Robert Salmon (1776-1844)
Oil on panel, signed "R Salmon" and titled on reverse “Squantam Rock” and dated "1843" and numbered on reverse "No 530". The painting depicts Squaw Rock on the tip of Squantum Peninsula in Boston Harbor at Quincy, Massachusetts. The arrangement in this painting has excellent proportions with a tall schooner on the right-hand side of the canvas, balanced by the abrupt face of Squaw Rock, with its viewing platform and American flag. In the background between these elements, the sun lights up a small group of sailboats pulled into shore and a gently sloping hill with various structures scattered across it. Salmon placed fisherman around the scene as well as figures on the observation deck on the schooner and on the shoreline. The brilliant blue sky washed with a thin but glowing cloud cover indicates a clear day. Though true to his subject matter throughout his career and again in this later work, Salmon's waves are painted in his customary scallop style but with a wider, slightly irregular brush stroke then in some of his earlier, more exact works. This painting is listed in Salmon’s Catalogue as Plate 120. (PA1076)
Provenance: George Lewis Collection.
Exhibition: Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association in 1844.
Note: Salmon kept a journal where he listed most of his paintings. The listings would usually list the painting number, and these numbers ran chronologically from low to high in the journal. In the listing he usually would mention the painting's size, title, and number of days it took to paint the picture. If he sold the painting, he would sometimes include the sold price. When Salmon completed a painting, he typically, but not always, wrote the journal number on the back of the canvas or wood panel. Having the painting with the catalogue number enables one to refer to the journal to obtain additional information about the painting. A copy of the original journal is in the collection of the Boston Public Library. A second reference is a book "Robert Salmon Painter of Ship and Shore" by John Wilmerding which has an Appendix A which begins on page 89 and ends on page 98. The paintings in the Wilmerding book and in Salmon's original journal begin with No. 1 and end on No. 999. The dates in the journal begin at 1807 and end in July 1840. Not all Salmon paintings were listed in his journal; Salmon’s first works were painted in the year 1800, seven years before the journal came into use.
Reference 1: Granby, Alan and Janice Hyland, “Flying the Colors: The Unseen Treasures of Nineteenth Century American Marine Art”, published in 2009 by Mystic Seaport. This painting is described on page 9 and is illustrated on page 37.
Reference 2: Wilmerding, John, "Robert Salmon Painter of Ship and Shore", published by the Peabody Museum of Salem, MA, 1971.
Condition of Painting: Excellent.
Condition of Frame: Period gesso frame with original gold leaf surface.
Dimensions of Painting: Height 16 3/8, Width 24 inches.
Dimensions of Frame: Height 25 1/2; Width 33 inches.
Auction Records for similar American paintings by Robert Salmon:
01/26/11 Bonham’s “American Revenue Cutter” 16x24 ($150,000-$250,000). Sold: $458,000.
8/4/06 Barridoff “A Schooner in Calm Sea” 8x10 ($30,000-$50,000). Sold: $148,125.
5/21/02 Phillips “American Schooner Under Heavy Sail” 16X24 ($150,000-$175,000). Sold: $189,000. Foster Collection.
5/21/02 Phillips “Schooner with a View of Boston” 16x24 ($200,000-$250,000). Sold: $508,500. Foster Collection.
5/21/02 Phillips “Bark Marblehead” 15x23 ($175,000-$250,000). Sold: $310,000. Foster Collection.
5/21/02 Phillips “View of Boston Harbor” 9x11 ($125,000-$150,000). Sold: $552,000. Foster Collection.
12/3/98 Sotheby’s “Shipping Scene at Boston” 15x24 ($80,000-$120,000). Sold: $112,500.
Price $125,000.
