Sunlit Waves, 1903

Provenance

Bonhams, Marlborough, Massachusetts, March 7, 2003, lot 333
Avery Galleries, Haverford, Pennsylvania
Private collection, Horsham, Pennsylvania, 2004, acquired from above
Sale, Christie’s, New York, New York, November 30, 2006, lot 69, from above
Private collection, acquired from above
Sale, Christie’s, New York, New York, January 23, 2025, lot 202, from above

Related Works

Surf on Rocks, c. 1890s, oil on board, 8¾ x 15⅞ inches, signed lower left: W. T. Richards; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
South-West Point, Conanicut, 1878–1879, watercolor and gouache on paper, 33 x 59 inches; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Note

William Trost Richards was renowned for his detailed and realistic seascapes. He was a Hudson River School artist and also created exceptional American Pre-Raphaelite paintings. After 1870, the sea was his primary focus. His work exhibits the interplay of light and water with near-photographic precision.
This painting, created in 1903, is one of his rare masterpieces. It encapsulates a lifetime of his refined techniques and unwavering passion for seascapes, reflecting his profound understanding and meticulous observation of the ocean.