MAXFIELD PARRISH | Du Pont Mural

Irénée du Pont, Wilmington, Delaware (commissioned from the artist)
The artist, 1953 (acquired from the above)
Estate of the above
Mrs. Alma Gilbert, Vermont, 1978
Precision Museum, Windsor, Vermont, 1985 (gift from the above)
Private collection, 2001 (acquired from the above; sold: Christie's, New York, May 18, 2011, lot 130)
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale

Palm Beach, Florida, The Society for the Four Arts; Reno, Nevada, Nevada Museum of Art; San Diego, California, The San Diego Museum of Art; Savannah, Georgia, Telfair Museum of Art; Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville Museum of Art; Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis Brooks Museum, Maxfield Parrish: Master of Make-Believe, January 2005-May 2006, no. 12., pp. 58-60, 118-29, illustrated pp. 118, 121-22
Windsor, Vermont, Cornish Colony Museum, May 2006-October 2009 (on loan)

Coy Ludwig, Maxfield Parrish, New York, 1973, no. 749, p. 217
Alma Gilbert, Maxfield Parrish: The Masterworks, Berkeley, California, 1992, pp. 124-26, illustrated fig. 6.6, p. 125
Alma Gilbert-Smith, The Cornish Art Colony: Giants of America's Gilded Age, Aurora, Missouri, 2010, n.p

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. These three works are painted onto canvases which have been mounted onto heavy pieces of plywood, which in turn have been reinforced with frameworks on the reverse. The paintings have extensive instability, which can sometimes develop when works are removed from their original presentation, perhaps a wall in this case, and mounted in order to travel and be sold. Significant paint loss has occurred in this case, which is still very visible at present and the restoration of which is quite heavy handed. The condition is compromised, and further discussion should be had regarding the restoration.
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 1931, Maxfield Parrish accepted a commission from Irénée du Pont, the younger brother of Parrish's childhood friend Pierre du Pont, to complete a large-scale mural for the Aeolian organ cove in the music room of his home, Granogue, in Wilmington, Delaware. Parrish produced a small study in oil for the mural, which he sent to Du Pont for approval. Du Pont accepted Parrish’s proposal immediately and offered to purchase the small study outright. The artist declined, instead choosing to keep the work for his personal collection where he displayed it prominently above his fireplace. Parrish completed and installed the three-panel mural in Du Pont’s music room in 1933.