N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945) Slag charged with the momentum of an avalanche across the shed; and Hulda, watching, thought he must sweep Eben back into the flaming stack. 1918 Oil on canvas (canvas reused, see NCW 931)
NCW NUMBER
357
TITLE
Slag charged with the momentum of an avalanche across the shed; and Hulda, watching, thought he must sweep Eben back into the flaming stack.
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
INSCRIPTION(S), LABEL(S)
Lower left: N. C. WYETH (from illustration)
SUBJECT
illustration
DATE
1918
PROVENANCE
See NCW 931
INITIAL USE
b/w Illustration across ps. 34-35, Ben Ames Williams, "The Mildest-Mannered Man," Everybody's Magazine, vol. XL, no. 1 (Jan. 1919)
In July 2007 the painting was studied by a group of conservation scientists at Cornell University. Using confocal X-ray flourescence, the pigments of the under image were analyzed, proving that although reproduced in black and white, the canvas was painted in color.
By August 2009, the team under conservation scientist Jennifer Mass had constructed an image of the painting's original appearance. The reconstructed coloration is consistent with the palette used by Wyeth for the other illustration in the series.
IMAGE SOURCE
1. Reconstructed image, using confocal XRF and XRF intensity mapping; 2. Digital scan from tear sheet (Brandywine River Museum library); 3. X-radiograph showing image beneath Family mural study (NCW 931)
PHOTO CREDIT
1. Courtesy of Jennifer Mass, Winterthur Museum; 2. Web: BRM staff; Publication: Rick Echelmeyer, digital photography, 7/11/2006; 3. Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, 1997
