The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Point Judith, Rhode Island

Point Judith, Rhode Island

1867–68
(American, 1819–1904)
America, 19th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 97 x 153.5 x 14 cm (38 3/16 x 60 7/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 72.3 x 128 cm (28 7/16 x 50 3/8 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund and Gift of Delbert Gutridge in memory of Orrel A. Parker by exchange 1970.161
Location: 206 American Landscape

Did You Know?

Home to Point Judith, the beach town of Narragansett has its population double during summertime.

Description

One of only a handful of nocturnal scenes painted by Heade, this evocative painting captures the effects of glimmering moonlight on land, sea, and sky. Although the artist depicts a specific location, his nighttime rendering shrouds most details in shadow, imparting a greater sense of mood than place. Human presence manifests itself through two sailing ships on the left side of the composition.
  • 1970-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
    1969-1970
    (Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    Probably 1969
    James H. and Adeline [b. 1933] Anderson, consigned to Hirschl & Adler 1
    1953-1969
    Lucy Joseph Harris, Providence and Little Compton, RI, by descent to her daughter and son-in-law, Adeline and James H. Anderson
    1944-1953
    Benjamin P. Harris, Jr. [1901-1953], Providence, RI, by descent to his wife, Lucy Joseph Harris
    1943=1944
    Mona Elizabeth Tower Harris [1871-1944], Providence, RI, by descent to her son, Benjamin P. Harris, Jr.
    1922-1943
    Benjamin P. Harris, Providence, RI [1873-1943], by descent to his wife, Mona Elizabeth Tower Harris
    By 1898-1922
    Sarah Bullock Harris [1834-1922], Providence, RI, by descent to her son, Benjamin P. Harris
    Thomas Harris [1825-1898], Providence, RI, by descent to his wife, Sarah Bullock Harris
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 1 In July 1969, Anderson appears to have consigned the painting to Vose Galleries in Boston; their records mention a painting by Heade, "Moonlight on the Bay," with dimensions almost exactly the same as those of the CMA painting. This is almost certainly the CMA painting, as Theodore Stebbins, author of the Heade catalogue raisonné, notes that Heade painted only three moonlit scenes, and that the other two are significantly smaller in size. An inscription on the back of the CMA painting's stretcher reads, "7.29.69 J.H. Anderson," which may refer to the date Vose acquired the painting.  However, it apparently failed to sell, and it was returned to Anderson on August 8th.  He then consigned it to Hirschl & Adler later that year.
  • Stebbins, Theodore E., Martin Johnson Heade, Janet L. Comey, and Karen E. Quinn. The Life and Work of Martin Johnson Heade: A Critical Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
    “A Check List. American Paintings and Water Colors of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Early Twentieth Centuries in the Cleveland Museum of Art.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 60, no. 1 (January 1973): 21–35. Mentioned: p. 27, no. 81 www.jstor.org
    Talbot, William S. “Landscape and Light.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 60, no. 1 (January 1973): 9–20. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 13-16, figs. 5-6 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 229 archive.org
    Talbot, William S. “Visions of Landscape: East and West.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 70, no. 3 (March 1983): 112–135. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 124-126, fig. 21 www.jstor.org
    Adams, Henry. What's American about American art?: a gallery tour in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2008. Reproduced: p. 78 - 79
  • Fort Worth, TX, Amon Carter Museum, Ominous Hush: The Thunderstorm Paintings of Martin Johnson Heade (12 February - 1 May 1994); traveled to Shelburne, VT, Shelburne Museum (4 June - 5 September 1994); traveled to New York, NY, Metropolitan Museum of Art (4 October 1994 - 8 January 1995), cat. no. 5, pl. 6, figs 36-7, p. 29-33.
    Providence, RI, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, The Eden of America: Rhode Island Landscapes, 1820 - 1920 (23 January - 27 April 1986), cat. no. 15, ill. p. 35.
    Cincinnati, OH, Taft Museum of Art, Night Lights - 19th and 20th Century American Nocturne Paintings (2 May - 30 June 1985), p. 4, ill. p. 10.
    Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
    Cleveland, OH, Cleveland Museum of Art, Visions of Landscape: East and West (17 February - 21 March 1982), no cat.
    Heritage and Horizon: American Painting 1776 - 1976. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY (organizer) (March 7-April 11, 1976); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (May 2-June 13, 1976); The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (July 4-August 15, 1976); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 8-October 10, 1976).
    Buffalo, NY, Albright-Knox Art Gallery Heritage and Horizon - American Painting 1776 - 1976 (6 March - 11 April 1976); traveled to Detroit, MI, Detroit Institute of Arts (5 May - 13 June 1976); traveled to Toledo, OH, Toledo Museum of Art (4 July - 15 August 1976); traveled to Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art (8 September - 10 October 1976); cat. no. 13, ill.
    Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971).
    Cleveland, OH, Cleveland Museum of Art, Year in Review for 1970 (7 February - 10 March 1971).
    New York, NY, Whitney Museum of American Art, Martin Johnson Heade (10 November - 21 December 1969), not in cat.
  • {{cite web|title=Point Judith, Rhode Island|url=false|author=Martin Johnson Heade|year=1867–68|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1970.161