Jasper Francis Cropsey

Estate of Mrs. Richard Lynch, New York

Private Collection

Sotheby's, New York, 1 January 1985, lot 231 (titled Deer by a Mountain Lake)

Richard Weimer, Darien, Connecticut (acquired from the above)

Private Collection, Connecticut

Private Collection, Connecticut (acquired from the above in 1988)

Sotheby's, New York, 3 December 1998, lot 150 (consigned by the above)

Private Collection, New Hampshire (acquired from the above)

Hawthorne Fine Art, New York

Acquired from the above circa 2008 by the present owner

Kenneth W. Maddox and Anthony M. Speiser, Jasper Francis Cropsey: Catalogue Raisonné, Works in Oil, 1864-1884, vol. II, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 2016, no. 1302, p. 192

New York, Alexander Gallery, The Water's Edge, 1985, no. 16, n.p., illustrated in color (titled Lake Scene, Mt Chocorua)

New York, Hawthorne Fine Art, Life in the Open Air: American Artists Explore the White Mountains, December 2007 - February 2008, fig. 4, p. 9, illustrated in color (on the cover)

Mount Chocorua, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, was popular among 19^th century artists for its distinctive, rugged silhouette. Art historian Robert L. McGrath supposes that “without exception, Chocorua has been more frequently depicted than any other peak" (Robert L. McGrath, Gods in Granite, New York 2001, p. 45). Numerous Hudson River School artists, including Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand, had portrayed the area. However, when Jasper Francis Cropsey visited the mountain in 1875, he found a fresh approach inspired by Luminism. Lake Near Mount Chocorua presents the mountain in soft purple profile against a rich yellow sky. Cropsey painted the background in thin washes of color to ensure smooth tone and a glowing atmosphere. In contrast, the foreground is crisp, building depth and compositional balance through thicker brushwork. Altogether, Lake Near Mount Chocorua is gorgeous scene—like its herd of deer, we bask in the sunset light, taking in New England’s radiant splendor.