William Trost Richards (American, 1833 - 1905)

William Trost Richards
(Philadelphia 1833 – Newport, R.I. 1905)
A Pair of framed Watercolors

OBENHOFEN CASTLE on Lake Thun, Canton Berne, Switzerland
watercolor, 6 x 5”, initialled lower left “W.T.R. 67”

LAKE THUN, Canton Berne, Switzerland
watercolor, 7-1/2” x 6”

Richards was a member of the American Watercolor Society and honorary member of the National Academy of Design. His work received awards during his lifetime at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1885) and Paris Exposition (1889). He has been subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions. His importance in the pantheon of 19th century American artists has continued to grow through the 20th & 21st centuries.

In 1855 he traveled Europe, spending a year in study and observation at Florence, Rome and Paris, after which he returned to open his studio in Philadelphia.

This pair of works date from Richards' second trip to Europe (1866-7) at which time his interests turned increasingly to watercolor. The locations of these two jewel-like works are witten on the margin of "Obenhofen Castle" . The same work has a small damage, approx 0.6 cm, patched on verso, near the mat's upper right margin

Both paintings were authenticated by Linda Ferber (Brooklyn Museum, New York) in 1992.

# 01483 …................................................................................................................ pair, $ 2,900.