N08812

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Lot 9
  • 9

Arthur Wesley Dow

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • Arthur Wesley Dow
  • "Rain in May"
  • signed in pencil and numbered N01, with the artist's red chop

  • woodcut printed in colors, hand-printed on laid paper

  • Plate: 6 1/8 x 5 inches

Provenance

Stephen Gray, Philmont, NY
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Exhibited

Arthur Wesley Dow and American Arts and Crafts, The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Standord University, Palo Alto, CA, July 13-September 19, 1999
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, IL, October 8, 1999-January 2, 2000
Blanden Memorial Art Museum, Fort Dodge, IA, July 7-October 1, 2000
At Home with Gustav Stickley: American Arts & Crafts from the Stephen Gray Collection, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT, October 11-January 4, 2009, p. 70

Literature

Frederick C. Moffat, Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922), Washington, D.C., 1977, p. 74
Nancy E. Green, Arthur Wesley Dow and His Influence, Ithaca, NY, 1990, p. 25
David Acton and Joseph Goddu, Along Ipswich River: The Color Woodcuts of Arthur Wesley Dow, exh. cat., Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1999, p. 29

Condition

This lot has been closely examined by a Prints expert. Overall in very good condition. With margins. With very faint mat stain (slight discoloration) in the margins. A beautiful example of this exceedingly rare and iconic Dow woodcut subject, displaying excellent color saturation.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

While the American Arts and Crafts movement is defined by its multi-disciplinary nature, Arthur Wesley Dow is one of the few artists considered truly successful in multiple mediums.  His paintings, photographs and woodcuts are all sought-after by collectors.  However, it was perhaps his role as a scholar and teacher that ultimately had the greatest effect on his contemporaries.  Dow taught at several universities in New York and also founded a summer school in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1891.  He instructed students, including Margaret and Mary Frances Overbeck, in his principles of color and composition.  In her essay published in Arthur Wesley Dow and American Arts and Crafts Jessie Poesch points out that while the abstraction of natural form was not a new concept, Dow re-contextualized it in a format that was highly influential.  Considered one of the major figures of the movement, Dow's effect on other artists and craftsmen of the period is particularly evident in the curated selection of works (lots 11-16) that follow the two woodcuts by Dow (lots 9-10).
 that follow
Dow first began experimenting with Japanese woodcut techniques upon his return from Europe in the mid-1880s.  Intrigued by the medium's formal qualities, the process also appealed to him for its alignment with Arts and Crafts morals.  Dow would continue to explore various concepts of form, composition and tonality in wood block printing throughout his career. As later examples of his work, the following two lots display a remarkable facility with the ukiyo-e printing technique. 

Sotheby's is pleased to offer these two iconic woodcuts by Dow alongside other important examples of American Arts and Crafts.  His principles of subordination and tonal distinctions can be seen especially clearly in the careful proportions and color palettes of ceramics from the Marblehead, Overbeck and Pewabic potteries.  The Marblehead motto plaque and painted panels of the Byrdcliffe chiffonier are even more closely related to Dow's work, and may in fact be after specific examples of his woodcuts.