Artwork
Wild Olive Tree Roots, Valldemosa, Majorca
Wild Olive Tree Roots, Valldemosa, Majorca is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist John Singer Sargent. It dates from 1908 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:on reverse, visible before relining: estate stamp
About this work
History & Provenance
Brown Fine Arts, North Amherst, handled the next sale to Virginia Bailey Brown in 1981, who in 1991 donated it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.
The work was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1908 during his stay in Valldemosa, Majorca. After the artist’s death, it entered his estate and was sold at Christie’s, London, on 24–27 July 1925. It then passed through M. Knoedler & Co. in London and New York on joint account with T. H. Robinson before being acquired in 1958 by Thomas K. Ware.
On Ware’s death in 1963, the painting descended to his wife, Lenore Caldwell Woodcock, Huntington, New York. It was lent to the Heckscher Museum of Art from August 1967 to March 1974. Subsequently consigned to Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, it was sold on 25 April 1980.
Jeffrey R. Brown Fine Arts, North Amherst, handled the next sale to Virginia Bailey Brown in 1981, who in 1991 donated it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
John Singer Sargent painted Wild Olive Tree Roots, Valldemosa, Majorca in 1908. The work entered the artist’s estate after his death and was sold at Christie, Manson & Woods in London on 24 and 27 July 1925 (lot 105). It subsequently passed through M. Knoedler & Company and was acquired by Thomas K. Ware in 1958.
The painting remained in the family of William A. Woodcock, Lenore Caldwell Woodcock’s husband, who loaned it to the Heckscher Museum of Art from August 1967 to March 1974. After William A. Woodcock’s death, Lenore Caldwell Woodcock inherited the work and later gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1991. Prior to its acquisition by the National Gallery of Art, the painting was handled by Jeffrey R. Brown Fine Arts in 1981 and appeared in the Richard York Gallery exhibition An American Gallery in Spring 1987.
Overview
John Singer Sargent’s Wild Olive Tree Roots, Valldemosa, Majorca (1908) is an oil on canvas that records a moment from the artist’s extensive Mediterranean travels. Though best known for portraiture, Sargent produced a substantial body of landscape work, and this piece exemplifies his interest in the natural world during a period of frequent journeys through Spain.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a cluster of olive‑tree roots tangled across a stony surface, their gnarled forms interlaced with twisted branches and sparse foliage. The scene conveys a sense of untamed growth, emphasizing the resilience of the tree against a rugged terrain and inviting viewers to contemplate the quiet drama of ordinary nature.
Technique & Style
Sargent employs a vigorous impasto technique, laying on thick layers of paint that give the roots a palpable texture. Visible brushstrokes vary from broad, forceful swaths to finer, delicate lines, creating a tactile surface. A muted palette of earthy browns and greens is punctuated by occasional highlights of light, suggesting sunlight filtering over the roots.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury.
- Rocks in the Forest of Fontainebleau
Metsää ja hiekkarinne
An Apple Tree at a Stream
The Dell
The Torrent
The Stream (Le Ruisseau du Puits-Noir; vallée de la Loue)
Orchard
Apple-tree over stream.
Oliivimetsä
The Sabine Hills and Rocca Santo Stefano, Seen from Civitella
Metsä
Rocher couvert de mousses et troncs d'arbres abattus