Lot 39: JEROME THOMPSON 1814-1886 YOUTH

signed Jerome Thompson and dated 1874, l.l.

oil on canvas

Condition Note: Canvas is lined. SURFACE: in good condition, generally; some thinness in the mid-ground brown hills where canvas weave shows through; scattered craquelure (stable and flattened from relining) UNDER ULTRA VIOLET: scattered inpainting along edges; spot of inpaint in sky and larger spots at upper right and lower center (probably repaired tears)

We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described in our catalogue. 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 DISCUSSION CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

PROVENANCE

Alexander Gallery, New York
Gloria and Richard Manney Collection (Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 27, 1993, lot 191 0
EXHIBITED

Albany, New York, Executive Mansion, on loan, 1983-1988
LITERATURE AND REFERENCES

Lee M. Edwards, "The Life and Career of Jerome Thompson", The American Art Journal, vol. 14, no. 4, Autumn, 1982, p. 26, illustrated p. 24
Isabelle K. Savelle, "Forty Rooms, View of White House", New York Alive, p. 41, illustrated
CATALOGUE NOTE

Jerome Thompson, son of portrait painter Cephas Thompson (1775-1856), began his career as a portraitist himself. As the American public lost its taste for portraiture and genre scenes grew in popularity, Thompson changed his direction to suit his time. He developed a narrative style and often depicted themes popularized by the ballads of the day, such as The Old Oaken Bucket.

Youth and Old Age are thematically more reflective than the artist's sentimental genre scenes. They show the influence of Thomas Cole clearly. Lee Edwards observes of them: "In 1874 and 1875, Thompson painted a pair of allegorical pictures, Youth and Old Age, in which both the imagery and the subject matter pay conscious homage to Thomas Cole. Thompson's iconography in Youth (the angel, the pagoda in the sky, the exotic setting) is clearly in spired by comparable imagery in Thomas Cole's Youth (1840) form the Voyage of Life series (Munson-Williams Proctor Institute) which was well known from engravings. Thompson may also have seen Cole's Cross of the World series. Finished pictures from the group were exhibited in 1874 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art." (Edwards, p. 26)

35 1/2 by 52 in.<br><br>90.2 by 132.1 cm.