The Harvest Wagon
Encyclopedia
The Harvest Wagon is the name for two paintings done by English artist Thomas Gainsborough
. The first was done around 1767 and is today owned by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts
, in Birmingham, England. The later painting was done around 1784 and is part of the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario
. The later painting is the better known of the two. It was donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario
by Frank P Wood. It is one of the most prominent pieces in the collection of the AGO.
Both paintings depict a group of peasants riding inside a simple wagon through a rural landscape with a collection of nearby animals. A young boy leads the wagon, while a man helps lift a young woman aboard. The painting is set in the area around Gainsborough's adopted city of Bath, where he lived for 14 years of his life. In 1995 the two museums collaborated on a joint show that displayed the two versions side by side, first on display in England and then in Canada.
The two paintings of a similar subject done some seventeen years apart show the evolution of Gainsborough as an artist. The later painting is more sedate, the figures more composed and less excited. Gainsborough scholar Hugh Besley sees landscape, people, and animals being more unified in the later work. He also sees more influence of Reubens on Gainsborough's style and technique. Reubens The Descent from the Cross
being an especially important influence. The woman being pulled up is ascending to the wagon, in a motion opposite to Christ's. Christina Payne has observed some of the symbolism in the 1784 work, noting that the broken pitcher placed in front of the pregnant passenger may be linked to a pitcher then being a symbol of virginity. The later painting is also far more intimate to the artist as the women in the wagon are portrait's of Gainsborough's own daughters, Mary and Margaret.
The first work could not find a buyer, perhaps being too ribald for the art market of the time. It was thus given to Gainsborough's friend Wiltshire, a mover who transported Gainsborough's paintings from Bath to exhibitions in London. Wiltshire's horses had also served as the model of the animals in the picture. The painting remained in Wiltshire's family until his grandson sold it in 1867.
The second painting, done at the height of Gainsborough's fame, was sold to the Prince of Wales
, later to become King George IV. It later became part of the collection of American steel magnate Elbert Henry Gary
. Upon Gary's death in 1927 his collection was auctioned off, and The Harvest Wagon was one of the most sought after works. After a competitive auction it was purchased by art dealer Joseph Duveen for $360,000, then the highest price ever paid at auction for a painting in the United States. Duveen later sold it to Canadian art collector Frank P. Wood for $450,000, and Wood then donated it to the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 1959 the painting was somewhat damaged during an attempted robbery when the thieves tried to cut the painting out of its frame.
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
. The first was done around 1767 and is today owned by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts
Barber Institute of Fine Arts
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery and concert hall in Birmingham, England. It is situated in purpose-built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham....
, in Birmingham, England. The later painting was done around 1784 and is part of the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
. The later painting is the better known of the two. It was donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
by Frank P Wood. It is one of the most prominent pieces in the collection of the AGO.
Both paintings depict a group of peasants riding inside a simple wagon through a rural landscape with a collection of nearby animals. A young boy leads the wagon, while a man helps lift a young woman aboard. The painting is set in the area around Gainsborough's adopted city of Bath, where he lived for 14 years of his life. In 1995 the two museums collaborated on a joint show that displayed the two versions side by side, first on display in England and then in Canada.
The two paintings of a similar subject done some seventeen years apart show the evolution of Gainsborough as an artist. The later painting is more sedate, the figures more composed and less excited. Gainsborough scholar Hugh Besley sees landscape, people, and animals being more unified in the later work. He also sees more influence of Reubens on Gainsborough's style and technique. Reubens The Descent from the Cross
The Descent from the Cross
The Descent from the Cross is the central panel of a triptych painting by Peter Paul Rubens in 1612-1614. The painting is the second of Rubens's great altarpieces for the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium, along with The Elevation of the Cross. The subject was one Rubens returned to again and...
being an especially important influence. The woman being pulled up is ascending to the wagon, in a motion opposite to Christ's. Christina Payne has observed some of the symbolism in the 1784 work, noting that the broken pitcher placed in front of the pregnant passenger may be linked to a pitcher then being a symbol of virginity. The later painting is also far more intimate to the artist as the women in the wagon are portrait's of Gainsborough's own daughters, Mary and Margaret.
The first work could not find a buyer, perhaps being too ribald for the art market of the time. It was thus given to Gainsborough's friend Wiltshire, a mover who transported Gainsborough's paintings from Bath to exhibitions in London. Wiltshire's horses had also served as the model of the animals in the picture. The painting remained in Wiltshire's family until his grandson sold it in 1867.
The second painting, done at the height of Gainsborough's fame, was sold to the Prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, later to become King George IV. It later became part of the collection of American steel magnate Elbert Henry Gary
Elbert Henry Gary
Elbert Henry Gary was an American lawyer, county judge and corporate officer. He was a key founder of U.S. Steel in 1901, bringing together partners J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Charles M. Schwab. The city of Gary, Indiana, a steel town, was named for him when it was founded in 1906...
. Upon Gary's death in 1927 his collection was auctioned off, and The Harvest Wagon was one of the most sought after works. After a competitive auction it was purchased by art dealer Joseph Duveen for $360,000, then the highest price ever paid at auction for a painting in the United States. Duveen later sold it to Canadian art collector Frank P. Wood for $450,000, and Wood then donated it to the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 1959 the painting was somewhat damaged during an attempted robbery when the thieves tried to cut the painting out of its frame.