Photography by Dwight Primiano
Indians of Virginia
European artists often presented the rituals, food, and accessories of Indigenous peoples as exotic and mysterious, but also reassuringly familiar. In this painting, the artist used classical poses for the figures, and emphasized a complex and sophisticated culture with organized religion and agriculture that was relatable to Europeans.
James Wooldridge spent his career in London and never himself encountered Native Americans. This painting is a composite of images from several engravings of Carolina Algonquians made by Theodore De Bry in 1590.
ArtistJames Wooldridge, 1635–1695
Dateca. 1675
MediumOil on linen
Dimensions37 1/4 x 50 x 1 3/4 in.
Signedl.r., on canoe, in dark brown paint: J: Wooldrig:
l.c.: traces of another signature, exactly like this one, now mostly painted out with artist's paint, around h 3 1/2", w 18 1/2"
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.10
ClassificationPainting
ProvenanceEdward Conway [ca. 1623-1683], 1st Earl of Conway, Warwickshire, England, 17th century; Francis Seymour-Conway [1718-1794], 1st Marquess of Hertford, 1732; by descent in the family; Eric Elgar Villiers Hall, London, England; to Harry Shaw Newman, (The Old Print Shop, New York, NY) 1958; Private Collection; (William Reese Company, New Haven, CT), 2005; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2006
On ViewYes
This artwork's face covers about 255× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.