American School

This rare landscape painting is very likely the earliest known depiction of Sandy Hook, Virginia. Sandy Hook was one of the earliest settlements in the North Fork of the Shenandoah River Valley and is nestled along the side of Top Mountain adjacent to Strasburg, Shenandoah County, Virginia. The area is particularly notable as the inception point of the 'Seven Bends' of the Shenandoah River's North Fork. The landscape displays a panoramic view that encompasses the distinctly sinuous oxbow flanked by cliffs on either side, as well the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distant horizon. The figure in the foreground, perhaps the likeness of the artist, provides a sense of scale and conduit by which the viewer may place themselves within the boundless, picturesque vista.

Beyond the painting’s topography perfectly matching that of Sandy Hook and the surrounding countryside, the provenance augments the historical significance. In 1737, Sandy Hook was settled by Christian Bowman and Jacob Hockman. Jacob was the grandfather of Rebeca Hockman, whose name is inscribed on the reverse side of the painting, and is noted to have been born in Shenandoah, Virginia in 1760. Rarely do early Virginia landscape paintings appear in the marketplace since the population was miniscule as compared to New England or coastal Southern communities.