Lot 570
  • 570

American School, 19th Century

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 USD
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Description

  • American School, 19th Century
  • TWO MEN AND A GOAT
  • Watercolor and ink on paper
  • 4 3/16 by 8 1/4 in.
  • painted circa 1825
Inscribed (translated from German) recto, ink: Buddy, don't scare my goat and make him shy / Lest I'll beat your heud in two-or try!

Provenance

Joe Kindig III, York, Pennsylvania, 1971

Literature

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 276, fig. 236

Condition

Minor stain; small crease to upper left corner.
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

Generally the Pennsylvania Germans had good relationships with the few African Americans in their society, who were often descendants of slaves they had freed and who could speak the German dialect used in southeastern Pennsylvania. Jokes and pranks were common. Consequently, the drawing of a black man on foot and a white man riding a goat, with their mutually threatening gestures, may not be as racially insensitive as it first appears, but more anecdotal. -F.S.W.