American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

Provenance:

(possibly) Grand Central Galleries, New York, New York.

(possibly) Acquired directly from the above, c. 1920-30.

William S. and Françoise Duclos Barstow, New York, New York.

By descent to the present private collection, New York.

Lot Note:

The paintings of Jessie Arms Botke, particularly her captivating representations of birds, holds a distinguished position in the narrative of early California art. Botke's approach capitalizes on her training at the Art Institute of Chicago, her extensive international travels, and her far-reaching professional engagements. Following an influential European tour in 1909, Botke settled in New York, where she honed her skills as a tapestry designer and interior decorator for Herter Looms. Her commissions, which included murals featuring avian subjects for actress Billie Burke and San Francisco's Hotel St. Francis, solidified her enduring passion for birds. The decorative use of white peacocks in Burke’s residence was a pivotal moment; Botke described this initial encounter with the birds as "love at first sight."

After establishing her home in California—first in Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1919 and later in Santa Paula, just north of Los Angeles—Botke dedicated the balance of her long career to depicting the region's rich ornithological subjects. She favored pale-plumed species such as swans, herons, and, most famously, peacocks, often placing them within lush, almost theatrical settings.

In the present lot, Peacock on Fountain, a magnificent white peacock perches amidst richly colored, autumn-hued foliage. The bird's voluminous train streams down, its delicate, lacy texture contrasting beautifully with the large, graphic leaves of what appear to be chestnut or buckeye trees. The composition's lower register reveals a stately, formal garden setting with a line of classical statues flanking a pathway leading toward a distant clearing. This arrangement—where the natural world dominates the foreground and a constructed, architectural landscape provides the backdrop—speaks to Botke's ability to merge decorative formality with naturalistic splendor. Her appreciation for the design element in these creatures is evident; the white peacock’s form lent a simple, yet beautiful white silhouette against a darker ground, with the texture of the tail providing complexity without sacrificing the bold clarity of the pattern.