Lot 153
  • 153

Norman Rockwell

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

  • Norman Rockwell
  • Study for "Maternity Waiting Room"
  • pencil, charcoal, and color wash on illustration board
  • 14 by 36 inches
  • (35.5 by 91.5 cm)
  • Executed in 1946.

Provenance

Richard Swyers, Sr., Scarsdale, New York (acquired as a gift from the artist)
By descent from the above, the grandfather of the present owner

Literature

Laurie Norton Moffat, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, 1986, no. S652a, p. 795 illustrated
Tom Swyers, Saving Babe Ruth, Schenectady, New York, 2014, pp. 111 - 112 and 210  -215

Condition

In fair condition; overall fading, damage to the lower left corner, water damage to the right edge and upper right corner, acid burn to all edges.
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

The finalized version of the present work was published on July 13th, 1946 in the Saturday Evening Post.

In his award-winning novel, Saving Babe Ruth, Tom Swyers makes several references to his own family's much-beloved Study for "Maternity Waiting Room" through his protagonist, David Thompson.  The figure on the extreme right is Swyers' grandfather, Dick Swyers.  In his words, "David's grandfather sits in a chair on the far right, his body split in half at the edge of the drawing.  His face studies the other men in the room while he nervously rips pages in a magazine." Rockwell gave the work to Swyers' grandfather as a gift for posing in it and persuading several friends of his to do so, too.  (Saving Babe Ruth, op. cit., p. 111)  A signed copy of the book is offered together with the lot.