SANFORD ROBINSON GIFFORD
American (1823-1880)
"A Path in the Mountains"
oil on canvas mounted on paperboard, initialed lower right "SRG"
10 5/8 x 7 5/8 inches

Provenance: Private Collection, Jeckell Island, Georgia; Private Collection, Cabot Vermont; Driscoll Babcock, New York, New York.

Other Notes:
Tags: landscape, 19th century, Hudson River School

The following comments were written by Kevin Avery, Adjunct Professor of American Art History at Hunter College and former Curator of American Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A richly and (evidently) rapidly executed oil sketch by Sanford Gifford, this painting may represent an overlook, at upper left, of North Mountain in the Catskills, near the descent into the Hudson River Valley. The work does not readily correspond to any title or size listed in the artist's exhibition records; in the catalogue of the 1880-81 Gifford Memorial exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the catalogues of the Gifford estate sale in April 1881; or in A Memorial Catalogue of the Paintings of Sanford Robinson Gifford, N. A., published by the Metropolitan Museum in 1881. Like the other Gifford painting in the same owner's collection (lot 77), this one reportedly came as a gift to the owner's parents from the late Mrs. Robert Wilkinson, Jr. (1876-1949), the wife of the son of Julia Gifford Wilkinson, a sister of the artist, who lived in Poughkeepsie, New York. Neither work appears to be recorded in the contemporaneous Gifford literature.
The image represents, at upper left, a high ledge at overlooking a footpath, which advances into the center of the scene from the lower left and disappears behind two evergreen trees at right. On a sunlit portion of the path, at lower center, a small figure walks toward the evergreens. He is dressed in a red vest, pale blouse and hat, and dark pants. At lower right rests a pyramidal boulder, its shadowed side inscribed dimly with the initials, "SRG." The foliage of a tree overhangs the path at left, and a few stones border its right side. At upper right, beyond the evergreens, a large cumulus cloud swells up, answering the thrust of the ledge at left. Looming over the ledge is the underside of a gray, stormy-looking cloud, which trails tapers to the right.

Gifford did not often execute paintings, such as this one, with at once such apparent spontaneity, speed, and "juiciness" of pigmentation. Still, there are a few comparable examples. Those paintings are also quite small, and date as early as about 1852-53. The most prominent of them may be the well-known Mist Rising at Sunset in the Catskills, usually dated about 1861, in the Art Institute of Chicago. Though the imagery of the Chicago sketch is more rudimentary, the dabbing facture in the clouds is very comparable to the same features in the present painting, as are the blockish vertical strokes of the rising mist, compared to the gray-green brushstrokes-hastily applied on the ledge here. Other "signature" Gifford marks in the present picture are the "broccoli-ish" contours of tree foliage and his taste for irregular pyramidal rocks with simple illuminated planes. His staffage in sketches like this one is marked by the minute, deftly applied impastos articulating the figure in motion. The initials on the rock seem a measure of the speed with which the artist made this oil sketch: they appear to have been inscribed wet-on-wet with a fairly broad brush loaded with both the pale and the light gray pigments used for the illuminated and the shadowed sides of the rock itself.

I can only speculate, based on the paint recipe, facture, and the presumed subject of the painting, that it was made in the same general period as Mist Rising in the Catskills. Gifford was never more devoted to the Catskill Mountain region than during the Civil War era. Many oil sketches of the vicinity of Kaaterskill Clove (which Gifford spelled "Kauterskill") date from that time.

Conditions of Sale

Shannon's LLC Fine Art Auctioneers acts solely as an agent for various owners and consignors. It exercises care in describing all
items listed and uses judgment in attributing authorship, but offers
no guarantee regarding authenticity, condition, or description.
The items described in this catalog, which description may be
amended by notice or announcement at sale time, are offered for
sale by Shannon's LLC as agent for various owners or others
authorized to sell the items. Hereinafter, Shannon's LLC is referred to
as the Sellers agent. The owners or others authorized to sell the
items are hereinafter referred to as Sellers. The person or persons
acknowledged by the auctioneer to be the highest bidder on an
item shall be hereinafter referred to as the Buyer or Buyers.
Shannon's LLC reserves the right to change the terms of sale by oral
announcement. Any such change shall become part of the
Conditions of Sale. By placing of a bid, whether present at the sale
in person or by agent, by written or oral bid, by telephone or other
means, the Buyer agrees to be bound by these conditions of sale.
1. The highest bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer shall be
the Buyer. In the event of any dispute between bidders, the
auctioneer has the absolute discretion to determine which
bidder is the successful Buyer or to re-offer the item in dispute
and resell it.
2. In the event of any dispute after the sale, Shannon's LLC's record
of the final sale price and of the successful buyer shall be
conclusive, Shannon's LLC reserves the right to withdraw any
item before or during the sale.
3. Shannon's LLC reserves the right to sell items which are not listed
in the catalog.
4. Items in the auction are sold subject to a reserve. Such reserve is
confidential, but in no case will the reserve exceed the low
estimate. The auctioneer may reject any bid or increment not
commensurate with the value of the lot.
5. Order bids are accepted. A deposit may be required. Absent
parties may place bids by mail, email, fax or in person prior to the
sale. Order bids must be placed 24 hours prior to the day of sale.
Shannon's LLC will execute such bids up to the maximum
amount specified. Phones must be reserved 24 hours prior to the
day of sale. Phone bidders are encouraged to leave a cover bid
in case of technical failure. Shannon's is not responsible for errors
or omissions in the execution of these bids.
6. A premium of 25% of the successful bid will be applied to the
individual hammer price of all lots sold, to be paid by the buyer
as part of the purchase price. Purchases made through
Invaluable will be subject to an additional 5% charge (30%
total buyer's premium) and purchases made online through
shannons.com will be subject to an additional 2% charge
(27% buyer's premium). Payment may be made by, check,
ACH or wire transfer. Visa, MasterCard and Amex may
be used up to the amount of $5,000 per auction. We currently
collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 7 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT
WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.
7. Limited Warrantee: Although Shannon's LLC exercises due care
in describing the items listed and use good judgment in attributing authorship; it does not make any express or implied warrantee as to such authorship. Notwithstanding, Shannon's LLC may,
but shall have no obligation to, consider any reasonable request
for refund on the grounds of authenticity of authorship only and
only under the following conditions:
A. Notification must be made to Shannon's in writing within
7 days of receipt of the item.
B. The items must be returned within 28 days of the sale,
accompanied by written testimony from a recognized
authority that the lot in question is a forgery.
C. The limited warrantee does not extend to the lots identified
as attributions, school, circle, manner, or after.
D. The limited warrantee is applicable only to the original Buyer.
8. All property is sold "as is".
9. As a convenience to the Buyer, Shannon's LLC will make a
referral for packing and shipping. This is at the request, expense,
and risk of the Buyer, and Shannon's assumes no responsibility for
the items or the timing of delivery. Insurance for in transit items is
the responsibility of the buyer. All items must be removed within
30 days post sale or a fee of up to $20 per day will be charged
for storage. Items not collected within twelve months of a sale
will become the property of Shannon's.
10. Shannon's has retained the Art Loss Register to check all
uniquely identifiable items offered for sale in the catalog that
are estimated for $5,000 or more against the computerized
database of stolen or lost artwork maintained by the Art Loss
Register. A search certificate can be provided by the Art Loss
Register for an additional fee. The Art Loss Register does not
guarantee the provenance or title of any catalogued item
against which they search, and will not be liable for any direct
or consequential losses of any nature howsoever arising. The
statement is not to affect, detract from, or override Shannon's
Conditions of Sale, and in the event of any conflict, Shannon's
Conditions of Sale will take priority to the terms of this statement.
BIDDING AT THIS AUCTION, WHETHER IN PERSON, BY AGENT, ORDER
BID, TELEPHONE, INTERNET OR OTHER MEANS, CONSTITUTES YOUR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF THESE "CONDITIONS
OF SALE".
CONDITIONS OF SALE
After: A work of art or object made in the style of an artist or maker, but not by the artist. Sometimes refers multiples that may have used an
artist's mold or plate, but were reproduced by someone other than the artist, including posthumous works. Can also be used to describe a
direct reproduction after an original work of art.
Attributed (attr.): In our opinion, probably or possibly a work of art by the artist. The work is either unsigned, and/or lacks adequate provenance or authentication by experts in the field.
Bears Signature: The work is signed, but the work and signature may not be by the hand of the artist.
Manner of: Made in the likeness or style of an artist, with a slight possibility that it was made by the artist or by a follower or student of the
artist. Also see "After" and "Attributed".
Possibly: Being something that may or may not be true or actual without guarantee.
Probably: Supported by evidence strong enough to establish presumption but not proof. We do not guarantee it to be true.
School: Usually relates to a particular artistic or aesthetic movement. It can also relate to an actual school or to followers of a particular artist
or maker. Also see: "Manner of", "Style", "Attributed to" and "After".
Style: After the time period in which the style originated, or a more recent reproduction (ie: Style of Pablo Picasso or Cubist Style), used to
refer to the style of a particular artist or artistic movement, generally made long after that time period.

Contract

Your bid is a binding and legal contract. BIDDING AT THIS AUCTION, WHETHER IN PERSON, BY AGENT, ORDER BID, TELEPHONE, INTERNET OR OTHER MEANS, CONSTITUTES YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF THESE "CONDITIONS OF SALE".

Payment Information

Payment may be made by cash, check or wire transfer. Visa, Master Card and Amex may be used up to the amount of $5,000 per auction. We currently
collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Shipping Information

As a convenience to the Buyer, Shannon's LLC will make a referral
for packing and shipping. For a preliminary quote you may contact Jeff Von Flatern at [email protected] or 203-453-8866.
Shipping is at the request, expense, and risk
of the Buyer, and Shannon's assumes no responsibility for the
items or the timing of delivery. Insurance for in transit items is the
responsibility of the buyer.

Buyer's Premium

A premium of 25% of the successful bid will be applied to the
individual hammer price of all lots sold, to be paid by the buyer
as part of the purchase price. Purchases made through
Invaluable will be subject to an additional 5% charge (30%
total buyer's premium) and purchases made online through
shannons.com will be subject to an additional 2% charge
(27% buyer's premium). Payment may be made by, check,
ACH or wire transfer. Visa, MasterCard and Amex may
be used up to the amount of $5,000 per auction. We currently
collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Taxes on your purchase

We currently collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Condition Statement & Glossary of Terms

Shannon's LLC Fine Art Auctioneers acts solely as an agent for various owners and consignors. It exercises care in describing all items listed and uses judgment in attributing authorship, but offers no guarantee regarding authenticity, condition, or description. The items described in this catalog, which description may be amended by notice or announcement at sale time, are offered for sale by Shannon's LLC as agent for various owners or others authorized to sell the items.

Glossary of Terms:
After:A work of art or object made in the style of an artist or maker, but not by the artist. Sometimes refers multiples that may have used an artist's mold or plate, but were reproduced by someone other than the artist, including posthumous works. Can also be used to describe a direct reproduction after an original work of art.
Attributed (attr.):In our opinion, probably or possibly a work of art by the artist. The work is either unsigned, and/or lacks adequate provenance or authentication by experts in the field.
Bears Signature: The work is signed, but the work and signature may not be by the hand of the artist.
Manner of: Made in the likeness or style of an artist, with a slight possibility that it was made by the artist or by a follower or student of the artist. Also see "After" and "Attributed".
Possibly:Being something that may or may not be true or actual without guarantee.
Probably:Supported by evidence strong enough to establish presumption but not proof. We do not guarantee it to be true.
School:Usually relates to a particular artistic or aesthetic movement. It can also relate to an actual school or to followers of a particular artist or maker. Also see:"Manner of", "Style", "Attributed to" and "After".
Style:After the time period in which the style originated, or a more recent reproduction (ie: Style of Pablo Picasso or Cubist Style), used to refer to the style of a particular artist or artistic movement, generally made long after that time period.