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Lot Essay
Martin Johnson Heade’s magnolia paintings are widely acknowledged as the masterworks of the artist’s still-life oeuvre. As Janet L. Comey writes, "The series is now considered as significant as the thunderstorm subjects, the marshes, and the orchid-and-hummingbird pictures. These works…are increasingly admired not only for their lush beauty and sensuousness but also for their mysterious, darker qualities." (Martin Johnson Heade, Boston, Massachusetts, 1999, p. 126) Closely related to an example in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Magnolias on a Shiny Table showcases the gorgeous white blossoms against a reflective wooden surface that is unique within the series. Depicting the fragile elegance of Florida’s magnolias with exquisite detail and beguiling splendor, the present work represents the pinnacle of Heade’s mature career.
In 1883, Heade moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where the magnolia flower was ubiquitous as a symbol of the "Land of Flowers," as Juan Ponce de Léon originally named the state. Development rapidly expanded down the coast in the first half of the nineteenth century, and Robert Smith Favis explains, "nearly every community could boast a magnolia hotel. St. Augustine’s own Magnolia Hotel, opened in the 1840s, had been the first establishment in the town pitched primarily to northern visitors." (Martin Johnson Heade in Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2003, p. 82) Around the same time as Heade’s move south, Henry Morrison Flagler, a wealthy partner in Standard Oil alongside John D. Rockefeller, also came to town seeking to develop the local society into a luxury destination on par with Newport, Rhode Island. In 1888, he opened the fabulous Hotel Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine, which not only featured a profusion of magnolias on the grounds but also seven artist studios onsite. Flagler became Heade’s great patron of his Florida years, with Heade occupying Studio 7 at the hotel and focusing primarily on still-life painting there for the remainder of his life.
Describing the magnolias as "M.J. Heade’s final, and arguably greatest series of paintings," Timothy Eaton has declared, "His paintings of magnolia blossoms are unique in art history having no precedent or sequent in American, European, or even Oriental art." (Martin Johnson Heade: A Survey, 1840-1900, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1996) While the magnolia is a classic symbol of Florida and seemingly a natural subject for an artist living there, in practicality the large, top-heavy blossoms are difficult to arrange and very short-lived. The only important American artist to explore the subject prior to Heade was John La Farge, who painted three paintings of magnolia blossoms in vases in the 1860s. While always focusing on a more scientific level of detail than La Farge, Heade similarly began his series of the Magnolia grandiflora with three works in a traditional vertical format with a vase, which are now in the collections of the Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, Florida; Morris Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts.
However, Heade soon began painting more complex compositions of magnolias with multiple, open blossoms and leaves falling unencumbered across the span of a table. Using a horizontal orientation for the remainder of the series, he captured the bountiful blossoms beyond the constraints of the vase. Favis explains the formal and symbolic implications of this shift: "Compositionally, this format combined the exaggerated horizontality and the delicate orchestration of light and color that characterized Heade’s luminist landscape paintings. The casually displayed blossoms are at once more sensual and more fragile than the formal arrangements in containers. Without water, the already fleeting life span of these [flowers] will be even briefer." (Martin Johnson Heade in Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2003, p. 76)
Indeed, the ephemerality of the magnolia raises memento mori references. The glowing white flowers only last a day or two once cut and their petals immediately turn brown if touched. Heade further emphasizes the flower’s life cycle in the present work by including blossoms at three stages: fully bloomed, half open, and a closed bud almost hidden at left. This arrangement is also present in two related paintings, as Comey describes, "In Giant Magnolias from the R.W. Norton Art Gallery and Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth from the National Gallery of Art, three flowers in various stages of development suggest the passing of time as if we are watching a single blossom slowly unfold." (J.L. Comey, "Florida: The Late Work," Martin Johnson Heade, Boston, Massachusetts, 1999, pp. 124, 126) These works, as well as Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth (Art Institute of Chicago), also all relate back to Heade’s oil sketch Study of Three Magnolia Blossoms (circa 1883-88, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas), particularly in the depiction of the open flower.
Beyond vanitas connotations, the magnolia series has also often drawn comparisons to the sensuality of a recumbent nude figural painting. In 1954, curator John I.H. Baur poetically described one of the compositions as "the fleshy whiteness of magnolia blossoms startlingly arrayed on sumptuous red velvet like odalisques on a couch." (as quoted in Painters of the Humble Truth, Columbia, Missouri, 1981, p. 130) The high level of detailed execution in the series can be seen as approaching portraiture. Moreover, there is an inherent seductive quality to the supple petals creating voluptuous glowing forms and drawing the eye against a rich dark background, often with plush velvet elements. As Frank Kelly summarizes, "the mysteriously shadowed interior space, the lush colors, full, curving contours, overall sense of opulence, and implied perfumed scent of the flowers make them deeply suggestive." (Martin Johnson Heade, Boston, Massachusetts, 1999, p. 126)
In a letter dated February 3, 2000, Heade scholar Dr. Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr. writes of the present work, "This is a beautiful painting with a composition typical of Heade's late work at its best; however, it is unique as far as I know, in depicting the magnolias on a shiny wooden table, rather than the typical colored velvet or plush material…This is an interesting and important discovery in terms of Heade's oeuvre." The choice of a shiny wooden table may indicate a relationship with the artist’s still lifes of Cherokee roses from the same period, which also feature a reflective wooden surface. Here, the mirroring effect of the shiny table underscores the ethereal glow surrounding the floral forms. The palpable contrasts between the velvety background, the waxy sheen of the leaves, the more matte tones of the flower petals and the shiny table creates a compelling range of textures that makes the present work distinct amidst this seminal series.
Magnolias on a Shiny Table is a glorious and unique version of one of the most compelling subjects of Heade’s storied career. "Among the most magnificent of Heade's works," Stebbins writes of the importance of the magnolia series within both the artist’s life and work: "These pictures, more than any others, represent the painter's new feelings of comfort and well-being, his acceptance by Flagler and the St. Augustine establishment, and his delight in the luxuriant resort culture that he now inhabited. The magnolia blossom, with its great size—up to ten inches across—its creamy white petals, dark, glossy green leaves, and superb fragrance, was a perfect symbol of both the sensual allure of the tropics and Heade's satisfaction with his new life." (The Life and Work of Martin Johnson Heade: A Critical Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven, Connecticut, 2000, p. 159) As a result, the series ranks among the finest and most original of any nineteenth-century American still lifes.
In 1883, Heade moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where the magnolia flower was ubiquitous as a symbol of the "Land of Flowers," as Juan Ponce de Léon originally named the state. Development rapidly expanded down the coast in the first half of the nineteenth century, and Robert Smith Favis explains, "nearly every community could boast a magnolia hotel. St. Augustine’s own Magnolia Hotel, opened in the 1840s, had been the first establishment in the town pitched primarily to northern visitors." (Martin Johnson Heade in Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2003, p. 82) Around the same time as Heade’s move south, Henry Morrison Flagler, a wealthy partner in Standard Oil alongside John D. Rockefeller, also came to town seeking to develop the local society into a luxury destination on par with Newport, Rhode Island. In 1888, he opened the fabulous Hotel Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine, which not only featured a profusion of magnolias on the grounds but also seven artist studios onsite. Flagler became Heade’s great patron of his Florida years, with Heade occupying Studio 7 at the hotel and focusing primarily on still-life painting there for the remainder of his life.
Describing the magnolias as "M.J. Heade’s final, and arguably greatest series of paintings," Timothy Eaton has declared, "His paintings of magnolia blossoms are unique in art history having no precedent or sequent in American, European, or even Oriental art." (Martin Johnson Heade: A Survey, 1840-1900, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1996) While the magnolia is a classic symbol of Florida and seemingly a natural subject for an artist living there, in practicality the large, top-heavy blossoms are difficult to arrange and very short-lived. The only important American artist to explore the subject prior to Heade was John La Farge, who painted three paintings of magnolia blossoms in vases in the 1860s. While always focusing on a more scientific level of detail than La Farge, Heade similarly began his series of the Magnolia grandiflora with three works in a traditional vertical format with a vase, which are now in the collections of the Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, Florida; Morris Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts.
However, Heade soon began painting more complex compositions of magnolias with multiple, open blossoms and leaves falling unencumbered across the span of a table. Using a horizontal orientation for the remainder of the series, he captured the bountiful blossoms beyond the constraints of the vase. Favis explains the formal and symbolic implications of this shift: "Compositionally, this format combined the exaggerated horizontality and the delicate orchestration of light and color that characterized Heade’s luminist landscape paintings. The casually displayed blossoms are at once more sensual and more fragile than the formal arrangements in containers. Without water, the already fleeting life span of these [flowers] will be even briefer." (Martin Johnson Heade in Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2003, p. 76)
Indeed, the ephemerality of the magnolia raises memento mori references. The glowing white flowers only last a day or two once cut and their petals immediately turn brown if touched. Heade further emphasizes the flower’s life cycle in the present work by including blossoms at three stages: fully bloomed, half open, and a closed bud almost hidden at left. This arrangement is also present in two related paintings, as Comey describes, "In Giant Magnolias from the R.W. Norton Art Gallery and Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth from the National Gallery of Art, three flowers in various stages of development suggest the passing of time as if we are watching a single blossom slowly unfold." (J.L. Comey, "Florida: The Late Work," Martin Johnson Heade, Boston, Massachusetts, 1999, pp. 124, 126) These works, as well as Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth (Art Institute of Chicago), also all relate back to Heade’s oil sketch Study of Three Magnolia Blossoms (circa 1883-88, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas), particularly in the depiction of the open flower.
Beyond vanitas connotations, the magnolia series has also often drawn comparisons to the sensuality of a recumbent nude figural painting. In 1954, curator John I.H. Baur poetically described one of the compositions as "the fleshy whiteness of magnolia blossoms startlingly arrayed on sumptuous red velvet like odalisques on a couch." (as quoted in Painters of the Humble Truth, Columbia, Missouri, 1981, p. 130) The high level of detailed execution in the series can be seen as approaching portraiture. Moreover, there is an inherent seductive quality to the supple petals creating voluptuous glowing forms and drawing the eye against a rich dark background, often with plush velvet elements. As Frank Kelly summarizes, "the mysteriously shadowed interior space, the lush colors, full, curving contours, overall sense of opulence, and implied perfumed scent of the flowers make them deeply suggestive." (Martin Johnson Heade, Boston, Massachusetts, 1999, p. 126)
In a letter dated February 3, 2000, Heade scholar Dr. Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr. writes of the present work, "This is a beautiful painting with a composition typical of Heade's late work at its best; however, it is unique as far as I know, in depicting the magnolias on a shiny wooden table, rather than the typical colored velvet or plush material…This is an interesting and important discovery in terms of Heade's oeuvre." The choice of a shiny wooden table may indicate a relationship with the artist’s still lifes of Cherokee roses from the same period, which also feature a reflective wooden surface. Here, the mirroring effect of the shiny table underscores the ethereal glow surrounding the floral forms. The palpable contrasts between the velvety background, the waxy sheen of the leaves, the more matte tones of the flower petals and the shiny table creates a compelling range of textures that makes the present work distinct amidst this seminal series.
Magnolias on a Shiny Table is a glorious and unique version of one of the most compelling subjects of Heade’s storied career. "Among the most magnificent of Heade's works," Stebbins writes of the importance of the magnolia series within both the artist’s life and work: "These pictures, more than any others, represent the painter's new feelings of comfort and well-being, his acceptance by Flagler and the St. Augustine establishment, and his delight in the luxuriant resort culture that he now inhabited. The magnolia blossom, with its great size—up to ten inches across—its creamy white petals, dark, glossy green leaves, and superb fragrance, was a perfect symbol of both the sensual allure of the tropics and Heade's satisfaction with his new life." (The Life and Work of Martin Johnson Heade: A Critical Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven, Connecticut, 2000, p. 159) As a result, the series ranks among the finest and most original of any nineteenth-century American still lifes.