GEORGE INNESS | Landscape, Sunset

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Nickerson, Chicago, Illinois
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1900 (gift from the above; sold: Sotheby's, New York, December 3, 1997, lot 94A)
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale

Urbana, Illinois, University of Illinois, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Paintings from the Nickerson Collection, 1920-50 (extended loan)

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Nickerson Presented to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1900, no. 36, p. 11
Art Institute of Chicago, General Catalogue of Paintings, Sculpture and Other Objects in the Museum, 1907, no. 236, p. 199
Nicolai Cikovsky, The Life and Work of George Inness, New York, 1965, fig., 59, p. 206, illustrated
Leroy Ireland, Works of George Inness: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonné, Austin, Texas, 1965, no. 515, p. 215, p. 125, illustrated
Nicolai Cikovsky, George Inness, New York, 1971, p. 38, illustrated p. 41
Nicolai Cikovsky, George Inness, New York, 1993, p. 58, illustrated
Dan DeLue, George Inness: Landscape, Representation, and the Struggle of Vision, Ph.D. dissertation, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Marylan, 2000, fig. 318, p. 137, illustrated
Michael Quick, George Inness: A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. 1, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2007, no. 366, p. 360, illustrated

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 very good condition. The paint layer seems to be clean and the painting should be hung in its current state. The artist has painted quite thickly, particularly in the sky. Some of the original pigment is more gray around the branches of the tree on the right side, than the pale yellow of the remainder of the sky. This is all original and is due to Inness repainting some areas in the sky, but avoiding painting too close to the fine details in this tree. Although a good deal of pigment throughout the work fluoresces quite strongly under ultraviolet light, hardly any of this corresponds to retouching. The painting 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.