Artwork
A Landscape after Sunset
A Landscape after Sunset is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Washington Allston. It dates from 1819 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in 1819, this landscape is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 45.4 cm in height and 64.14 cm in width. As a painting by Washington Allston, it belongs to the landscape genre and is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having previously been part of the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
History & Provenance
Following Wolcott's death, the piece was sold at an estate auction in Boston on May 13, 1954, where it was acquired by Eunice Chambers of South Carolina.
Washington Allston completed this landscape in 1819. In February 1820, Charles Russell Codman of Boston purchased the work directly from the artist for $150. The painting remained within the Codman family through subsequent generations, passing to Codman's son James McMaster Codman and later to his daughter Cora Codman Wolcott.
Following Wolcott's death, the piece was sold at an estate auction in Boston on May 13, 1954, where it was acquired by Eunice Chambers of South Carolina.
Dr. Irving Levitt of Detroit bought the canvas from Chambers in 1957. Five years later, in December 1962, the Hirschl and Adler Galleries in New York acquired the work, subsequently selling it to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington in 1963. The National Gallery of Art ultimately obtained the painting in 2014.
A Landscape after Sunset is an oil on canvas painting by Washington Allston completed in 1819. The work remained in the Codman family until sold at auction in May 1954, then passed to Eunice Chambers, Irving Levitt, and Hirschl and Adler Galleries before being acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2014. It is now held in the National Gallery of Art’s collection and was previously part of the Corcoran Gallery of Art after its acquisition in 1963.
The painting’s provenance is documented in auction records and correspondence, and its current location is confirmed by the National Gallery of Art’s collection data.
Context
A Landscape after Sunset (1819) is an oil on canvas work measuring 45.4 cm by 64.14 cm and is classified as a landscape painting by Washington Allston. The canvas entered the collection of Charles Russell Codman in February 1820, passed through several owners, appeared at auction in 1954, and was subsequently acquired by Dr. Irving Levitt in 1957 before being sold to Hirschl and Adler Galleries and finally purchased by the National Gallery of Art in 2014. Reference documentation, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s acquisition records and a Wikidata entry, identifies the piece as part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection and describes it within the context of early American Romantic landscape painting.
Legacy
The painting’s inclusion in the National Gallery of Art’s collection in 2014, after a documented chain of ownership that began with its 1820 acquisition by Charles Russell Codman and subsequent sales in 1954, 1957, 1962, and 1963, reflects its enduring scholarly and curatorial interest; the work’s status as a representative example of early American landscape painting is reinforced by its display alongside other works by Washington Allston in major institutions such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, a fact noted in both the detailed provenance record and the artist’s entry in reference databases. This trajectory illustrates how the piece has come to symbolize the maturation of American Romantic landscape painting and continues to inform studies of Allston’s influence on later artists.
Overview
Washington Allston's A Landscape after Sunset, painted around 1819, captures a serene rural scene in oil on canvas. The composition depicts a tranquil moment at dusk, featuring a lone figure and livestock by a stream, framed by trees and a glowing sky. This work exemplifies the artist's engagement with landscape painting during the early 19th century, showcasing his characteristic atmospheric approach to natural subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a quiet countryside as daylight wanes. A solitary rider on horseback, clad in a red coat, pauses near a small stream where two cows drink. Towering trees dominate the mid-ground, while the horizon reveals distant hills beneath a sky illuminated with soft pink and orange hues. The overall impression is one of contemplative stillness and the peaceful transition from day to night.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Washington Allston spent his life chasing the glow of stories more than fame. Born in South Carolina, he studied law at Harvard before the itch to paint pulled him across the Atlantic to London. There he fell in with…
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