George Inness

Estate of the artist
Sold:  the artist's estate sale, February 11-13, 1904
S. L. Schoonmaker (purchased at the above sale)
Mr. Spencer (Sold:  Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, January 28, 1953, lot 55)
Acquired at the above by the present owner

LeRoy Ireland, "The Works of George Inness: An Illustrated Catalogue  Raisonné, Austin, 1965, p. 154, no. 631, illustrated
"Inness Estate Pictures," The New York Times, February 12, 1904, p. 8

Canvas is lined SURFACE: in good condition, generally; cracquelure throughout UNDER ULTRA VIOLET: there is scattered inpainting, looks pretty minor for the most part--for craquelure fill-in (along center area of work) and several scattered, small spots throughout, most of them in the upper half of painting; signature is under old varnish; the tower and the area around it are hard to read--hard to see through (perhaps under old varnish or worked over by artist at some point-or-strengthened??)
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 a New York Times article of  February 12, 1904 about the artist's estate sale, the reporter described the present painting as follows:  "'The Afterglow, Italy,' with a square lonely turret rising above the brown marsh, is one of the Italian landscapes that Browning sought to fix in verse."

The scene depicts the Tower of Ninfa in the Pontine Marshes of central Italy, a beautiful, but pestilential marshland until 1928, when the Fascist government launched a campaign to drain the marshes, clear the vegetation and make the area habitable.  Inness painted two other works with this subject.

This painting will be included in the supplement to Michael Quick's catalogue raisonné of the artist's work.