Artist:
N.C. Wyeth
(American, 1882 - 1945)
The Coming of the Mayflower, presentation painting
Medium: Oil on hardboard
Date: 1940
Dimensions:
12 1/4 × 27 in. (31.1 × 68.6 cm)
The Deziel Collection
Accession number: SUPP2000.2369
Research Number: NCW: 2369
InscribedLower right: N. C. Wyeth (underlined) / To my friend / Ben Stein (underlined) / SKETCH (underlined) / The MAYFLOWER
ProvenanceThe artist; gift to Benjamin Stein, and descended in family; (Illustration House, New York, NY, Nov. 4, 2000, no. 5, not sold; to 2006)
References
Christine B. Podmaniczky, N. C. Wyeth, A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (London: Scala, 2008), M.62, p. 626
Curatorial RemarksThe Andrew and Betsy Wyeth collection includes a drawing (NCW 1790) that is related to this sketch and the final work (NCW 436). The drawing does not include the architectural features.
The artist gave many of the oil presentation paintings for the Met Life murals to architects and contractors involved with the commissison. Ben Stein was a "paper-hanger," in the late 1930s and early 1940s, one of the most accomplished mural installers in the country (see Henry Anton Steig, "Profiles / The Greatest Paper-hanger in the World," The New Yorker, vol. XIII, no. 38 (Nov. 6, 1937), ps. 22-26, BRM library # 39173). The inscription suggests that Stein directed the installation of the Met Life murals.
The artist gave many of the oil presentation paintings for the Met Life murals to architects and contractors involved with the commissison. Ben Stein was a "paper-hanger," in the late 1930s and early 1940s, one of the most accomplished mural installers in the country (see Henry Anton Steig, "Profiles / The Greatest Paper-hanger in the World," The New Yorker, vol. XIII, no. 38 (Nov. 6, 1937), ps. 22-26, BRM library # 39173). The inscription suggests that Stein directed the installation of the Met Life murals.
Image Source for printed Catalogue Raisonne:Photography directly from artwork
Photo Credit:Illustration House, New York, NY