Shell
Artist
Marsden Hartley
(American, 1877 – 1943)
Date1929
CultureAmerican
MediumOil on composition board
ClassificationPaintings
ProvenanceHartley Estate, until ca. 1951; sold through (Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, NY) to (Babcock Galleries, New York, NY), until February 15, 1958; Mr. and Mrs. William L. Moise, Sarasota, FL, 1958-1965; donated to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 1965-present
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. William L. Moise, 1965
Object numberSN794
Marsden Hartley's Shell derives it pictorial language from Cubism, while not strictly adhering to that movement's principles. The lines surrounding the shell do not reflect its facets as they would in pure Cubism. Rather, they show off the shell as a magical or talismanic object. Hartley had a deep relation to the sea, which he viewed as the giver and taker of life.
On View
Not on viewFrame: 23 1/4 × 20 × 1 1/2 in. (59.1 × 50.8 × 3.8 cm)
