Artist:
N.C. Wyeth
(American, 1882 - 1945)
The Prophecy (with Civil War scene on verso)
Alternate Title(s):War Clouds
Medium: Charcoal on paper
Date: 1904
Dimensions:
26 × 17 3/4 in. (66 × 45.1 cm)
Private collection
Accession number: SUPP2000.91
Research Number: NCW: 91
InscribedLower right: NCW / 1905; verso is charcoal drawing of Civil War battle scene
Provenance(J. N. Bartfield Galleries, New York, NY, 1969)
Exhibition HistoryChadds Ford, PA, 1972, no. 9, as "War Clouds";
References
Betsy James Wyeth, ed., The Wyeths The Letters of N. C. Wyeth, 1901-1945 (Boston: Gambit, 1971), ps. 84-85
Curatorial RemarksIn a letter to his mother, hand-dated July 1904 by Betsy James Wyeth, the artist wrote, "I passed in a picture that won me a good deal of applause from H. P. It was "The Prophesy" (sic)--an Indian standing on a rock that commands a view of the surrounding country. His pony stands by him, head hung low, unconscious of all around him and on the other hand the Indian (a medicine man) intently gazing on the huge rolling clouds. I have pictured in these clouds huge war horses and warriors roaming across the sky, just as the Indian sees them. I have drawn in great detail the surrounding country with its lakes and rivers. Mr. Pyle called it a powerful picture which makes me feel quite encouraged." Wyeth must have signed and dated the drawing at a later period, mistaking the date. He used the composition in 1908, when he painted "The War Clouds" for Scribner's Magazine.
The drawing on the verso does not relate to a known painting.
The drawing on the verso does not relate to a known painting.
Image Source for printed Catalogue Raisonne:b/w photography, directly from drawing
Photo Credit:Brandywine River Museum photo files