{"id":5190,"date":"2019-03-20T17:55:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T21:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lizzieborden.org\/CuratorsCorner\/?p=5190"},"modified":"2019-03-20T18:24:32","modified_gmt":"2019-03-20T22:24:32","slug":"update-iii-on-a-dunning-landscape-painting-back-from-the-conservator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/2019\/03\/20\/update-iii-on-a-dunning-landscape-painting-back-from-the-conservator\/","title":{"rendered":"Update III on a Dunning Landscape Painting: Back from the Conservator"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robert Spear Dunning\u2019s 1885 oil-on-panel landscape painting, Autumn at Medway<\/em>, acquired by the FRHS in April, 2018, has returned from the conservator restored to its former brilliance \u2013 and a little gem of a piece it is. Fortunately the conservation treatment required nothing more than removing a heavy layer of built-up surface grime and old varnish; no inpainting necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dunning Landscape during cleaning<\/p><\/div>\n

Dunning packed a great deal into a diminutive 4.5 x 8.5 inch panel, and the intimate scene that emerged from the grime \u2013 a couple punting on the Charles River near the Shaw Street Bridge in Medway \u2013 is absolutely lovely. It exhibits the artist\u2019s masterful handling of the myriad, gem-like colors of a New England autumn and serves to document his expertise as a landscape artist. Still, Dunning\u2019s work in this oeuvre is overshadowed by the still life compositions for which he is justly famed, and I think they are grossly underappreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The research to document the provenance of Autumn at Medway <\/em>is beginning to bear fruit, and we now know more about its history. Its sale history, to be precise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is provenance important?<\/span><\/p>\n

Because it provides a history of ownership and exhibition, and can help confirm the authenticity of an object. That history may include a chain of private individuals, various auction houses, galleries and\/or dealers, museums, or other institutions. But when researching provenance, caution is paramount: history must be supported with documentation, such as invoices, photographs, exhibition records, and the like. It is important to remember that while oral history and family lore is interesting \u2013 and often based in some fact \u2013 it tends to be exaggerated over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

As with most things, when exploring provenance it is most logical to start with the most recent events; in this case, the auction house that last sold the painting. One must bear in mind, however, that an auction house is duty bound to protect the identity of its consignors \u2013 mum\u2019s the word \u2013 but when a museum is concerned, some firms are willing to forward a message to the consignor, or to inquire personally, which can be extremely helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this case, John Fontaine of Fontaine\u2019s Auction Gallery \u2013 the house that handled the last sale of the painting \u2013 was extremely accommodating, and at my request did, indeed, contact the consigner to ascertain any history of the piece as they knew it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The response: The consignor had \u201clittle knowledge of its history or provenance. He bought it from an estate sale,\u201d but, unfortunately, did not recall \u2013 or was not willing to reveal \u2013 the particulars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not much to go on, alas \u2026 but something.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, the quest began, utilizing internet searches, scanning auction listings, and inquiring via email and telephone. Luckily, bit by bit, we have been able to forge a chain of provenance: Three links and counting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is what we know thus far:<\/span><\/p>\n

April 21, 2018:\u00a0<\/strong>The painting was offered for sale by Fontaine\u2019s Auction Gallery,\u00a0<\/span>Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as Lot #2, in their Fine Art Auction<\/em>; it was acquired f<\/span>or the FRHS collection.<\/span><\/p>\n

August 31, 2017:\u00a0<\/strong>The painting was offered for sale by Central Mass Auctions, Inc.,\u00a0<\/span>Worcester, Massachusetts, in their Antique Estates Auction<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

June 10, 2017:<\/strong>The painting was brought to a Treasure\u2019s In the Attic\u00a0<\/em>appraisal day,\u00a0<\/span>sponsored by the Townsend Historical Society in Townsend, Massachusetts. The\u00a0<\/span>appraiser in charge of the event was associated with Central Mass Auctions, Inc.,\u00a0<\/span>and the painting was subsequently consigned to their August 31, 2017 sale.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next step: Attempting to ascertain the identity of the individual who brought the painting to the Townsend Historical Society event for evaluation in June, 2017.\u00a0 Inquiries have been made and I am hoping for a response.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the fact that the painting had survived in its original, unrestored condition, for well over a century leads me to believe that it most likely remained in a private collection \u2013 possibly that of the person who brought it to the Treasures in the Attic\u00a0<\/em>appraisal day \u2013 for considerable time. Identifying that individual may help to document the history of the piece prior to its being offered at auction.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Fortuna is feeling benevolent, perhaps we may be able to trace its history directly to the artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fingers crossed!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robert Spear Dunning\u2019s 1885 oil-on-panel landscape painting, Autumn at Medway, acquired by the FRHS in April, 2018, has returned from the conservator restored to its former brilliance \u2013 and a little gem of a piece it is. Fortunately the conservation treatment required nothing more than removing a heavy layer of built-up surface grime and old …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5190"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5196,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190\/revisions\/5196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/CuratorsCorner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}