 x 20 in., 19 3/4 x 23 1/2 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1918 Provenance: DuMouchelles Fine Arts Auctioneers and Estate Appraisal, November 16, 2014, lot. 2007; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) THE COLOR OF ARABIA, 1926 Oil on canvas: 21 x 28 in., 27 x 34 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1926 Provenance: DuMouchelles Auction House, September 14, 2018, lot 92016; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) MIDDLE EASTERN COURTYARD WITH HORSE, 1926 Oil on canvas: 17 1/4 x 19 3/4 in., 23 x 25 1/2 in. (framed) Framed; lower right signed and dated: Dougal Arthur Teed 1926 Provenance: Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) IN PURSUIT Oil on canvas: 21 x 28 in., 29 3/4 x 37 in. (framed) Framed; lower left signed and dated: Douglas Arthur Teed 1920 Provenance: DuMouchelles Auction, September 12-14, 2014, lot no. 2009; Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico
DOUGLAS ARTHUR TEED (AMERICAN, 1864-1929) BAZAAR SCENE, 1921 Oil on canvas: 13 1/4 x 19 1/4 in., 16 3/4 x 23 in. (framed) Framed; lower right signed and dated; Douglas Arthur Teed 1921 Provenance: Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico