Sale 6381
| Denver
| Denver
Estimate$30,000 – $50,000
We would like to thank Melissa Webster Speidel, President of the Bierstadt Foundation and Director of the Albert Bierstadt catalogue raisonné project, for her assistance in the cataloguing of this work, which is included in the database being compiled for her forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's oeuvre.
According to Ms. Webster Speidel, "California Mountain Crag is a wilderness scene with a rocky ledge on the right where two deer stand near trees looking out over a valley on the left, clouds rising up from the depths and mountains in the distance with more clouds overhead and patches of blue sky. The two deer are cursorily rendered without detail. They are included in part to emphasize the vast size of the surrounding mountains. The painting is similar in composition to Mount Sir Donald, British Columbia (c. 1889) that has a similar rocky ledge on the right opening up to a valley on the left and mountains in the distance.
The location of the painting could well be California. The granite rock and red lichen that is depicted growing on the rock's surface are common to California's Sierra range. This red lichen is also found in the Mount Sir Donald painting; the plant is common to the Canadian Rockies, too. In most of his paintings, Bierstadt included dead trees along with the live ones. Their presence reflects the reality found in nature but also adds interest to the scene. Often the dead trees have gnarly limbs, particularly the top of the trunk. We see this curving feature in both compositions. In the subject painting it is in the center of the painting; in the Mount Sir Donald scene is it on the right of the composition.
Bierstadt enlivens the surface of California Mountain Crag with the alternating areas of light and shadow. The brightest area is the center where clouds gather and are lit by an unseen sun. The eye follows the mist up to the upper left where it curves around and leads the eye back to the far upper right corner."
In overall good condition. Strong and stable surface appearance, despite thin/light deposits of dust and debris. The paper has been mounted to board. Left and right edges of the paper and board are notched/indented at regular intervals (due to framing hardware). There is a pinhole within upper right corner of the paper. Rabbet line visible along upper edge and left with visible abrasion to the paint when unframed. UV: scattered areas of in-painting observed within clouds/sky, as well as to the left of the crag and along edges of board. Broad expanses of milky green varnish throughout. Additional images available upon request.
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Adam Veil
VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists
