Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Gabriel Ravel as Godenski
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Baltimore artist Alfred Jacob Miller is known primarily for his paintings of the American West, but his interests extended beyond this subject. A prolific sketcher, he filled many journals with drawings and captions from the time he was studying in Paris and Rome (1833) until the 1870's. The interests of Miller are clearly reflected in these sketches: the theater (a large portion being quick figure drawings of the Ravel Pantomime Troupe), studies of works by the Old Masters, literary illustrations, childhood memories, Baltimore scenery, and witty scenes of characters.
This watercolor is of one of the Ravel Pantomime Troupe, a family that toured America in the middle part of the 19th century. Among the Ravels' most long-standing successes was a two-act pantomime set in Russia, "Godenski, or the Skaters of Wilnau," in which the tribulations of the young lovers, Ludoviski and Ludoviska, follow the lines of the traditional harlequinade. The comic suitor, Godenski, is rescued in a skating scene in which roller skates were used for the first time in America.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Alfred Jacob Miller, Jr.; Norton Asner, Baltimore, 1959 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Mr. and Mrs. D. Luke Hopkins [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, June 11, 1968, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 1981-1982 | Alfred Jacob Miller: An Artist on the Oregon Trail. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 8/11/1981 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
Geographies
USA (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 10 13/16 x W: 8 1/2 in. (27.46 x 21.59 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. D. Luke Hopkins, 1968
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2453.1