Photography by Dwight Primiano
View of Mount Etna
Thomas Cole produced sweeping landscapes based on close observation and outdoor sketches. A small shepherd plays a flute for his flock, alluding to Cole’s interest in the allegory of the shepherd in the Bible. Additionally, travel was an essential part of his artistic process. Cole’s travels to Europe led him to paint iconic subjects such as the Sicilian volcano in View of Mount Etna.
ArtistThomas Cole(1801-1848)
Date1842
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions44 x 60 x 4 3/4 in.
Signedl.l., on rocks, in black paint: T. Cole. / 1842
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2007.11
ClassificationPainting
Provenancepurchased for the Apollo Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in the United States [name later changed to American Art-Union], New York, NY, to distribute at its annual meeting, 1842; won at annual meeting of Apollo Association by James Elting Delamater [1808-ca. 1850] (a subscriber), Hudson, NY, December 23, 1842; Mrs. Leland Cofer, New York, NY; (Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, NY); IBM Collection, 1946; (Sotheby's, New York, NY), May 25, 1995, sale no. 6713; to (Alexander Galleries, New York, NY), 1995; (Michael Altman Fine Art & Advisory Services, LLC, New York, NY); purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2007
On ViewNo
This artwork's face covers about 2.4× the area of a standard movie poster.Drawn to the same scale.