Lot 189: Robbing the Eagle's Nest by Robert Scott Duncanson (American, 1821-1872)

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.

Ex Estate of Mary McVey, Morrow, OH