- 23
Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978
Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
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Description
- Norman Rockwell
- Sport (Man in Fishing Boat)
- signed Norman Rockwell (lower right)
- oil on canvas
- 27 1/2 by 22 inches
- (69.9 by 55.9 cm)
- Painted in 1939.
Provenance
Fred Hildebrandt, New Rochelle (the sitter)
Gertrude Hildebrandt Lowe and Frank C. Lowe, Parkchester, New York, circa 1950 (gift from the above; his sister and brother in law)
Private Collection, Birmingham, Alabama, 1973 (by descent from the above)
By descent in the family to the present owners
Gertrude Hildebrandt Lowe and Frank C. Lowe, Parkchester, New York, circa 1950 (gift from the above; his sister and brother in law)
Private Collection, Birmingham, Alabama, 1973 (by descent from the above)
By descent in the family to the present owners
Exhibited
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Norman Rockwell Museum (on loan)
Literature
Saturday Evening Post, April 29, 1939, illustrated in color on the cover
Thomas Buechner, Norman Rockwell: Artist & Illustrator, New York, 1970, no. 338, illustrated
Christopher Finch, Norman Rockwell's America, New York, 1975, p. 229, fig. 294, illustrated in color p. 230
Christopher Finch, Norman Rockwell 332 Magazine Covers, New York, 1979, pp. 284, 296
Fred Bauer, Norman Rockwell's Faith of America, Carmel, New York, 1980, p. 117
Dr. Donald R. Stoltz and Marshall Stoltz, Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post, The Middle Years, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1976, p. 155, illustrated in color p. 156
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalogue of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, no. 1-295, p. 62, illustrated p. 63
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. I, no. C375, p. 141, illustrated
Jan Cohn, Covers of The Saturday Evening Post, New York, 1998, illustrated in color p. 169
Thomas Buechner, Norman Rockwell: Artist & Illustrator, New York, 1970, no. 338, illustrated
Christopher Finch, Norman Rockwell's America, New York, 1975, p. 229, fig. 294, illustrated in color p. 230
Christopher Finch, Norman Rockwell 332 Magazine Covers, New York, 1979, pp. 284, 296
Fred Bauer, Norman Rockwell's Faith of America, Carmel, New York, 1980, p. 117
Dr. Donald R. Stoltz and Marshall Stoltz, Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post, The Middle Years, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1976, p. 155, illustrated in color p. 156
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalogue of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, no. 1-295, p. 62, illustrated p. 63
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. I, no. C375, p. 141, illustrated
Jan Cohn, Covers of The Saturday Evening Post, New York, 1998, illustrated in color p. 169
Condition
This painting is in excellent condition. It is unlined, with scattered cracking, and two pinholes in extreme upper left and upper right corners of the canvas. Under UV: there is no apparent inpainting. This work may benefit from a light cleaning.
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
Norman Rockwell's Sport appeared on the April 29, 1939 cover of the Saturday Evening Post and features professional model Fred Hildebrandt. Based in the small town of New Rochelle, not far outside New York City, Rockwell started painting covers for the Post in 1916. Rockwell's cover illustrations were ambitious and as a result, required hours of posing by willing models. Rockwell easily found neighborhood children who were eager to model for him, however, adults were less inclined. The local inhabitants of New Rochelle, a working class town, often could not afford to take off the hours needed to pose. As a result, Rockwell and his fellow illustrators resorted to hiring professional models.
During his years in New Rochelle, Rockwell developed a lasting relationship with Hildebrandt who, in addition to serving as one of his favorite male models, became a great friend. Susan Meyer writes, "Hildebrandt was a model in great demand by the New Rochelle illustrators - a fine bone structure and figure that made him an ideal pirate, hero, romantic figure, or a Yankee Doodle. Fred Hildebrandt had become so valuable to Rockwell, in fact, that the illustrator had hired him as a handyman and used him to track down props and costumes as well" (Norman Rockwell's People, New York, 1981, p. 41).
In the 1930s, Rockwell began to grow restless with the demanding social pressures of life in New York and at Hildebrandt's urging traveled to Arlington, Vermont where he reveled in the tranquility of life along the Batten Kill River, famous for its trout fishing. Rockwell and his family began summering in Arlington in 1938 and soon thereafter purchased a white clapboard farmhouse and took up year-round residence. Tom Rockwell, the artist's son, in the words of his father, writes, "Moving to Arlington had given my work a terrific boost. And then during our second summer in Vermont, Mead Shaeffer, a fine illustrator, and his wife Elizabeth bought a place in Arlington. I had known Schaef slightly back in New Rochelle; we used many of the same models...In Arlington Schaef and I became fast friends" (Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator, New York, 1988, p. 303).
Schaefer and Rockwell both used Hildebrandt to model frequently enough that they would consult one another, originally by phone, before scheduling sessions with him. In Vermont, the three men became close friends and spent considerable time with one another. Schaeffer and Hildebrandt, both avid fishermen, would often fish for trout in the Batten Kill River, while Rockwell, less zealous about the sport, would occasionally participate.
One trip that left an indelible impression on Rockwell took place in 1932, when he and Hildebrandt traveled through Canada on a nine-day hunting and fishing excursion. The two men, along with their accompanying guides, traveled by canoe and despite windy, rainy and cold conditions remained hopeful that each new location would reveal a prized moose or unparalleled fishing. It is possible that this time with Hildebrandt may have been the inspiration for Sport.
Sport depicts Hildebrandt adrift in a listing rowboat, affectionately named "Sport," battling the elements in a persistent search for a trophy fish. With no evidence of oars to get him and his boat back to shore, Hildebrandt's figure humorously fills the entire space within the vessel. His bucket of worms rests beside him, while the rain thoroughly coats his bright yellow raincoat, his blue hat, adorned with a range of fishing lures, and his pipe, which hangs upside down. This is one of a handful of Post cover paintings for which Rockwell painted in the publication's masthead, and the first cover where the artist deviated from his usual signature and signed his name in cursive. In Sport, Rockwell has captured the unquestionable loyalty of a man, indifferent to his surroundings, fully committed to the task at hand.
During his years in New Rochelle, Rockwell developed a lasting relationship with Hildebrandt who, in addition to serving as one of his favorite male models, became a great friend. Susan Meyer writes, "Hildebrandt was a model in great demand by the New Rochelle illustrators - a fine bone structure and figure that made him an ideal pirate, hero, romantic figure, or a Yankee Doodle. Fred Hildebrandt had become so valuable to Rockwell, in fact, that the illustrator had hired him as a handyman and used him to track down props and costumes as well" (Norman Rockwell's People, New York, 1981, p. 41).
In the 1930s, Rockwell began to grow restless with the demanding social pressures of life in New York and at Hildebrandt's urging traveled to Arlington, Vermont where he reveled in the tranquility of life along the Batten Kill River, famous for its trout fishing. Rockwell and his family began summering in Arlington in 1938 and soon thereafter purchased a white clapboard farmhouse and took up year-round residence. Tom Rockwell, the artist's son, in the words of his father, writes, "Moving to Arlington had given my work a terrific boost. And then during our second summer in Vermont, Mead Shaeffer, a fine illustrator, and his wife Elizabeth bought a place in Arlington. I had known Schaef slightly back in New Rochelle; we used many of the same models...In Arlington Schaef and I became fast friends" (Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator, New York, 1988, p. 303).
Schaefer and Rockwell both used Hildebrandt to model frequently enough that they would consult one another, originally by phone, before scheduling sessions with him. In Vermont, the three men became close friends and spent considerable time with one another. Schaeffer and Hildebrandt, both avid fishermen, would often fish for trout in the Batten Kill River, while Rockwell, less zealous about the sport, would occasionally participate.
One trip that left an indelible impression on Rockwell took place in 1932, when he and Hildebrandt traveled through Canada on a nine-day hunting and fishing excursion. The two men, along with their accompanying guides, traveled by canoe and despite windy, rainy and cold conditions remained hopeful that each new location would reveal a prized moose or unparalleled fishing. It is possible that this time with Hildebrandt may have been the inspiration for Sport.
Sport depicts Hildebrandt adrift in a listing rowboat, affectionately named "Sport," battling the elements in a persistent search for a trophy fish. With no evidence of oars to get him and his boat back to shore, Hildebrandt's figure humorously fills the entire space within the vessel. His bucket of worms rests beside him, while the rain thoroughly coats his bright yellow raincoat, his blue hat, adorned with a range of fishing lures, and his pipe, which hangs upside down. This is one of a handful of Post cover paintings for which Rockwell painted in the publication's masthead, and the first cover where the artist deviated from his usual signature and signed his name in cursive. In Sport, Rockwell has captured the unquestionable loyalty of a man, indifferent to his surroundings, fully committed to the task at hand.