Artwork
Tourn Mountain, Head Quarters of Washington, Rockland Co., New York
Tourn Mountain, Head Quarters of Washington, Rockland Co., New York is an oil painting by the Hudson River School artist Jasper Francis Cropsey. It dates from 1851 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center on rock: 1851 / J.F. Cropsey
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Tourn Mountain in Rockland County, New York, specifically identifying the location as the former headquarters of George Washington.
The painting depicts Tourn Mountain in Rockland County, New York, specifically identifying the location as the former headquarters of George Washington. The work functions as a landscape that merges natural scenery with a specific historical reference to the American Revolutionary War. By titling the piece to highlight Washington's presence, the artist imbues the mountainous terrain with patriotic significance, linking the physical geography of the Hudson River region to national history.
The subject matter transforms a specific geographic site into a symbol of American heritage and leadership during the war.
Technique & Style
Jasper Francis Cropsey painted Tourn Mountain, Head Quarters of Washington, Rockland Co., New York using oil on canvas in 1851. The work measures 57.94 cm in height by 70.49 cm in width. It was first exhibited in 1853 at the Massachusetts Academy of Fine Arts and subsequently entered the collection of William Wilson Corcoran by 1857, later being gifted to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1869 and acquired by the National Gallery of Art in 2015. The painting is currently held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Jasper Francis Cropsey painted Tourn Mountain, Head Quarters of Washington, Rockland Co., New York in 1851, creating an oil on canvas landscape (57.94 × 70.49 cm). The work entered the collection of William Wilson Corcoran by purchase in 1857, remained in his holdings until Corcoran gifted it to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1869, and was later acquired by the National Gallery of Art in 2015.
The painting was exhibited at the Massachusetts Academy of Fine Arts in 1853, and although the artist recorded sales in his account book, no sale to Corcoran appears in the surviving documentation (Newington-Cropsey Foundation, microfilm reel 336, no frame number). The National Gallery of Art now holds the work as part of its collection.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was acquired by the museum in 2015 after being part of the Corcoran Gallery of Art collection, which had received the work as a gift in 1869. Prior to this, it was purchased from the artist in 1851 and subsequently displayed at the Massachusetts Academy of Fine Arts in 1853.
Inventory number: 2015.177.1
Overview
Jasper Francis Cropsey’s 1851 oil on canvas, titled Tourn Mountain, Head Quarters of Washington, Rockland Co., New York, presents a tranquil rural scene. A modest dwelling occupies the left foreground, while a river winds toward a distant, softly rendered mountain under a clear daytime sky.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jasper Francis Cropsey was an American architect and artist. He is best known for his Hudson River School landscape paintings.
