The Lonely Tower
- Date
- 1878–79
- Material
- Etching
- made in
- London, Greater London, England, Europe
- Classification
- Prints
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- plate: 7 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. (18.7 x 25.1 cm)
sheet: 8 1/4 x 10 15/16 in. (21 x 27.8 cm) - Credit Line
- Funds given by Katherine Tillery, Mr. and Mrs. Jack C. Taylor, and Mr. and Mrs. Eugene F. Williams Jr. through the Art Enrichment Fund; and funds given by the Anne L. Lehmann Charitable Trust
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 36:2005
NOTES
Though the tower in this print was an actual structure on Leith Hill in Surrey, the composition is highly symbolic, inspired by John Milton's poem "Il Penseroso." The tower itself, lit by lamplight, represents divine knowledge. On the right, shepherds rest and gaze idly upon the high tower. Figures on the left take on a more active role, laboriously traversing the winding road upward. They are separated by a deep mysterious chasm through which an owl flies. The image may be understood as a meditation on the human quest for the spiritual, and the means necessary in achieving this goal.
Samuel Palmer evoked the intensity and beauty of the night sky by using a dense web of etched lines. After printing this impression, he took a thin needle and scratched out each star, allowing the very white fibers of the paper to show through.
Provenance
- still in 2001
Raymond (1919–2001) and Pamela Lister, England
- 2004
European dealer, acquired from Pamela Lister [1]
2004 - 2005
Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints and Drawings, Dallas, Texas, purchased from a European dealer [2]
2005 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints and Drawings [3]
Notes:
[1] According to a telephone conversation between Valerie Rudy-Valli, Museum Curatorial Assistant, and dealer Carolyn Bullard on June 29, 2005, Bullard acquired the print from an undisclosed European dealer in 2004 [transcript, SLAM document files]. This undisclosed dealer acquired the work from Pamela Lister, widow of Raymond Lister. Raymond Lister was a prominent Samuel Palmer scholar who published a number of books on the artist.
[2] See note [1].
[3] Invoice from Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints and Drawings dated March 25, 2005 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 30, 2005.
Raymond (1919–2001) and Pamela Lister, England
- 2004
European dealer, acquired from Pamela Lister [1]
2004 - 2005
Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints and Drawings, Dallas, Texas, purchased from a European dealer [2]
2005 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints and Drawings [3]
Notes:
[1] According to a telephone conversation between Valerie Rudy-Valli, Museum Curatorial Assistant, and dealer Carolyn Bullard on June 29, 2005, Bullard acquired the print from an undisclosed European dealer in 2004 [transcript, SLAM document files]. This undisclosed dealer acquired the work from Pamela Lister, widow of Raymond Lister. Raymond Lister was a prominent Samuel Palmer scholar who published a number of books on the artist.
[2] See note [1].
[3] Invoice from Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints and Drawings dated March 25, 2005 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 30, 2005.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.