Beschreibung:

Robert Havell Jr. American, 1793-1878 Death of a Warrior: White Headed Eagle, Canvas Back Duck & Young (The Death of a Tyrant) American, 1793-1878 Death of a Warrior: White Headed Eagle, Canvas Back Duck & Young (The Death of a Tyrant) Signed, dated 1871, numbered 78 and inscribed as titled in ink on the reverse (lr); faintly inscribed in pencil The Death of a Tyrant on the reverse (ll) Oil on canvas 36 1/8 x 50 inches Unframed Provenance: Henry Peck Havell, grand-nephew of the artist Thence by descent to the present owner Perhaps best known as the principal engraver of Audubon's Birds of America, Robert Havell was also a painter of considerable talent, producing both New York landscapes and ornithological works. He immigrated with his family from England to America in 1839, perhaps drawn there by his friendship with Audubon, as well as the naturalist's enthusiasm for the pictorial possibilities of the American hinterlands. Staying briefly with the Audubons, the Havells spent two years in Brooklyn before moving in 1841 to Ossining (then known as Sing Sing) on the Hudson River. It is thought that he painted views of the Hudson from his studio in the cupola of the home he designed on the banks of the river. In 1857, Havell moved south to Tarrytown, where he lived for the remainder of his life in a home with compelling views of the Hudson, visible from his bedroom window. The majority of Havell's paintings are neither signed nor dated. The few that he did sign are inscribed on the back, as seen in the present work, depicting the dramatic death of a bird of prey as a family of canvasback ducks looks on. Against an expansive view of the Hudson River, the painter depicts his subjects with the fidelity of a naturalist, a logical consequence of Havell's long relationship with Audubon. Bearing the title Death of a Warrior in the final exhibition of the artist's life, held in his Tarrytown home, the painting also carries a smaller pencilled variant on the back, Death of a Tyrant, which may better explain the scene before us. The protective parents, posed aggressively, regard the demise of a bird of prey that has threatened their scampering young. A dramatic backdrop parallels the life-and-death drama. A torrential rainstorm rages behind the dying hawk, while a clearing sky behind the ducks hints at peaceful times ahead. C
Tacking edges reinforced with Polyester Reemay adhered with BEVA 371. Two repaired holes, one in sky at upper right approximately 1 x 1/2 inches, with corresponding inpaint. Scattered tiny holes filled and inpainted.