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John Singer Sargent
American, 1856–1925
Staircase
c. 1878
Sargent painted this study of a monastery stairwell during a visit to Italy in 1878. The verdant landscape visible through the window suggests the full bloom of summer. Like many artists based in Paris during this period, Sargent traveled extensively in search of subjects not available in his studio. This painting reveals his interest in capturing the play of natural light over architectural forms.
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
21 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. (55.6 x 41 cm)
Object Number
1955.582
Acquisition
Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955
Status
Off View
Image Caption
John Singer Sargent, Staircase, c. 1878, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, 1955.582
Select Bibliography
Ormond, Richard and Elaine Kilmurray. Figures and Landscapes, 1874-1882. Vol. IV of John Singer Sargent: Complete Paintings. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. 2006.
M. Knoedler & Co., New York. An Exhibition of Paintings by the Late John Singer Sargent, R.A. November 2-14, 1925.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Exhibit Seven: The Regency and Louis XVI Rooms. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1957.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Exhibit Four & Exhibit Seven. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1958.
. "Almost a Million at Sargent Sale.". Art News, 23.. (Aug. 15, 1925)..
Downes, William Howe. John S. Sargent: His Life and Work. London: Thornton & Butterworth, 1926.
Charteris, Evan. John Sargent. London: William Heineman, Ltd., 1927.
. "American Painting Attribution Contest.". Art News, 37.. (April 1, 1939)..
Mount, Charles Merrill. John Singer Sargent: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1955.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1970.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1972.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1984.
Conrads, Margaret C. American Paintings and Sculpture at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1990.
Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992.
Herdrich, Stephenie L., and H. Barbara Weinberg. American Drawings and Watercolors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: John Singer Sargent. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press, 2000.
Dearinger, David B, ed. Rave Reviews: American Art and Its Critics, 1826-1925. Exhibition catalogue. New York: National Academy of Design, 2000.
Provenance
To the estate of the artist; to (Christie's, London, sale of the Sargent property, July 27, 1925, no. 188); to (M. Knoedler & Co., London); to (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); to (James Carstairs, Philadelphia, May 1926); to (M. Knoedler & Co., New York, December 1928); to Robert Sterling Clark, February 24, 1939.
