Launching of the Griffin. July 1679

George Catlin executed this oil on canvas in 1847. Following the artist's death in 1872, the work passed by descent to his three daughters: Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin. In 1912, the American Museum of Natural History purchased the painting directly from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.

The museum retained the piece until 1959, when it was sold through Kennedy Galleries of New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the artwork to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965.

The painting Launching of the Griffin, executed in 1847 by George Catlin, is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C. It was acquired by the museum in 1965 as a gift from Paul Mellon. The work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Art and was included in a 1959 exhibition at Kennedy Galleries, New York, prior to its acquisition.

The painting titled Launching of the Griffin was created by George Catlin in 1847 and depicts a historical scene from 1679. It is an oil on canvas work measuring 37.8 cm by 56.2 cm and belongs to the marine genre within the broader corpus of 19th-century American art. The artwork entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., through a series of successions and acquisitions beginning with its creation by Catlin and subsequent transfers within his family.

Scholarly attention to the piece has focused on its historical narrative and artistic significance as an example of early American marine painting, situating it within Catlin's exploration of maritime themes and his engagement with historical events depicted through genre painting. Its presence in a major institutional collection underscores its recognized cultural and artistic value.

The work's placement in art history reflects Catlin's role in shaping early American visual culture, particularly through his depictions of seafaring and national identity, as evidenced by its provenance and institutional holdings.

The painting's critical reception has been shaped by its historical subject matter and technical execution, with scholars analyzing its composition and narrative within the context of 19th-century American art movements and Catlin's broader artistic output.

George Catlin’s oil on canvas, Launching of the Griffin (1848), portrays a bustling riverine ceremony in which a newly built boat is thrust into the water. A crowd gathers along the shore while canoes drift nearby, capturing the communal excitement surrounding the launch. The composition centers on the thrusting figures, set against a sky mottled with clouds and a treeline that frames the lively scene.