Fern Isabel Coppedge

(American, 1883-1951)

In Full Bloom

oil on canvas

signed F Coppedge. (lower right)

16 1/4 x 20 in.

Property from the Collection of Renny Reynolds

Lot Note:

One of the Philadelphia Ten, Fern Coppedge was a familiar figure in Bucks County, where she ventured outdoors in all seasons and weather to capture, en plein air, the beauty of the surroundings. Sometimes described as a colorist, she is known for her inventive use of vibrant colors, yielded striking, often expansive vistas. In Full Bloom, however, offers a different take on landscape painting, one that is more intimate, showcasing a cottage that is not simply a part, among others, of the landscape, but rather constitutive of it.

Here, Coppedge’s palette, an array of subdued greens, is leaner. The scale of the painting is more modest, as it homes in on the cottage, its bright white façade standing out amidst the abundant foliage. Coppedge adeptly cropped the scene around the enveloped cottage to suggest lush, overflowing nature, rather than explicitly show it. The cottage, subtly framed by the tree branch above and the verdant vegetation all around, becomes the heart of the landscape, from where luxuriance radiates.

The unlined canvas is in generally very good condition. Craquelure present throughout but in stable condition, most notable in right foreground. No apparent issues under UV. Additional images available upon request.

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Please email paulinearchambault@hindmanauctions.com for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Alasdair Nichol

EVP, Deputy Chairman

anichol@freemansauction.com 267.414.1211

Alasdair Nichol is Deputy Chairman of Freeman's. He previously served as Chairman of Freeman's, and he and two colleagues acquired the company in a friendly management buy-out in 2016.

He joined Freeman’s in 1999, and as an auctioneer of almost 30 years, has sold many significant collections, including The George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art, The Lehman Brothers Collection, The Collection of Dorrance "Dodo" H. Hamilton, The Stanley Bard Collection: A Life at the Chelsea, and numerous works that set new world auction records. He was instrumental in establishing Freeman’s departmental fine sales and has spearheaded the company’s mission of showcasing single-owner collections.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he studied fine art at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. He later graduated with a master's degree from the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1985, he embarked on his career in the auction world in Edinburgh before moving to Glasgow, where he organized the first sale of Scottish contemporary art at the world-renowned Glasgow School of Art. He subsequently moved to a flagship saleroom in London where he specialized in Modern and Impressionist art before transferring to New York as Head of Fine Art in 1997. Since 1998 he has been a familiar face on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Adam Veil

VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

adamveil@freemansauction.com 267.414.1221

Adam Veil serves as Vice President and a Fine Art Specialist at Freeman’s.

Veil joined Freeman’s in 2021 following years of experience in both the auction world and the academy. His area of specialization is pre-WWII American Art, although he has lectured and published on topics ranging from Mexican landscape painting and Old Master printmaking to art market economics.

Veil earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in art history from Penn State University and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining Freeman’s, Veil was Head of Fine Art at a Washington, D.C.-area auction house, and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction, where he oversaw market-setting auctions of classical and contemporary Western, Southwestern, and California art. He has also held positions in provenance research, art fair operations, and as editor and producer of The Conversation, a popular Los Angeles–based contemporary art podcast. Concurrent with his role at Freeman’s, Veil is a professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in Renaissance, Modern, and American art history.

Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds

In Full Bloom

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