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Enamored by its beauty, Bierstadt repeatedly returned to the subject of Mount Hood, including a major canvas now in the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Oregon. In the present depiction, Bierstadt depicts Mount Hood beyond the winding Columbia River reaching into the drifting clouds. Sunlight streams through, illuminating the calm water and glistening snow. Placing boats in the placid river and wildlife within the forest, Bierstadt expertly combines man and nature, achieving a celebrated balance that places his viewer on the precipice of American history during the early settlement in the West. While Mount Hood is placed in the background of the picturesque scene, its dominant presence underscores the ongoing fascination that it struck within the painter.
ProvenanceSotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 13 May 1966, lot 39.
Ira Spanierman, New York, acquired from the above.
Sloan & Roman Inc., New York.
Douglas B. Collins, Springfield, Massachusetts, by 1970.
Sale: Richard A. Bourne, Hyannis, Massachusetts, 18 August 1972, lot 57, sold by the above.
Robert K. Wineland, Alexandria, Virginia, acquired from the above.
By descent from the above.
Sotheby's, New York, 21 November 2016, lot 15, sold by the above.
Acquired by Morton and Norma Lee Funger from the above.
Christie's January 2024
Artist
Albert Bierstadt
(American, 1830 - 1902)
Mount Hood, Columbia River
Date1870
MediumOil on panel
DimensionsSight: 13 5/8 × 22 7/8 in. (34.6 × 58.1 cm)
Object numberN0007.2024(03)
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Label TextBierstadt first studied Mount Hood in 1863 during his second Western journey. On this trip, he rode along the Columbia River via steamer and railway alongside his friend Fitz Hugh Ludlow. During these travels, Bierstadt made numerous field sketches in preparation for his subsequent paintings.Enamored by its beauty, Bierstadt repeatedly returned to the subject of Mount Hood, including a major canvas now in the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Oregon. In the present depiction, Bierstadt depicts Mount Hood beyond the winding Columbia River reaching into the drifting clouds. Sunlight streams through, illuminating the calm water and glistening snow. Placing boats in the placid river and wildlife within the forest, Bierstadt expertly combines man and nature, achieving a celebrated balance that places his viewer on the precipice of American history during the early settlement in the West. While Mount Hood is placed in the background of the picturesque scene, its dominant presence underscores the ongoing fascination that it struck within the painter.
ProvenanceSotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 13 May 1966, lot 39.
Ira Spanierman, New York, acquired from the above.
Sloan & Roman Inc., New York.
Douglas B. Collins, Springfield, Massachusetts, by 1970.
Sale: Richard A. Bourne, Hyannis, Massachusetts, 18 August 1972, lot 57, sold by the above.
Robert K. Wineland, Alexandria, Virginia, acquired from the above.
By descent from the above.
Sotheby's, New York, 21 November 2016, lot 15, sold by the above.
Acquired by Morton and Norma Lee Funger from the above.
Christie's January 2024
On View
On view
