Daniel Ridgway Knight | PICKING FLOWERS

Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Derby, Wichita, Kansas (acquired circa 1910)

Private Collection (by descent from the above, her parents, in 1980)

Sale: Sotheby's, New York, December 1, 1999, lot 26, illustrated 

Richard Green, London

Acquired from the above 

After initial artistic successes in Paris, Daniel Ridgway Knight, an American by birth, settled in rural Rolleboise in the 1890s. Like many of Ridgway Knight’s contemporaries, the artist was fascinated with the pastoral qualities and simplistic nature of life outside France’s urban centers and his paintings celebrate and idealize a peasant’s way of life.

In order to perfectly capture the spirit of the countryside, Ridgway Knight renounced modern conveniences such as running water and electricity and completely immersed himself in country life. He acquainted himself with the locals, who became models for his paintings, allowing him to recreate intimate moments that represent the closeness of the country people, as depicted in Picking Flowers. His Rolleboise home had a picturesque terrace overlooking the Seine, which is likely the setting of the present lot. Ridgway Knight has paid close attention to every detail: the wild and colorful blooms, the reflections of the trees in the river, and the subtleties of the light hitting the clouds.