Archbishop Diomede Falconio

1905

Thomas Eakins

Associated Names
Thomas Eakins

Artist, American, 1844 - 1916

This painting shows a man seated in a wooden chair, facing slightly to the right with his hands resting on his lap. He has pale, wrinkled skin, a large nose, prominent cheekbones, a thin, closed mouth, and short dark hair. He wears a light blue clerical robe with a large cross around his neck. His shoes are dark with silver buckles, and he has a large ring on one finger. There is patterned fabric on the floor beneath his chair, which appears to rest on a low platform. The background has dark wood paneling, and a coat of arms is on the wall to the right.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Stephen C. Clark

  • Dimensions

    overall: 183.2 x 137.7 cm (72 1/8 x 54 3/16 in.)
    framed: 204.5 x 159.4 x 6 cm (80 1/2 x 62 3/4 x 2 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1946.16.1

More About this Artwork

Video:  Thomas Eakins and the “Grand Manner” Portrait

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1844-1916]; by inheritance 1916 to his wife, Susan Macdowell Eakins [Mrs. Thomas Eakins, 1851-1938], Philadelphia, until at least 1922/1923; purchased 1928 by Reginald Marsh, New York;[1] sold 30 March 1943 through (William Macbeth, New York) to Stephen C. Clark [1882-1960], New York;[2] gift 1946 to NGA.
[1] In a letter of 4 August 1947 to James W. Lane (in NGA curatorial files), Reginald Marsh recollected buying the painting from Mrs. Eakins in Philadelphia in October 1928.
[2] Macbeth Gallery obtained the painting from Marsh on 25 March 1943 and sold it five days later to Clark; letter of 2 July 1947 from Robert B. McIntyre to James W. Lane (in NGA curatorial files).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1917

  • Memorial Exhibition of the Work of the Late Thomas Eakins, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1917, no. 138.

  • Loan Exhibition of the Works of Thomas Eakins, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1917, no. 51.

1930

  • Sixth Loan Exhibition: Homer, Ryder, Eakins, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1930, no. 113.

1945

  • Thomas Eakins Centennial Exhibition, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1945, no. 106.

1961

  • Thomas Eakins: A Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; The Art Institute of Chicago; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1961-1962, no. 91.

1970

  • Portraits by Thomas Eakins, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, Pennsylvania, 1970, no cat. (organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art).

  • Thomas Eakins Retrospective Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1970, no. 95, repro.

1993

  • Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) and the Heart of American Life, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1993-1994, no. 48, repro.

Bibliography

1917

  • Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the Late Thomas Eakins. Philadelphia, 1917: repro., unpaginated.

1930

  • Goodrich, Lloyd. "Thomas Eakins, Realist." Pennsylvania Museum Bulletin 25 (March 1930): 31, no. 283.

1933

  • Goodrich, Lloyd. Thomas Eakins: His Life and Work. New York, 1933: 201, repro. 66.

1942

  • McKinney, Roland. Thomas Eakins. New York, 1942: 15.

1959

  • Porter, Fairfield. Thomas Eakins. New York, 1959: repro. 73.

1961

  • Thomas Eakins: A Retrospective Exhibition. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Art Institute of Chicago; Philadelhia Museum of Art. Washington, D.C., 1961: 124, repro. 91.

1963

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 327, repro.

1967

  • Schendler, Sylvan. Eakins. Boston, 1967: 208, repro. 104.

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 52, repro., as Monsignor Diomede Falconio.

1974

  • Hendricks, Gordon. The Life and Work of Thomas Eakins. New York, 1974: 255, repro. 275.

1975

  • McBride, Henry. The Flow of Art. New York, 1975: 138-139.

1979

  • Gerdts, William H. "Thomas Eakins and the Episcopal Portrait: Archbishop William Henry Elder." Arts Magazine 53 (May 1979): 154-155, repro. 155.

1980

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980: 16, no. 39, color repro.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 149, repro.

1981

  • Williams, William James. A Heritage of American Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1981: 169, repro. 170.

1982

  • Goodrich, Lloyd. Thomas Eakins. 2 vols. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1982: 2:188, 191, repro. 237.

1983

  • Johns, Elizabeth. Thomas Eakins: The Heroism of Modern Life. Princeton, 1983: 150, fig. 109.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 553, no. 837, color repro.

1988

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. Rev. ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988: 134, no. 44, color repro.

1992

  • Homer, William Innes. Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art. New York, 1992: 226-227, color repro. 226.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 167, repro.

1993

  • Wilmerding, John, et al. Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) and the Heart of American Life. Exh. cat. National Portrait Gallery, London, 1993: 34, 171, 172-175, 177, repro. 172, 175.

1996

  • Kelly, Franklin, with Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Deborah Chotner, and John Davis. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1996: 178-182, color repro.

2006

  • The Clark Brothers Collect: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings. Exh. cat. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Williamstown and New Haven, 2006: 175, 177, 180, 315, 326 no. 116.

Wikidata ID

Q20190926

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