That a Fine Turkey

Details

ANNA MARY ROBERTSON 'GRANDMA' MOSES (1860-1961)
That a Fine Turkey
signed 'Moses.' (lower right)—dated 'Nov 17. 1943.,' inscribed with title and numbered '507.' (on a label affixed to the reverse)
oil and glitter on masonite
9 1⁄2 x 14 in. (24 x 35.5 cm.)
Painted in 1943.

Provenance

Doyle, New York, 20 May 2008, lot 2318.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

Further Details

The present work has been assigned the preliminary number, Kallir 305d, by Jane Kallir and Hildegard Bachert, placing it within the sequence of works in Otto Kallir, Grandma Moses (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1973). The copyright for this picture is reserved to Grandma Moses Properties, Co., Inc., New York.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Tylee Abbott Vice President, Head of American Art

tabbott@christies.com +1 212 707 5925

Lot Essay

Grandma Moses painted the theme of Thanksgiving repeatedly in her work, focusing on rural traditions like catching the turkey as seen in the present work. She wrote, "Why do we think we must have turkey for thankgiven. Just becaus our Forefathers did, they had it becaus turkeys were plentyfull, and they did not have other kinds of meat, now we have abundance of other kinds of luxuries, Poor Turkey, He has but one life to give this country." (O. Kallir, Grandma Moses: American Primitive, New York, 1946, n.p.)

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