Pink Petunias

By Laura Coombs Hills (1859-1952)

Pastel on paperboard

16 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches

Signed lower right: Laura Hills

Circa 1920s

$14,500

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Description

Laura Coombs Hills was a pioneering American artist known for her contributions to the miniature painting revival of the 1890s. She was the first miniature painter elected to the Society of American Artists and a founding member of the American Society of Miniature Painters. Her work earned widespread acclaim, including a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and the first Medal of Honor from the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters in 1916. Later in life, she focused on pastel floral still lifes, which remained highly sought after, with pieces acquired by major institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Met, and Harvard’s Fogg Museum.

“[Hills] manages to bring dancing sunlight and vibrant atmosphere within the four walls and to soak her flowers in it.”

– Boston Herald, 1939

Click here to read full artist biography

Provenance

With F. W. Bayley & Son, Copley Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, Circa 1920s

To private collection, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1920s

By descent in the family for two generations to private collection, Concord, Massachusetts

Inscriptions

1). (verso of board in black) Pink Petunias

2). (on old frame in pencil, twice, image available) 14

Labels

(on old frame) F. W. Bayley & Son / Copley Gallery / 103 Newbury Street / Boston

Exhibitions

Literature

Condition

Very good. The board is slightly bowed, and the artist’s pinholes are at the corners, and there is a very small aberration or fold in the upper left corner which may have been inherent to the piece before it was housed in the old frame. There is minor discoloration along the margins from the old frame, but overall, the artist’s pastel colors appear strong with no significant fading.

Frame Details