Lot 48
  • 48

JOHN FREDERICK KENSETT | Marine Scene

Estimate
300,000 - 500,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • John Frederick Kensett
  • Marine Scene
  • signed with initials JF.K. and dated 67. (lower left)
  • oil on canvas
  • 25 by 40 1/8 inches
  • (63.5 by 101.9 cm)

Provenance

Kennedy Galleries, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1967

Exhibited

Kansas City, Missouri, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, circa 1974 (on loan)

Condition

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes, Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is in beautiful condition. The canvas has an old lining. There is no weakness, staining or discoloration to the paint layer. The paint layer is un-abraded. There are a few tiny retouches in the white wave directly above the rocks in the lower center, and a spot on the edge in the bottom center. The center and the left side of the sky are unretouched. There is a diagonal line of retouches in the center of the right, possibly addressing an old scratch. The retouches are accurately and carefully applied. The work should be hung as is.
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

"A gentle sweetness, a calm content, a happiness to be with nature in calm and sunny hours, those are the traits of Kensett's artistic character [...] His pictures are still springs of refreshment in the heat and turmoil of the world, fair glimpses of the cool, pure sky caught between the dust clouds of this weary fighting-ground. The happy stood before them and recalled other happy days; hearts touched with sadness were soothed in their simplicity" (New York Daily Tribune, March 15, 1873, as quoted in John Paul Driscoll and John K. Howat, John Frederick Kensett: An American Master, New York, 1985, p. 157).

This painting will be included in the forthcoming John Frederick Kensett catalogue raisonné being prepared under the direction of Dr. John Driscoll.