Currently not on view
Mountain Scene,
1908
John Singer Sargent, 1856–1925; born Florence, Italy; died London, United Kingdom
2003-83
Sargent mastered the medium of watercolor as an adolescent, rapidly perfecting and gradually simplifying his virtuoso technique. He produced watercolors in larger quantities after 1900 when he began traveling more frequently, partly in order to escape the pressure of his portrait commissions in London. The plein air landscapes that he created during these trips—and which he referred to as "snapshots"—include summary renditions of rugged Alpine scenery such as this one, which reflects a tendency toward abstraction in Sargent’s later work. In this evocation of what is probably a portion of the Mont Blanc massif in Switzerland, Sargent uses his dry-brush technique to capture the play of light on the distant multicolored peaks, punctuating the foreground with a lone, spindly tree.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Mountain Scene
Dates
1908
Maker
Medium
Watercolor and gouache over graphite
Dimensions
25.4 x 35.6 cm (10 x 14 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Kathleen Compton Sherrerd Fund for Acquisitions in American Art
Object Number
2003-83
Culture
Type
Materials
Subject
Estate of the artist; sale, "Paintings & Darwings of the Late John Singer Sargent, R. A.," Christis's, London, July 24, 1925, lot 57 (See reference Bib 5215);
M. Knoedler & Co., New York; Bruce Howe, Newport, Rhode Island;
Spanierman Gallery, New York; private collection;
Sale, Sotheby's, New York, May 24, 2000, lot 73, illus. (See reference Bib. 5216);
Private collection; sale, Sotheby's, New York, May 21, 2003, lot 142, illus. (See reference Bib. 5217);
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Catalogue of pictures and water colour drawings by J.S. Sargent, R.A. and works by other artists: ...sold by auction by Messrs. Christie, Manson & Woods ... on Friday, July 24 and Monday, July 27, 1925, (London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1925).
- Exhibition of paintings by the late John Singer Sargent, R.A.: November 2 - 14, 1925, (New York?: M. Knoedler & Co, 1925). , no. 36
- Watercolors by winslow homer and john singer sargent-color prints and modern textiles, (Omaha, NE: Art Institute of Omaha, 1927)., no. 5
- Paintings and watercolors by John Singer Sargent, (Newport, RI: M. Knoedler & Co., 1935)., no. 28
- Exhibition of Sargent watercolors, (New York: M. Knoedler & Co., 1936)., no. 13
- Watercolors by Sargent & Brabazon: February 27th to March 15th, (New York: M. Knoedler & Co., 1941)., no. 6
- Water colors by John Singer Sargent, (Pittsfield, MA: Berkshire Museum, 1944)., no. 6
- Paintings by important contemporary & 19th century artists: Water colors by John Singer Sargent: paintings from Museum's permanent collection of oils, (New Britain, CT: New Britain Institute, 1944)., no. 11
- Watercolors by Hercules Brabazon Brabazon, 1821-1906, and John Singer Sargent, 1856-1925: [exhibition] November 19 - December 8, 1945.: American British Art Center, (New York: American British Art Center, 1945)., no. 30
- American paintings, drawings and sculpture...Wednesday, May 24, 2000, (New York: Sotheby's, 2000). , lot 73 (illus.)
- American paintings, drawings & sculpture: New York, Wednesday, May 21, 2003, (New York: Sotheby's, 2003)., lot 142 (illus.)
- "Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2003," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 63 (2004): p. 101-141., p. 123
- John Wilmerding et al., American Art in the Princeton University Art Museum: volume 1: drawings and watercolors, (Princeton: Princeton University Art Museum; New Haven, CT; London: Yale University Press, 2004), p. 87, fig. 1; pp. 301–302, checklist no. 140; p. 302 (left half of verso, rotated illus.)
