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Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
THOMAS MORAN The Harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico.
Etching on imitation Japan paper, 1886. 295x665 mm; 11 5/8x26 1/4 inches, full margins. Signed in pencil, lower left. Published by Christian Klackner, New York. A superb, richly-inked impression of this large etching.
During the early 1880s, Moran (1837-1926) and his family traveled to England where his work was championed by the influential art critic John Ruskin, further cementing Moran's position as one of the leading American artists of his day. Just weeks after his return from Europe, he set sail with a contingent of American industrialists with the Mexican National Railroad on a trip that led him through Cuba and on to Mexico. According to Anderson, "It was during the Mexican trip that Moran made written reference to an even more distant port--one that eventually became, perhaps, his most popular subject. Shortly after arriving in Vera Cruz, Moran worte to [his wife] Mary sharing news of his trip. In describing the Mexican coastal city, he called Vera Cruz 'another pictorial place like Venice. A quiet smooth sea reflecting the castle and buildings. Very green water.' At the time he made the comment, Moran had not been to Venice. He had, however, seen many images of Venice--a substantial number by [J.M.W.] Turner," (Anderson, Thomas Moran, Washington, D.C., 1998, page 121). Klackner 53.
