69056: Frederick Arthur Bridgman (American, 1847-1928)
Frederick Arthur Bridgman (American, 1847-1928) Variant of Funérailles d'une momie (The Burial of a Mummy), 1877 Oil on canvas laid on Masonite 29-3/4 x 58-1/2 inches (75.6 x 148.6 cm) Signed and dated lower right: F. A Bridgman / 1877 PROVENANCE: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mecom, Brenham, Texas, circa 1950; Estate of the above. We wish to thank Ilene Susan Fort, Ph.D., F. A. Bridgman authority, and Curator Emerita of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for providing the following essay: "The painting in question is a variant of Les Funérailles d'une momie, one of F. A. Bridgman's most important works. Bridgman, an American-born artist active in France during the late 19th century, earned his first major success with Funérailles d'une momie, at the Paris Salon of 1877. [The painting depicts] an historical reconstruction of an ancient burial practice of the Egyptians whereby the mummified corpse of royalty was transported to its burial site, usually at the Valley of the Kings, along the Nile, across from the temple complex of Luxor. The original Salon canvas was immediately purchased by James Gordon Bennet, an American newspaper tycoon, and is now in the collection of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Since the late 20th century two variants of the Salon painting as well as related drawings have come on the art market. All three versions are signed. The original painting was large (as were the many Salon 'machines' exhibited during the 19th century), while both variants are smaller; the [present lot] is the smallest of the three examples. All three versions demonstrate Bridgman's study of the material culture and customs of the ancient land as the artist had recently returned from a stay in Egypt. As expected of a student of Gerome, all three versions have the miscellaneous figures and objects in the boats carefully delineated in a realistic fashion. All three paintings depict three boats moving from one shore of the Nile River to the other, with the lead boat carrying the royal coffin, canopied, a group of official mourners at the prow of the boat, and the priest and musicians standing behind the coffin. Two other boats of mourners and officials follow, one with a sail. A low-ranging view of the river shoreline and the sky form the backdrop of all three versions. All are cast in delicate hues with a crepuscular sky dominating the scene. However, the landscape is the most significant difference between the three versions. In the Salon version (both the painting and related prints and other reproductions issued by Goupil et Cie, Paris), the highest two hills are on the left side of the landscape, while the highest hills in both variants appear on the right side of the landscape. In one variant, a few tiny buildings dot the close shoreline and several small boats with bright white sails are moored at the edge of the riverbank. In the [present lot], the background landscape shore is much more significant with a large group of ancient edifices erected along the top of the hill. The two slim towers in the distance and the double-tiered columned structure add specificity to the scene. However, Bridgman may have presented an amalgamation of several ancient sites he visited along the Nile: as the scene refers to the burial of royalty, it must be assumed that the rites take place near the Valley of the Kings on the West bank and Luxor with its temple complex on the East bank of the Nile. The sloped walls, towers and obelisk refer to Luxor. However the double-tiered structure in the center of the complex refers to the Temple of Isis on the Island of Philae, south of Luxor. Bridgman exhibited the painting Towing on the Nile at the Royal Academy annual in London in 1877 and another painting, The Funeral of a Mummy in the Nile, at the Royal Academy in 1881. That same year, 1881, Bridgman held a huge solo exhibition of his art in NYC where he exhibited the Salon canvas Towing on the Nile and the 'Original sketch for "Funeral Rites of a Mummy."' Towing on the Nile probably was a contemporary scene rather than an historical one. It is unlikely that the Heritage Auctions canvas is the Original sketch as it is dated 1877, after the artist began the Salon canvas in 1876, and is not an oil sketch but a highly developed and completed oil painting. It might be the Royal Academy painting exhibited in 1881. If not, the [present lot] might have been created for a private commission, and that would explain the lack of an exhibition record. That the Heritage Auctions example has a completely different interpretation of the background landscape and ancient sites suggests the artist's rethinking of the original Salon painting. As such, it can easily stand on its own merits and independent of the Salon canvas." HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Condition Report: Canvas is laid down on Masonite; in-painting throughout the entirety of the sky with large sections scattered along the lower edge; three possible areas of previous canvas repair, most noticeable upon UV inspection; frame-wear with paint loss to the extreme edges.
Heritage Auctions strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. Statements by Heritage regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only And should Not be relied upon as statements of fact, And do Not constitute a representation, warranty, Or assumption of liability by Heritage. All lots offered are sold "As Is"
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Frederick Arthur Bridgman (American, 1847-1928) Variant of Funérailles d'une momie (The Burial of a Mummy), 1877 Oil on canvas laid on Masonite 29-3/4 x 58-1/2 inches (75.6 x 148.6 cm) Signed and dated lower right: F. A Bridgman / 1877 PROVENANCE: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mecom, Brenham, Texas, circa 1950; Estate of the above. We wish to thank Ilene Susan Fort, Ph.D., F. A. Bridgman authority, and Curator Emerita of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for providing the following essay: "The painting in question is a variant of Les Funérailles d'une momie, one of F. A. Bridgman's most important works. Bridgman, an American-born artist active in France during the late 19th century, earned his first major success with Funérailles d'une momie, at the Paris Salon of 1877. [The painting depicts] an historical reconstruction of an ancient burial practice of the Egyptians whereby the mummified corpse of royalty was transported to its burial site, usually at the Valley of the Kings, along the Nile, across from the temple complex of Luxor. The original Salon canvas was immediately purchased by James Gordon Bennet, an American newspaper tycoon, and is now in the collection of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Since the late 20th century two variants of the Salon painting as well as related drawings have come on the art market. All three versions are signed. The original painting was large (as were the many Salon 'machines' exhibited during the 19th century), while both variants are smaller; the [present lot] is the smallest of the three examples. All three versions demonstrate Bridgman's study of the material culture and customs of the ancient land as the artist had recently returned from a stay in Egypt. As expected of a student of Gerome, all three versions have the miscellaneous figures and objects in the boats carefully delineated in a realistic fashion. All three paintings depict three boats moving from one shore of the Nile River to the other, with the lead boat carrying the royal coffin, canopied, a group of official mourners at the prow of the boat, and the priest and musicians standing behind the coffin. Two other boats of mourners and officials follow, one with a sail. A low-ranging view of the river shoreline and the sky form the backdrop of all three versions. All are cast in delicate hues with a crepuscular sky dominating the scene. However, the landscape is the most significant difference between the three versions. In the Salon version (both the painting and related prints and other reproductions issued by Goupil et Cie, Paris), the highest two hills are on the left side of the landscape, while the highest hills in both variants appear on the right side of the landscape. In one variant, a few tiny buildings dot the close shoreline and several small boats with bright white sails are moored at the edge of the riverbank. In the [present lot], the background landscape shore is much more significant with a large group of ancient edifices erected along the top of the hill. The two slim towers in the distance and the double-tiered columned structure add specificity to the scene. However, Bridgman may have presented an amalgamation of several ancient sites he visited along the Nile: as the scene refers to the burial of royalty, it must be assumed that the rites take place near the Valley of the Kings on the West bank and Luxor with its temple complex on the East bank of the Nile. The sloped walls, towers and obelisk refer to Luxor. However the double-tiered structure in the center of the complex refers to the Temple of Isis on the Island of Philae, south of Luxor. Bridgman exhibited the painting Towing on the Nile at the Royal Academy annual in London in 1877 and another painting, The Funeral of a Mummy in the Nile, at the Royal Academy in 1881. That same year, 1881, Bridgman held a huge solo exhibition of his art in NYC where he exhibited the Salon canvas Towing on the Nile and the 'Original sketch for "Funeral Rites of a Mummy."' Towing on the Nile probably was a contemporary scene rather than an historical one. It is unlikely that the Heritage Auctions canvas is the Original sketch as it is dated 1877, after the artist began the Salon canvas in 1876, and is not an oil sketch but a highly developed and completed oil painting. It might be the Royal Academy painting exhibited in 1881. If not, the [present lot] might have been created for a private commission, and that would explain the lack of an exhibition record. That the Heritage Auctions example has a completely different interpretation of the background landscape and ancient sites suggests the artist's rethinking of the original Salon painting. As such, it can easily stand on its own merits and independent of the Salon canvas." HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Condition Report: Canvas is laid down on Masonite; in-painting throughout the entirety of the sky with large sections scattered along the lower edge; three possible areas of previous canvas repair, most noticeable upon UV inspection; frame-wear with paint loss to the extreme edges.
Heritage Auctions strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. Statements by Heritage regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only And should Not be relied upon as statements of fact, And do Not constitute a representation, warranty, Or assumption of liability by Heritage. All lots offered are sold "As Is"
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
