Thomas Moran 1837 - 1926

Paul Koffey, Lexington, Kentucky, 1986
Montgomery Gallery, San Francisco, California
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1987

Claremont, California, Galleries of the Claremont Colleges, Myth and Grandeur: California Landscapes 1865 – 1900, August-October 1987
San Francisco, California, Montgomery Gallery, Visions of the Last Frontier, October-November 1987, illustrated
San Francisco, California, Transamerica Pyramid, Lobby, The Golden Age of Yosemite Painting, 1859-1930: A Centennial Tribute, January-March 1991

This work is in very good condition. There is a 1-inch horizontal cut in the board at the upper right edge that is concealed by the frame. Under UV: there are a few minor spots and dots of inpainting in the rock at the lower right and in the upper left 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.

Thomas Moran first traveled to Yosemite in 1871 in search of artistic inspiration and a distinctly American subject matter. The unspoiled and majestic beauty of the remote landscapes he found appealed strongly to the artist’s romantic sensibilities. Executed in 1890, Tuolomne River Near the Head of the Great Cañon depicts a fast-flowing river in the heart of California’s Yosemite National Park. Moran’s virtuosity as a landscape painter reveals itself in the natural form of the canyon and the atmospheric turbulence which animates the stormy sky. He delicately handles the paint to capture the reflection of soft sunlight on rocks and shadows cast on the water. The sliver of blue sky emanating from behind the heavy clouds is typical of Moran’s compositions.

An illustration of this painting appeared in an article John Muir wrote for The Century Magazine in 1890. Muir, also known as “John of the Mountains,” was an author, environmental philosopher and ardent preservationist. He founded The Sierra Club, one of the first environmental conservation organizations, and his activism helped to establish Yosemite National Park. In the article, Muir describes the topography depicted in Moran’s painting: “The cañon begins near the lower end of the meadows and extends to the Hetch Hetchy Valley, a distance of about eighteen miles, though it will seem much longer to any one who scrambles through it. It is from 1200 to about 5000 feet deep, and is comparatively narrow, but there are several fine, roomy, park-like openings in it, and throughout its whole extent Yosemite features are displayed on a grand scale–domes, El Capitan rocks, gables, Sentinels, Royal Arches, glacier points, Cathedral Spires, etc. …But it is the cascades or sloping falls on the main river that are the crowning glory of the cañon, and these in volume, extent, and variety surpass those of any other cañon in the Sierra” (“Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park,” The Century Magazine, September 1890, vol. XL, no. 5).