On 1 January 1869 Sanford Robinson Gifford set out to tour the countries of the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. After a brief stay in Cairo, he boarded a dahabeah (double-masted sailing vessel) to traverse the Nile. His letters describe a picturesque panorama—animal caravans, men in colorful robes, women swathed in gold and gauze—but On the Nile, painted after his return to his New York studio, presents a deeply subjective impression of atmosphere and light. Relying on a small oil sketch, as well as his memory, Gifford composed his scene in three horizontal bands: shimmering water, parched land, and opalescent sky. The white sail of the felucca (sail boat) casts a luminous reflection on the river’s surface. Shunning any dramatic device or exotic cliché, Gifford captures the subtle and purely sensory experience of bright winter light shining through the dust-filled desert air.
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
Details
| Artist | Sanford Robinson Gifford, American, 1823-1880 |
|---|---|
| Title |
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| Date | 1872 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | Overall: 17 × 31 inches (43.2 × 78.7 cm) |
| Credit Line | Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, Associates of the American Wing Fund, Gibbs-Williams Fund, and Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. Fund |
| Accession Number | 2011.18 |
| Department | American Art before 1950 |
| On View | American W280, Level 2 (see map) |
Signed, Marks, Inscriptions
| Signed | Signed and dated, lower right: S.R. Gifford 1872 |
|---|
Provenance
the artist;
by 1876-1881, J. I. Nesmith (Brooklyn, New York, USA).
Victor D. Spark (New York, USA);
until 1972, Douglas B. Collins (Longmeadow, Massachusetts, USA);
1972-1973, Vose Galleries (Boston, Massachusetts, USA);
1973-1987, Eugene B. Sydnor, Jr. (Richmond, Virginia, USA).
1995-1996, Berry-Hill Galleries (New York, New York, USA);
1996-2011, private collection;
2011-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
by 1876-1881, J. I. Nesmith (Brooklyn, New York, USA).
Victor D. Spark (New York, USA);
until 1972, Douglas B. Collins (Longmeadow, Massachusetts, USA);
1972-1973, Vose Galleries (Boston, Massachusetts, USA);
1973-1987, Eugene B. Sydnor, Jr. (Richmond, Virginia, USA).
1995-1996, Berry-Hill Galleries (New York, New York, USA);
1996-2011, private collection;
2011-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Published References
“Art. The Brooklyn Association. Twenty-fifth Exhibition of Pictures.” New-York Daily Tribune (December 14, 1872): p. 4.
A Memorial Catalogue of the Paintings of Sanford Robinson Gifford. Exh. cat., Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1881, no. 580.
Thompson, D. Dodge. “American Artists in North Africa and the Middle East, 1797-1914.” Antiques 126 (August 1984): pp. 308, 310 (ill.).
American Paintings IV. New York, 1986, pp. 32-33 (ill.).
Avery, Kevin J. and Franklin Kelly, ed. Hudson River School Visions: The Landscapes of Sanford R. Gifford. New York, 2003, pp. 192-194 (ill.).
A Memorial Catalogue of the Paintings of Sanford Robinson Gifford. Exh. cat., Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1881, no. 580.
Thompson, D. Dodge. “American Artists in North Africa and the Middle East, 1797-1914.” Antiques 126 (August 1984): pp. 308, 310 (ill.).
American Paintings IV. New York, 1986, pp. 32-33 (ill.).
Avery, Kevin J. and Franklin Kelly, ed. Hudson River School Visions: The Landscapes of Sanford R. Gifford. New York, 2003, pp. 192-194 (ill.).