Coeur d'Alene Art Auction - July 2021

– 136 – 171 Peter Hurd (1904–1984) The Eve of St. John tempera on board 24 × 48 inches signed lower left: Peter Hurd NA VERSO Signed and titled Inscribed, “Painted by Peter Hurd, N.A. at San Patricio N. Mexico / This being the first of two versions of this subject …” The first version of Peter Hurd’s The Eve of St. John , this painting serves as the inspiration for the American painter’s most-famous work, which is housed in the San Diego Museum of Art’s collection. The painting conveys the innocence of the subject matter – Dorothea Herrera, daughter of Hurd’s foreman at his Sentinel Ranch – on the eve of St. John the Baptist’s feast day. Hurd’s mastery of tempera captures the beauty of the subject matter, juxtaposed with the luminosity of the setting sun, setting the stage for the forthcoming celebration of St. John the Baptist’s birth. PROVENANCE Denver Art Gallery, Denver, Colorado, 1969 The Estate of Jack & Cally Vickers, Castle Pines, Colorado $100,000–150,000