Daniel Ridgway Knight (American, 1839–1924) The Signal

Daniel Ridgway Knight (American, 1839–1924) The Signal

Signed and located 'Ridgway Knight/Paris' bottom left, oil on canvas
35 1/2 x 46 1/4 in. (90.2 x 117.5cm)

Provenance

Collection of William C. Sproul.
His sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, sale of January 26, 1949, Lot 65.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, sale of April 2, 1975, Lot 161.
(Presumably) acquired directly from the above sale.
Private Collection, North Carolina.

Note

Hailing from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Daniel Ridgway Knight made his name through his paintings of idyllic country life. Spending the majority of his life in France he established his house and studio at Poissy along the Seine. Knight studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris under Marc Gabriel Charles Gleyre and later worked in the private studio of Ernest Meissonier (see Lot 57).

Depicting three women in an overgrown garden next to a river, this work is a fine example of maybe his most popular subject: peasant women. The middle figure is waving a white kerchief signaling to an unseen character. The beautiful young peasant women seem to exist in perfect harmony with the scenery around them. The lush garden in tandem with the muted light creates the feeling of a serene country evening and a simple way of living. Knight’s work reflected the French demand for paintings of pastoral charm, which was also favored by puritan collectors in the United States. His accolades include a silver medal and Cross of the Legion of Honor from the Exposition Universelle, Paris in 1889, and a gold medal of honor from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art, Philadelphia in 1893. Knight died in Paris, his son Louis Aston Knight would go on to become a well-known painter in his own right.

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