View in Suffolk
- Date
- c.1755
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- European Art to 1800
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 202
- Dimensions
- 37 3/4 x 49 3/8 in. (95.9 x 125.4 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Cora Liggett Fowler, The John Fowler Memorial Collection
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 168:1928
NOTES
The sun-drenched river bank, an amorous couple, and a leisurely rider offer a variety of details that create an idyllic setting. This scene from the English countryside (Suffolk county) reveals Thomas Gainsborough’s ability to record subtleties of his surroundings, which reflects the 18th-century interest in the natural world. Gentlemen collectors who participated in the Grand Tour appreciated Gainsborough’s ability to capture the quality of receding sunlight, as well as cloud formations and the textures of tree bark and clay soil.
Provenance
- 1819
Mathew Mitchell (d.1819)
1819/03/08 - 1898
Pinney Collection, England, purchased at Mitchell sale, Christie's, London, March 8, 1819, lot no. 97; Colonel William Pinney, England, by inheritance
1898/07/21 -
Agnew Collection, England, purchased at Pinney sale, Arber and Waghorn's, London, July 21, 1898, lot no. 22
M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY, USA [1]
by 1911 - 1928
John F. Fowler (d.1927) and Cora Liggett Fowler (d.1928), St. Louis, MO [2]
1928 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Cora Liggett Fowler [3]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 63 [Hayes, John. "The Landscape Paintings of Thomas Gainsborough: A Critical Text and Catalogue Raisonne." Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1982]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Hayes does not provide date of ownership for M. Knoedler & Co; he indicates that the piece was "with Knoedler" after the Agnew Collection.
[2] The painting was lent by John F. Fowler for "The Home Exhibition," June 25 - October 31, 1911, held at the City Art Museum, St. Louis ["The City Art Museum Special Exhibition Catalogue Series." No. 14. St. Louis: City Art Museum, 1911].
[3] Cora Liggett Fowler died June 23, 1928 after the death of her husband, John Fowler, in 1927. She bequeathed the painting to the museum in her last will and testament dated May 6, 1925 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 26, 1928.
Mathew Mitchell (d.1819)
1819/03/08 - 1898
Pinney Collection, England, purchased at Mitchell sale, Christie's, London, March 8, 1819, lot no. 97; Colonel William Pinney, England, by inheritance
1898/07/21 -
Agnew Collection, England, purchased at Pinney sale, Arber and Waghorn's, London, July 21, 1898, lot no. 22
M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY, USA [1]
by 1911 - 1928
John F. Fowler (d.1927) and Cora Liggett Fowler (d.1928), St. Louis, MO [2]
1928 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Cora Liggett Fowler [3]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 63 [Hayes, John. "The Landscape Paintings of Thomas Gainsborough: A Critical Text and Catalogue Raisonne." Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1982]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Hayes does not provide date of ownership for M. Knoedler & Co; he indicates that the piece was "with Knoedler" after the Agnew Collection.
[2] The painting was lent by John F. Fowler for "The Home Exhibition," June 25 - October 31, 1911, held at the City Art Museum, St. Louis ["The City Art Museum Special Exhibition Catalogue Series." No. 14. St. Louis: City Art Museum, 1911].
[3] Cora Liggett Fowler died June 23, 1928 after the death of her husband, John Fowler, in 1927. She bequeathed the painting to the museum in her last will and testament dated May 6, 1925 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 26, 1928.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.