05-17-201305-18-2013
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2655BBoston
May 17, 2013 12:00 PMCalender
373

Louis Rémy Mignot (American, 1831-1870),Rainbow over a Lake in the Hudson River Valley, Possibly Close of a Showery Day, Lake George,

Sell one like this
$120,000$100,000
Auction: American & European Works of Art - 2655BLocation: BostonDate / Time: May 17, 2013 12:00PM

Description:

Louis Rémy Mignot (American, 1831-1870)

Rainbow over a Lake in the Hudson River Valley, Possibly Close of a Showery Day, Lake George
Monogrammed and dated "M 62" l.c.
Oil on canvas, 16 x 24 in. (40.6 x 61.0 cm),framed.
Condition: Lined, craquelure, mounting bubbles l.l., minor retouch, subtle varnish inconsistencies.

Exhibitions: Probably New York, Snedicor's Gallery, May 27-June 2, 1862, no. 15 (as Close of a Showery day. Lake George, 16 x 24 in.).

Provenance: Probably at sale, New York, Henry H. Leeds & Co., June 2, 1862, no. 15 (as Close of a Showery day. Lake George, 16 x 24 in.); The estate of Elizabeth A. Straus, New York and Maine.

N.B. Hudson River School painter Louis Rémy Mignot was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He began his art studies in the Netherlands, where he met fellow student Eastman Johnson in 1851. By 1855 Mignot had returned to the United States became active in the art world, exhibiting at the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. In 1858 he accompanied Frederick Church to South America, a trip that would be pivotal for his career. Later that year, he moved into the Tenth Street Studio alongside Church, Sanford Gifford, and other Hudson River School painters, and he was elected to the Century Association and to Associate membership in the National Academy of Design. Mignot also joined the "Artists Excursion" sponsored by the B & O Railroad to paint areas newly opened via the railroad.

Mignot's early landscape paintings were criticized for showing too much European influence. He then refined his technique to be more in keeping with his Hudson River School colleagues, working towards a purely American style. (1) The work at hand shows the quiet repose typical of Mignot's mature style. There is a somber quality of the autumn landscape that may reflect the opening hostilities of the Civil War and the artist's subsequent departure for Europe, where he would remain for the rest of his life. (2)

We would like to thank John W. Coffey for his help with this attribution and cataloguing of this lot.

1. Manthorne, Katherine E, with John W. Coffey, The Landscapes of Louis Remy Mignot, A Southern Painter Abroad (Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press for The North Carolina Museum of Art, 1996),p. 49.
2. Ibid, p. 134.

Estimate $30,000-50,000

Original canvas trimmed of tacking edges and lined. Original canvas beginning to lift from secondary support at l.l. edge in an area measuring 3 inches high and about 3/4 inch wide at the maximum. Small dot of retouch (1/4 in. dia.) to sky at u.r., located 3 inches down from the top and 3/4 in. in from the right side. Under UV examination varnish inconsistencies are apparent over the foreground rocks and in the water at the lower right. Stable craquelure overall.


The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

Keywords

Lake George, Hudson River Valley, Snedicor's Gallery, Henry H. Leeds & Co., Maine, Elizabeth A. Straus, South Carolina, N.B. Hudson River School, Charleston, Netherlands, Eastman Johnson, National Academy of Design, United States, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Frederick Church, Hudson River School, South America, Sanford Gifford, Century Association, Tenth Street Studio, John W. Coffey, Louis Remy Mignot, Southern Painter, Smithsonian, The North Carolina Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution Press, London