Charles Ferdinand (Carl) Wimar (American, 1828-1862) The Entrance to the Jeddo River

Description:

Charles Ferdinand (Carl) Wimar (American, 1828-1862)

The Entrance to the Jeddo River
Signed and dated "C.Wimar.1851." l.r., identified on a label from the St. Louis Art Museum affixed to the frame backing board.
Oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 36 in. (74.0 x 91.5 cm),framed.
Condition: Lined, new stretcher, fine stable craquelure, retouch primarily to the edges of the composition with one spot in the sky at c.l.

Provenance: Collection of Charles C. Crecelius, St. Louis, Missouri, by 1908; by descent to Frances M. Crecelius, St. Louis, Missouri; Parke-Bernet Galleries, February 13, 1954, Sale 1493, Lot 21, from a Missouri private collector; purchased from the above by M. Knoedler & Co., New York, 1954; purchased from the above by the Saint Louis Art Museum, 1954; Property of the Saint Louis Art Museum, sold to benefit the Acquisition Fund.

Literature: Perry Rathbone, "Charles Wimar 1828-1862: Painter of the Indian Frontier," in the Bulletin of the City Art Museum of Saint Louis, Volume XXXI, October-November 1946, pp. 12, 35, 56; Rick Stewart, Carl Wimar: Chronicler of the Missouri River Frontier (Fort Worth: Amon Carter Museum, 1991),pp. 35-36, 227 (illustrated).

Exhibitions: Seventh Annual Exhibition of the Art Collection of the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall Association, St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall Association, 1890; Charles Wimar, 1828-1862: Painter of the Indian Frontier, City Art Museum of Saint Louis, October 13-November 18, 1946; Carl Wimar: Chronicler of the Missouri River Frontier, Washington University Gallery of Art, Saint Louis, Missouri, January 26-March 24, 1991 and Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, May 4-August 4, 1991.

N.B. The fanciful scene depicted here may depict the entrance to the Edo River in Japan, which empties into Tokyo Bay. The composition is thought to be based on a print or a compilation of prints, but the source has not yet been documented. Jeddo is the Anglicized word for Edo, now Tokyo. The change from Edo to Tokyo took place in 1868 at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, suggesting that the painting was likely named during Wimar's lifetime, if not by the artist himself.

Looking strictly at the landscape, it has been noted by Asian specialists at Skinner that the terrain seems more typical of a Chinese scene and could even have been influenced by China Trade Paintings. The perspective view, however, can be found in Japanese woodblock prints such as Hiroshige's views of the steep canyons of the Fuji River.

This artwork will be included in the Kodner Gallery Research Project for the artist, Charles (Carl) Wimar 1828-1862.
Estimate $30,000-50,000

Framed dimensions are 37 1/2 x 44 x 4 inches.


Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. 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 shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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