William Merritt Chase 1849-1916

Estate of the Artist (sold: American Art Galleries, New York, Collection of William Merritt Chase, May 14-17, 1917, lot 358)
Alexander Simpson, Jr.
Mrs. Edward Patterson
Davis Galleries, New York
Mimi and Sanford Feld
Sale: Christie's, New York, December 3, 1982, lot 153, illustrated in color
Kennedy Galleries, New York
Private collection, Texas

University Park, Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania State University, Selections from the Collection of Mimi and Sanford Feld, March-May 1981, no. 2, Illustrated
New York, Kennedy Galleries, American Portrait, Landscape, Seascape, Still Life and Genre Paintings from 1770 to 1922, November-December 1983, no. 50, illustrated
Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo Art Center, Georgia O'Keeffe and Her Contemporaries, September-December 1985, p. 29, pl. 28, illustrated

Wilber D. Peat, "Check List of Known Work by William M. Chase: Landscapes," Chase Centennial Exhibition, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1949 (as Orangerie of Chase Villa, Florence)

Very good condition; lined, under UV: a few minor pindots of retouching in sky.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In 1878 William Merritt Chase accepted a teaching post at the Art Students League in New York City; it would be the first of several important teaching endeavors that included positions at the Brooklyn Art Association and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1891 Chase founded the Shinnecock School of Art on the eastern end of Long Island where he held summer classes until 1902, and in 1896 the artist began the Chase School of Art in Manhattan where he taught for eleven years. Chase was a dedicated and deeply passionate instructor who believed that his students should appreciate their artistic precedents as well as have a broad exposure to other cultures. Thus, nearly every summer from 1903 to 1913 Chase conducted European tours, at various times taking students to Holland (1903) England (1904) and Spain (1905). In the summer of 1907, he held a three-month seminar in Italy, which included stops in Rome, Siena, Milan, and Venice. During this summer the artist leased a fifteenth-century home in the hills of Florence called the Villa Silli, located across the Arno River in Fiesole. In 1910 Chase purchased the villa, where he hosted numerous American artists and students, one of whom offered a description of the villa to the New York Herald:

"...[the villa] is most picturesque, dating back to 1400, and when Mr. Chase bought it was furnished in part with antique objects corresponding to its age. To these he added. The stone walls of the villa are four feet in thickness, and half way up to the second floor is a secret door giving on a flight of stone stairs that leads to the top of the house...The visitor on entering finds himself in a room 40 feet by 30 wide, the ceiling in white and gold, and depending from it a large crystal chandelier. The effect is enhanced by an arch at the end of the room which opens into the garden" (Gustav Kobbe, "The Artist of Many Studios," November 20, 1910, p. 11).

Chase held painting classes at Villa Silli nearly every year from 1907 to 1913. In addition to providing an idyllic setting to inspire his students, the villa, set among a lush landscape of oleander and olive, pomegranate, and cypress trees, provided ample inspiration for Chase's own work.  There he worked en plein air with a bright yet delicate palette capturing the vibrant colors of the landscape under the Tuscan sun.