Artwork
Vase of Morning Glories
Vase of Morning Glories is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Hannah Brown Skeele. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: H.B. Skeele.
About this work
Technique & Style
Hannah Brown Skeele's Vase of Morning Glories is executed in oil paint applied to a wood support. The work is classified as a painting and measures 37.15 cm in height by 27.94 cm in width. The piece entered the National Gallery of Art collection in 2018 as a gift from William H. and Abigail Booth Gerdts, having previously been sold at Sotheby's in New York in 1979.
History & Provenance
Documentation regarding the transfer from the Gerdts family to the museum is preserved in the institution's curatorial files.
The creation date for Vase of Morning Glories by Hannah Brown Skeele remains undetermined. The oil-on-wood panel entered the modern market through a sale at Sotheby's in New York in 1979. Following this auction, the work was acquired by William H. Gerdts and Abigail Booth Gerdts of New York, who retained ownership for nearly four decades.
In 2018, the couple donated the painting to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered the permanent collection. Documentation regarding the transfer from the Gerdts family to the museum is preserved in the institution's curatorial files.
Vase of Morning Glories is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the museum in 2018 as a gift from William H. (1929–2020) and Abigail Booth Gerdts of New York, who had purchased it at a Sotheby's sale in New York in 1979. Documentation from Abigail Booth Gerdts regarding the 1979 acquisition is on file in the NGA curatorial records.
No exhibition history beyond the 1979 Sotheby's sale is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Hannah Brown Skeele’s Vase of Morning Glories (1865) is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel. The composition centers on a white, patterned vase brimming with a mixed bouquet of pink, deep‑blue, and white morning‑glory blossoms, their foliage spilling over the rim onto a darkened surface.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents a straightforward still‑life arrangement, emphasizing the transient beauty of freshly opened flowers. By juxtaposing vivid petals with muted background tones, the painting invites contemplation of natural growth and the fleeting moment of bloom.
Context
In the 1860s American art scene, still‑life paintings served both decorative and didactic purposes, showcasing technical skill and moral symbolism. Skeele’s choice of morning glories, flowers that open with daylight, resonates with contemporary ideas about renewal and the passage of time.
Legacy
While not widely known today, the painting exemplifies Skeele’s meticulous observation of light and form, contributing to the broader understanding of folk‑art approaches to still‑life in 19th‑century America.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hannah Brown Skeele (1829–1901) was an American painter, best known for her still-lifes, although she also produced portraits and pictures of animals.
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