Two White Herons in Snow-Covered Willow

Artists

Description

In this two-panel folding screen a pair of white herons stands huddled together atop the thick trunk of a snow-laden willow tree. Executed in ink and white pigments on an otherwise unembellished gold ground, one heron bends its neck downward, while the other gazes far into the distance. The painted imagery is concentrated on the screen’s left panel, with only a few willow branches stretching into the visual field of the right panel. The work is unsigned.

Dimensions

painting proper: H. 51.7 x W. 167 cm (20 3/8 x 65 3/4 in.) frame: H. 54.6 x W. 171 cm (21 1/2 x 67 5/16 in.)

Provenance

Louis V. Ledoux Collection, New York (by 1948), by descent; to his son L. Pierre Ledoux, New York (1948-2001), by inheritance; to his widow Joan F. Ledoux, New York, (2001-2013), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2013. Footnotes: 1. Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948) 2. L. Pierre Ledoux (1912-2001) 3. On long term loan to Harvard Art Museums from 1981 to 2013.