A Strike
Signed lower right: John Whorf
Description
Sporting motifs, Boston city views, coastal subjects, and attractive nudes in outdoor settings constituted a large portion of John Whorf’s chosen subject matter and were all admired and quickly purchased by collectors. He was especially successful with his fishing themes, such as A Strike, which may have been inspired by time spent exploring the rivers of Maine, upstate New York, and Canada, or even sites closer to home in coastal Massachusetts. Nary a detail escapes Whorf’s attention in this wonderful rendition of an angler’s day of relaxation on the water, from the fisherman’s waders and the curved brim of his well-worn hat to the gentle bend of the pole and line as an unseen fish goes for a bite.
Provenance
Grace Horne Galleries, Boston, Massachusetts, by 1943 (briefly consigned with Vose Galleries in December 1943, as inventory no. 13756, before returning to Grace Horne)
Eventually with Arvest Galleries, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, by 1984
Private collection, Brookline, Massachusetts, until 2025
Inscriptions
Labels
Arvest Galleries, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts / 21. “Fisherman in a
Boat” / by John Whorf, N.A. (1903-1959) / watercolor – 14 ¼” x 21 ¼”
Exhibitions
John Whorf, N. A. (1903-1959), Arvest Galleries, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, October 19 – December 10, 1984 , illus. in black and white in catalogue as ‘Fisherman in a Boat’
Literature
Condition
Very good. The verso of the paper is very clean, and the recto shows no significant fading to the artist’s colors and only very minor toning along the extreme edges, presumably from an old mat. There are pinholes near the corners of the sheet from the artist, as well as one in the far-left water and one in the far-left trees. The painting is housed in an archival mat and framed behind museum glass.
Frame Details
Description
Sporting motifs, Boston city views, coastal subjects, and attractive nudes in outdoor settings constituted a large portion of John Whorf’s chosen subject matter and were all admired and quickly purchased by collectors. He was especially successful with his fishing themes, such as A Strike, which may have been inspired by time spent exploring the rivers of Maine, upstate New York, and Canada, or even sites closer to home in coastal Massachusetts. Nary a detail escapes Whorf’s attention in this wonderful rendition of an angler’s day of relaxation on the water, from the fisherman’s waders and the curved brim of his well-worn hat to the gentle bend of the pole and line as an unseen fish goes for a bite.
Provenance
Grace Horne Galleries, Boston, Massachusetts, by 1943 (briefly consigned with Vose Galleries in December 1943, as inventory no. 13756, before returning to Grace Horne)
Eventually with Arvest Galleries, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, by 1984
Private collection, Brookline, Massachusetts, until 2025
Inscriptions
Labels
Arvest Galleries, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts / 21. “Fisherman in a
Boat” / by John Whorf, N.A. (1903-1959) / watercolor – 14 ¼” x 21 ¼”
Exhibitions
John Whorf, N. A. (1903-1959), Arvest Galleries, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, October 19 – December 10, 1984 , illus. in black and white in catalogue as ‘Fisherman in a Boat’
Literature
Condition
Very good. The verso of the paper is very clean, and the recto shows no significant fading to the artist’s colors and only very minor toning along the extreme edges, presumably from an old mat. There are pinholes near the corners of the sheet from the artist, as well as one in the far-left water and one in the far-left trees. The painting is housed in an archival mat and framed behind museum glass.
