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  • 117 W Burd St. Shippensburg, PA 17257

About us

silla was born out of a passion for beautiful objects: special pieces with aesthetic and historical significance. In 2009, after years of collecting, Andrew Silla and his wife Grace began to work privately with clients from their residence in Southern Maryland. Quickly outgrowing the space, the business was moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania in 2012 and after several warehouse location changes it was firmly settled in the present brick-and-mortar location in downtown Shippensburg.

The 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery is home to a large collection of works of art and estate jewelry. We specialize in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 with a particular emphasis on the Animaliers and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display.

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Frederick Batcheller (American, 1837-89) | Squirrel in Wooded Hollow

SKU:
808YYP29P

This item is sold. Please email sales@sillafineantiques.com to be notified when similar items become available. Our gallery is very active in hunting down unique pieces and we will almost certainly be able to find something special for your collection.

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catalog text

FREDERICK STONE BATCHELLER (AMERICAN, 1837-1889) | SQUIRREL IN WOODED HOLLOW
Signed lower right "Batcheller", oil on wood panel
Item # 808YYP29P


Frederick Batcheller started his career as a sculptor, having apprenticed as a young man under the Tingley Brothers in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island.  He transitioned to painting and eventually turned all of his attentions to this pursuit in 1855, joining the Providence artists James Morgan Lewin, John Arnold, Thomas Robinson, and Marcus Waterman as the “Group of 1855”.  His primary focus was on still-life paintings with a heavy emphasis on floral arrangements and inanimate objects; however, his paintings of the natural world and its wildlife inhabitants are particularly moving. The present work is an excellent example of this, where the small squirrel is the focal point of the work, dwarfed by its surroundings and the powerful aged trees.  The richness of color and chaotic heavy impasto bring a new perspective to this wooded paradise, this small creature’s home.  And the curved sillouette of the leftmost tree against the swirling canopy of leaves overhead creates an illusion of looking through a round port into this magical space.

 

Measurements:  28 5/8 W x 2 1/2 D x 24 5/8 H [frame]; 22 1/4 W x 18 3/8 H [panel]

Condition Report:
Old giltwood frame with some losses and regilding.  Painting surface cleaned in the last decade or so, remaining in exquisite presentation-ready condition.