"The Little Peach"   Lot no. 2781

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By Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)

1902 (Estimated)
21.00" x 14.75", Framed 28.00" x 31.75"
Oil on Stretched Paper
Signed Lower Right: M.P., Signed, Dated and Inscribed Verso: Maxfield Parri
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The present work was painted by the artist to accompany the following poem titled, "The Little Peach" from the children's book, Poems of Childhood written by Eugene Field, published in 1904. The boy and girl depicted in this narrative are likely John and Mabel Churchill, the children of Parrish's closest friend and neighbor, American author Winston Churchill (1871-1947). They are seated upon a cement wall that surrounded their home and garden, with a clearly breathtaking view in the distance. The family's property, designed by famed architect Charles Platt, was christened "Harlakenden," after wife Mabel Churchill's maiden name. The imposing entrance with its stone balls sited upon brick entry pillars was also incorporated into another one of Field's storybook illustrations in, The Sugar Plum Tree. Interestingly enough, on the family's property grew various fruit trees, including peach and plum. The famous and imposing estate was also at one time used as a vacation home for President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.

 

"A little peach in the orchard grew,

A little peach of emerald hue;

Warmed by the sun and wet by the dew,

 

It grew.

 

One day, passing that orchard through,

That little peach dawned on the view

Of Johnny Jones and his sister Sue,

 

Them two.

 

Up at that peach a club they threw,

Down from the stem on which it grew

Fell that peach of emerald hue.

 

Mon Dieu!

 

John took a bite and Sue a chew,

And then the trouble began to brew,

Trouble the doctor couldn't subdue.

 

Too true!

 

Under the turf where the daisies grew

They planted John and his sister Sue,

And their little souls to the angels flew,

 

Boo hoo!

 

What of that peach of the emerald hue,

Warmed by the sun, and wet by the dew?

Ah, well, its mission on earth is through.

 

Adieu!"

 

- Eugene Fields, Poems of Childhood


This illustration by Parrish of the poem, “The Little Peach” by Eugene Field, has a signature device frequently used by the painter:  two figures in profile framing a central space or scene.  It also contains one of his typical luminous skies above a dark, distant landscape, a style of composition originating in Renaissance portraiture.  The thoughtful boy and girl are very suggestive, as is the cloudy sky.  But what this suggests is withheld.  Ambiguity in art is an exceptional value, and this illustration evokes it beautifully.

 

LITERATURE:

Ladies' Home Journal, March 1903, frontispiece, illustrated;

W. Holland and D. Congdon-Martin, "The Collectible Maxfield Parrish," Scribner's, New York, 1993, pp. 44, 80, illustrated;

TeNeues Publishing Co., Maxfield Parrish: Illustrated Fairy Tales, calendar illustration, New York, 1999, illustrated;

E. Flacks, Maxfield Parrish: Identification and Price Guide, Portland, Oregon, 2001, 2003, p. 155, illustrated;

L. Cutler et al., Maxfield Parrish and the American Imagists, Edison, New Jersey, 2004, p. 202, illustrated;

M. Parrish and J.A. Menges, Worlds of Enchantment: The Art of Maxfield Parrish, Mineola, New York, 2010, pl. 30, illustrated.



Explore related art collections: Books / Children / $100,000 & Above / 1900s / Landscape / Rural

See all original artwork by Maxfield Parrish

ABOUT THE ARTIST

To behold the work of American illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966) is to enter into a fantasy world of ethereal beauty. Whether a book illustration, magazine cover, painting or mural commission, his flawlessly rendered subjects and fairy-tale settings are infused with a sense of mythical beauty unmatched by any artist in his wake

A Unique Approach

The magic and sublime spirit of Parrish’s work is the result of his unique approach to painting. He began with a white base which served to illuminate the image from the first layer up through to the last. Repeated layering of varnish on the surface of the pigment heightened the vibrancy of his colors, yielding shades like the famous "Parrish blue," a rich cobalt that is now indelibly associated with the artist. This singular technique allowed Parrish to convey textures and patterns with the intense detail and saturation of color that became trademarks of his best works.

This May, a museum-quality collection of 11 works by Maxfield Parrish pay tribute to the superior talent and unique vision of this seminal artist. A leading highlight of the collection is Sing a Song of Six Pence, measuring over 13 feet long and painted as a mural for the hotel bar of the Sherman House in Chicago, Illinois. Parrish began his career painting a mural of Old King Cole for the University of Pennsylvania in 1894, and was immediately recognized for his ability to render exquisite detail on a monumental scale. He often projected photographic images and then painted directly on the surface of his murals, which may account for the veracity of the features displayed in this work.