- 58
Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978
Estimate
150,000 - 250,000 USD
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Description
- Norman Rockwell
- Choir Boy Combing His Hair for Easter
- signed Norman Rockwell (lower center); also inscribed with the dedication My very best wishes to my / friends / Mr and Mrs. J. W. Loos / cordially (lower center)
- graphite and wash on paper laid down on panel
- 41 by 38 1/4 inches
- (104.1 by 97.2 cm)
- Executed in 1954.
Provenance
J. Willard Loos (gift from the artist)
The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio (by bequest from the above)
American Illustrators Gallery, New York
Corporate Collection, Wilmington, Delaware, 1999 (acquired from the above)
Acquired by the present owner, 2006
The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio (by bequest from the above)
American Illustrators Gallery, New York
Corporate Collection, Wilmington, Delaware, 1999 (acquired from the above)
Acquired by the present owner, 2006
Exhibited
Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville County Museum of Art, An American Tradition, March-May 1986
Tokyo, Isetan Museum of Art; Osaka, Daimaru Museum, Umeda-Osaka; Nagoya, Matsuzakaya Art Museum, Norman Rockwell in Japan, February-August 1992, no. 57
Tokyo, Isetan Museum of Art; Osaka, Daimaru Museum, Umeda-Osaka; Nagoya, Matsuzakaya Art Museum, Norman Rockwell in Japan, February-August 1992, no. 57
Literature
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, no. C471d, p. 199
Condition
Very good condition. The work is executed on paper pieced together and laid down on panel by the artist. Some scattered areas of discoloration at lower center.
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 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.
Catalogue Note
In 1916, at the age of 22, Norman Rockwell painted his first cover for the Saturday Evening Post. The subject of youth was one of Rockwell's favorite themes throughout his 47-year tenure as the Saturday Evening Post's chief cover artist. Choir Boy Combing His Hair for Easter, is a study for the April 17, 1954 cover. Recalling his days in the choir, Rockwell wrote, "On Sundays in the choir room we roughhoused and shouted and wrestled while donning our cassocks and surplices. The sexton, poking his head around the door, would yell that it was time for us to enter the church. Plastering down our cowlicks, pushing, jostling, we'd form two lines. Then, suddenly, we'd grow quiet and, solemn-faced, march into the church" (Norman Rockwell, The Norman Rockwell Album, 1961, p. 140).