WATERCOLOR AFTER GIBSON'S ICONIC PHOTOGRAPH OF BATTERY A, 2ND U.S. ARTILLERY, FAIR OAKS, JUNE 1862 — EX-RON TUNISON COLLECTION

WATERCOLOR AFTER GIBSON'S ICONIC PHOTOGRAPH OF BATTERY A, 2ND U.S. ARTILLERY, FAIR OAKS, JUNE 1862 — EX-RON TUNISON COLLECTION

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$300.00

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Item Code: 1100-429

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An original watercolor, signed "P. B. Rockwell" in pencil at the lower margin, faithfully rendering one of the most recognizable photographic images of the Civil War: James F. Gibson's June 1862 view of the officers of Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery, made near Fair Oaks, Virginia during McClellan's Peninsula Campaign. Worked in a sepia and grisaille palette with selective hand-tinting — flesh tones, tan trousers, and subtle touches of color throughout — the artist closely follows the original photograph, depicting the four officers grouped around one of the battery's 3-inch ordnance rifles. From left to right: Lt. Robert Clarke, Capt. John C. Tidball (battery commander), Lt. William N. Dennison, and Capt. Alexander C.M. Pennington.

The source photograph, taken by Gibson while working for Mathew Brady, is preserved in the Library of Congress and ranks among the war's most celebrated artillery images — a rare, natural glimpse of Regular Army officers in the field. Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery carried a distinguished combat record and is credited with firing the first Union artillery rounds at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.

Provenance: from the personal collection of Ron F. Tunison (1946–2013) of Cairo, New York, the internationally recognized Civil War sculptor whose heroic bronzes include four monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield — the Brig. Gen. Samuel Crawford monument near Little Round Top, the Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial, the Delaware State Memorial, and the Civil War Women's Memorial — as well as the Irish Brigade Monument at Antietam. A lifelong student and collector of the war, Tunison's ownership lends this piece a desirable association.

Watercolor image approximately 12.25 x 8.5"; framed under glass with a double mat in a pewter-toned molding, overall 17 x 13.5".

Condition: scattered foxing and light toning are present within the sheet, consistent with age and earlier framing; examination out of the frame is recommended. The "P. B. Rockwell" signature is presented as it appears; the artist has not been identified in standard references, and the watercolor is offered on the strength of its subject, execution, and Tunison provenance.  [ss] [ph:L]

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