Stag and Doe Before Sunset
Among the largest canvases ever painted by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait - a luminous meditation on the majesty of American wildlife rendered through Hudson River School naturalism, formerly in the collection of Tommy Mottola.
A meditation on twilight and stillness.
Beneath a fading sun, a regal stag stands beside its doe near the still waters of an Adirondack lake. The painting is among the largest canvases ever produced by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait - a luminous meditation on the majesty of American wildlife rendered through Hudson River School naturalism.
The artist's brushwork balances precision and softness: the velvet texture of the deers' coats is articulated through minute parallel strokes, while the grasses shimmer with golden highlights that catch the descending sun. The sky - tinged with the violet and cool grey of late evening - opens onto a panoramic mountain backdrop.
Original condition, no retouching observed.
Under ultraviolet examination, the surface exhibits even fluorescence consistent with an older natural resin varnish; no retouching was observed. No evidence of overpainting or restoration is apparent. Craquelure remains even and stable across the canvas.
Under raking light, the original canvas weave is visible; the paint exhibits consistent aging. The painting retains its original stretcher and appears to have been only lightly surface-cleaned over its long history.
Among the top five largest known Tait animal canvases.
By 1879, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait had firmly established himself as one of America's preeminent painters of animal life. This canvas belongs to Tait's mature period, when his style evolved from narrative sporting scenes to grand, contemplative evocations of nature.
Comparable examples of this meditative phase include Deer by the Lake (1878) and Evening in the Adirondacks (1880) - both of similar palette and subject but notably smaller. Within his oeuvre, the present work ranks among the top five largest known Tait animal paintings ever offered publicly.
Precision in service of serenity.
Brushwork. Smoothly modulated passages define fur and rock textures, while controlled impasto around the sun and clouds adds luminosity.
Palette. Dominated by warm ochres, russets, and muted greens balanced by cool greys and violets in the distant ridges.
Composition. A triangular grouping of rocks and animals anchors the scene. The mirrored curve of the stag's antlers echoes the mountain silhouette beyond - a compositional unity characteristic of Tait at his most resolved.
The chain of custody.
- 19th c.The Artist - Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait
- 20th c.Private Collection, New York City
- Dec 1996Christie's New York, Sporting Art Sale (label no. NL 556)
- 20th-21st c.Private Collection of Tommy Mottola - CEO of Sony Entertainment; husband to Whitney Houston
- 21st c.Private Collection, Utah
- 2026The Collectible Home Foundation - committed gift from a private donor
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait.
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819-1905) occupies a singular position in nineteenth-century American art as the foremost interpreter of animal life within the Hudson River School tradition. Born in Liverpool and trained in lithography before emigrating to New York in 1850, Tait became a central figure of the American sporting and naturalist movement and was elected a full Academician of the National Academy of Design - the dean of American sporting and animal painters.
His works hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Adirondack Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the principal regional museums of the eastern United States.
The painting in detail.
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Inquire about future placement.
Stag and Doe Before Sunset is part of a three-painting committed gift from a private donor, scheduled to enter the Foundation's holdings in 2026. Inquiries from qualifying U.S. 501(c)(3) institutions are welcomed; the Foundation will begin formal placement conversations once the gift transfers.
Inquire about future placement
