Lake in Moonlight

Details

Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)
Lake in Moonlight
signed with conjoined initials 'ABierstadt' (lower right)--dated and inscribed 'April/11 1882/Ogden Mills/Ruth Livingston' (on the sail)--signed again and inscribed 'With best wishes/Albert Bierstadt' (on the reverse)
oil on board
14 x 20 in. (35.6 x 50.8 cm.), image
Painted circa 1882.

Provenance

The artist.
Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills, Staatsburg, New York, gift from the above, 1882.
Richard H. Seidman.
James Graham & Sons, New York.
Mrs. Stella Foote, Billings, Montana, acquired from the above, 1973.
Alexander Gallery, New York.
Acquired by the late owner from the above, 1988.

Exhibited

New York, Gerald Peters Gallery, Bierstadt's West, September 11-October 24, 1997, pl. 7, illustrated.

Lot Essay

Albert Bierstadt gifted the present work to financier Ogden Mills and his wife Ruth Livingston Mills, both members of distinguished American families, upon the occasion of their April 1882 nuptials. Inscribed within the sail of the barge is a dedication to the couple and, on the painting’s reverse, Bierstadt offered his best wishes for the pair, who were married until Mrs. Mills’ death in 1920. While they owned five homes, the couple spent the autumn months in an elegant country mansion overlooking the Hudson River in Staatsburg, New York. Now known as the Staatsburgh State Historic Site, this home is restored to its Gilded Age appearance and open to the public.

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