- 709
Bill Traylor (1852/56-1949)
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
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Description
- Bill Traylor (1852/56-1949)
- ROSS THE UNDERTAKER
- Poster paint and pencil on paperboard
- 13 7/8 by 14 7/8 in.
- C. 1940
Inscribed verso, pencil (in Charles Shannon's hand): Jan 40/Ross-The Undertaker/When he comes in he always / looks around... of down bobyes is empty.
Provenance
Charles and Eugenia Shannon, Montgomery, Alabama
Sotheby's New York, January 28-31, 1993, lot 1016
Sotheby's New York, January 28-31, 1993, lot 1016
Exhibited
"Self-Taught Artists of the Twentieth Century: An American Anthology," Philadelphia Museum of Art in association with the American Folk Art Museum, 1998
"American Radiance: Highlights of the Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum," de Menil Gallery at Groton School, Groton, Massachusetts, October 15 - December 15, 2002
"American Radiance: Highlights of the Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum," de Menil Gallery at Groton School, Groton, Massachusetts, October 15 - December 15, 2002
Literature
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 278, fig. 239
Condition
Small tear at top, rough edges, bent corners; all 'blemishes' consistent with Traylor's work and materials. Grayer background color.
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.
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
Ross the Undertaker depicts David Callaway Ross, one of the owners of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, where Traylor sometimes slept in a back room. The subject is identified in an inscription on the back by Charles Shannon, who sometimes recorded Traylor's pithy comments on the reverse of his drawings. (Also on the back of the drawing is an unfinished pencil sketch of a two-chimney house.) Ross is austere in his black suit, with his arms thrust stiffly down and away from his body and clasping a narrow, elongated instrument bag, but this somberness is relieved somewhat by the red and black dots and strokes on his detachable shirtfront. -L.K.