George R. Havelka, American, 20th century- Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) observin...
George R. Havelka,
American, 20th century-
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) observing lightning striking a tower;
oil on canvas, signed 'G.R. Havelka' (lower right), 91.3 x 63.2 cm.
Provenance:
Property from a Distinguished British Private Collection.
Note:
The present scene likely depicts an imagined scene in which the inventor and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin watches as a lightning bolt strikes the tower of a building in front of him, thereby referring to Franklin's various experiments into the nature of lightning and electricity, including his famous 'kite experiment' of 1752. This subject matter is typical of Havelka, who also painted a portrait of another American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
George R. Havelka,
American, 20th century-
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) observing lightning striking a tower;
oil on canvas, signed 'G.R. Havelka' (lower right), 91.3 x 63.2 cm.
Provenance:
Property from a Distinguished British Private Collection.
Note:
The present scene likely depicts an imagined scene in which the inventor and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin watches as a lightning bolt strikes the tower of a building in front of him, thereby referring to Franklin's various experiments into the nature of lightning and electricity, including his famous 'kite experiment' of 1752. This subject matter is typical of Havelka, who also painted a portrait of another American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
