Artwork
La Salle Driving the First Bolt for the Griffin. January 26, 1679
La Salle Driving the First Bolt for the Griffin. January 26, 1679 is an oil painting by the Romanticist artist George Catlin. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: G. Catlin. P.
About this work
Technique & Style
The surface remains well‑preserved, showing no significant craquelure or pigment loss, consistent with the museum’s conservation reports.
La Salle Driving the First Bolt for the Griffin is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work employs oil paint applied to a stretched canvas support, a technique typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century history paintings. Its dimensions measure 37.8 cm in height by 56.3 cm in width, as recorded in the National Gallery of Art’s catalog.
The composition centers on a boat and a tree, rendered with a clear, linear brushstroke that emphasizes narrative clarity. The surface remains well‑preserved, showing no significant craquelure or pigment loss, consistent with the museum’s conservation reports.
History & Provenance
The painting was executed by George Catlin in 1850, long after the event it depicts (the driving of the first bolt for the Griffin on January 26, 1679).
Catlin’s ownership of the work is recorded, followed by descent to his daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin, who sold it in 1912 to the American Museum of Natural History. In 1959, the museum consigned the painting to Kennedy Galleries in New York, which brokered its sale to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon gifted the painting to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it remains.
The painting entered the collection of the American Museum of Natural History in 1912 following its purchase from Elizabeth Wing Catlin, one of the artist's daughters. The museum sold the work in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it remains part of the permanent collection. The provided sources do not list specific exhibition history or inventory accession numbers for the work.
Overview
George Catlin painted La Salle Driving the First Bolt for the Griffin. January 26, 1679 in 1848. This oil on canvas work functions as a history painting, illustrating a specific moment from the late 17th century.
It captures a figure, presumably La Salle, engaged in the initial construction of a vessel, set amidst a natural landscape. The painting reflects Catlin's interest in significant events from American history.
Subject & Meaning
The painting commemorates the commencement of the Griffin, the first sailing ship to navigate the Great Lakes. On January 26, 1679, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, initiated its construction by driving the first bolt. This act symbolized the beginning of a significant expedition into the North American interior, aiming to expand French influence and trade routes. Catlin's depiction emphasizes this foundational moment of exploration and enterprise.
Context
George Catlin, originally trained in law, became known for his extensive documentation of Native American cultures. Throughout the 1830s, he undertook five journeys to the American West, creating numerous portraits and scenes that recorded the lives of Plains Indian communities. While much of his oeuvre focuses on indigenous life, La Salle Driving the First Bolt for the Griffin demonstrates his occasional engagement with pivotal moments in early American colonial history, offering a different perspective on the frontier narrative.
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Artist & collection
Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
Bulls Fighting
Expedition Encamped on a Texas Prairie. April 1686
An Alligator's Nest
Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlet Gregory)
Chief of the Taensa Indians Receiving La Salle. March 20, 1682
A Small Village - Payaguas Indians
Omaha Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior
Father Hennepin Leaving the Mississippi to Join La Salle. May 8, 1680
- First Sailing of the Griffin on Lake Erie. August 7, 1679
Launching of the Griffin. July 1679
La Salle Crossing Lake Michigan on the Ice. December 8, 1681
La Salle and Party Arrive at the Village of the Illinois. January 1, 1680
La Salle Claiming Louisiana for France. April 9, 1682
La Salle Erecting a Cross and Taking Possession of the Land. March 25, 1682
La Salle's Party Entering the Mississippi in Canoes. February 6, 1682
La Salle Taking Possession of the Land at the Mouth of the Arkansas. March 10, 1682
La Salle's Party Feasted in the Illinois Village. January 2, 1680
The Griffin Entering the Harbor at Mackinaw. August 27, 1679
La Salle Assassinated by Duhaut. May 19, 1686