Beschreibung:

Attributed to Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727-1788) The Campfire Unsigned, attributed on a presentation plaque, inscribed "Gainsborough" in ink on an unattributed inventory label affixed to the stretcher. Oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in. (76.5 x 63.5 cm), framed. Condition: Lined, retouch, craquelure, surface grime. Provenance: William A. Coats, Esq., Dalskairth, Dumfries; Mr. and Mrs. Julius Haass, Detroit; Newhouse Galleries, New York; Robert W. Lyons, Washington, DC; Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., Notable Paintings from the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Lyons, January 4, 1945, Cat. no. 32; ...; Jackson & Wyckliff Auctioneers, Inc., Carmel, Indiana, June 6, 1994, as Attributed to Thomas Gainsborough; acquired from the above by the family of the consignor. Literature: W.A. Coats, Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures of the French, Dutch, British and other Schools Belonging to W.A. Coats (Glasgow: Wm. B. Paterson, 1904), No. CXX and Plate CXX (viewed digitally at https://www.worldcat.org/title/catalogue-of-the-collection-of-pictures-of-the-french-dutch-british-and-other-schools-belonging-to-wa-coats/oclc/14064402/viewport). Exhibitions, as listed in the Parke-Bernet catalog: Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, 1930; Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio, 1930 (unconfirmed). N.B. The lot is accompanied by a copy of the above-referenced 1945 Parke-Bernet auction catalog and a receipt from Jackson Wyckliff Auctioneers. The early provenance recorded above (through 1945) was gleaned from the Parke-Bernet entry. The Parke-Bernet entry also makes reference to an authentication provided by Mr. W. Roberts, but that document no longer accompanies the painting. Julius Heinrich Haass and Lillian Martha Henkel Haass were collectors and philanthropists in Detroit, Michigan, where Mr. Haass served as a trustee and president of the Detroit Museum of Art Founders Society.