Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830-1902). Mountain Lake at Sunset, circa 1882. Oil on board. 14 x 20 inches (35.6 x 50.8 c...

Description

Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830-1902)
Mountain Lake at Sunset, circa 1882
Oil on board
14 x 20 inches (35.6 x 50.8 cm)
Signed lower right: ABierstadt
Dated and inscribed on the sail: April / 11 1882 / Ogden Mills / Ruth Livingston
Signed and inscribed on the reverse: With best wishes / Albert Bierstadt

Property of a Distinguished Gentleman

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills, Staatsburg, New York, gift from the above, 1882;
Ogden Lawrence Mills, by descent from the above, 1929;
Estate of the above, 1937;
Parke-Bernet, New York, April 3, 1938, lot 414;
Richard H. Seidman;
James Graham & Sons, New York;
Mrs. Stella Foote, Billings, Montana, acquired from the above, 1973;
James Graham & Sons, New York, 1985;
Alexander Gallery, New York;
Richard J. Schwartz, acquired from the above, 1988;
Estate of the above, 2017;
Christie's, New York, May 23, 2017, lot 87;
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

EXHIBITED:
Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, "Bierstadt's West," September 11-October 24, 1997, no. 7.

LITERATURE:
Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, Bierstadt's West, exhibition catalogue, 1997, pl. 7, illustrated.

In April of 1882, Albert Bierstadt presented Mountain Lake at Sunset as a gift to the prominent financier Ogden Mills and his spouse, Ruth Livington Mills, both of distinguished American lineage. The artist inscribed a dedication to the newlyweds within the sail of the barge. On the reverse, Bierstadt extended his warmest wishes to the couple, whose matrimonial bond remained unbroken until the passing of Mrs. Mills in 1920.

While the Millses were proprietors of five stately residences, their preference during the autumn season was unequivocally for an opulent countryside mansion strategically situated to offer majestic vistas of the Hudson River in Staatsburgh, New York. Their splendid home, now recognized as the Staatsburgh State Historic Site, has been meticulously restored to its original Gilded Age grandeur and is graciously made accessible to the discerning public.

Mountain Lake at Sunset is included in the Albert Bierstadt database being compiled by Melissa Webster Speidel in preparation for a Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's paintings.


More information about Albert Bierstadt. See also: Bierstadt, Albert Artist.

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