17th Anniversary Preview

Fine American Art for Six Generations V O S E 1841 EST G A L L E R I E S LLC 238 Newbury S t ree t . Bos ton . MA . 02116 . 617.536.6176 . info@vosega l l er i es . com . w ww. vosega l l er i es . com William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) Mrs. Catharine Earle Mather Oil on canvas, 60 x 36 inches Signed lower left: Wm. M. Chase, 1905 AcclaimedAmerican ImpressionistWilliam Merritt Chase enjoyed a lucrative and critically successful career painting portraits, landscapes and still life compositions in his bold, bravura style.He exhibited atmajor venues including the BostonArtClub, thePennsylvaniaAcademy, the CorcoranGallery, the Brooklyn Art Association and the National Academy, which made him a fullAcademician in1890.He alsoparticipated in expositions in Paris, Buffalo, New York, Charleston, andSanFrancisco, andwas a found- ing member of the prestigious impressionist group, The Ten American Painters , beginning in 1902. His ability to capture the personalities of his subjects made him one of the most sought-after portraitists in the country. Commissions poured in, including several from the Earle family of Philadelphia, which had eight portraits done by Chase in the early 1900s while he taught at the Pennsylvania Academy. Mrs. Mather was the daughter of George H. Earle, Jr., a prominent lawyer andbusinessman, and the sister ofGeorge H. Earle III, who would eventually serve as Gov- ernor of Pennsylvania in the late 1930s. Shemar- ried Victor Mather in 1905, the same year this portrait was painted, which shows her as an ele- gantly-dressed young woman befitting her posi- tion in Philadelphia society but with a vivacious spirit evidenced by her confident posture, her flushedcheeks and the gesturalmanner inwhich Chase rendered her dress. The painting was ex- hibitedat thePennsylvaniaAcademy in1908and highlighted in American Art News: “WilliamM. Chase, who showed somany portraits last year, has only three [paintings in the exhibit], one of Mrs. Victor Mather, a full-length, especially strong andwell painted, a brilliant still life of fish, and aVenice scene, and shows his old time force and ability.”