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Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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© 1993 Christie’s Images Limited
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16.0 Backyards, 1860s–1870s
In the 1870s he painted only a few landscapes of the villages of Nantucket that can be attributed to him. More characteristic seems to be the instances where he painted the backyards of neighbors with a focus on the compositions of angles of planks, stairs, and siding. —PH
Hills no. 16.0.5r
The Hen House
Alternate titles: Barrel Hen House, A Study; Barrel Henhouse; The Henhouse
1872, September 21
Locale: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Oil on board
9 x 11 in. (22.9 x 27.9 cm) (irreg.; right edge longer than left)
Initialed and dated lower left: E.J. Sep. 21 - 72 [date scratched into surface after initials]
Description / Remarks
Hills, 2021: Barrels appear in many Johnson paintings, and a rooster like the one in this painting may be found standing on the roof in his Negro Life at the South.
Markings
Verso, in chalk: 5854/4
Labels
Verso, old sticker: Bernard & S. Dean Levy #1198 for May 22, 1991
Provenance
[Plaza Auctions, New York, 1977]
Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc., New York, 1977
George Arden, 1978 (by purchase)
Christie's, May 22, 1991, lot 47 (as The Hen House); did not sell
Christie's, November 15, 1993, lot 82 (as The Hen House); bought in
John Kaiser, Jr., New York (by purchase)
Hills Examination / Opinion
Examination date(s): 1991-05-09
Examination notes: Barrels are in many paintings. Rooster in Negro Life in the South. (Rooster on barrel.) Paint along bottom like EJ. Tiny flecks of yellow animate surface; bushes at left - yellow green painting spackled lightly on surface. Blue sky painted after branches done—OK. House at top right. Two chickens left; three center; 4 birds at right. Stone under barrel typical. Boards—good—underpainting shows through.
Keywords
- Subject matter:
- Barrels »
Record last updated July 28, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "The Hen House, 1872, September 21 (Hills no. 16.0.5r)." Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=215 (accessed on May 4, 2024).