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A statuette of the Madonna holding flowers stands in front of an arrangement of tulips.

In this watercolor, a statuette of a Madonna stands centrally before a radial arrangement of tulips. Her skin tone is handled in blues, purples, and greys. Her robed garments are orange and yellow, and her long hair and three-pronged crown are in yellows and blues. She has a flat expression on her face, and her eyes are only half open. Behind her are at least nine tulips in varying states of erectness. The stems are all green, and the tulip bulbs are red, white, or purple. The background is treated with greys to imply a room beyond.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2017.306
People
Emil Nolde, German (Nolde, Germany 1867 - 1956 Seebüll, Germany)
Title
Madonna amidst Flowers (Tulips)
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
ca. 1930
Culture
German
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/360075

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Watercolor on mulberry paper
Dimensions
35.9 × 50.8 cm (14 1/8 × 20 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: l.l., in graphite: Nolde
  • label: Removed from backing board: Phyllis Hattis Fine Arts / 425 East 58th Street #48E New York, New York 10022 / Emil Nolde (German, 1867-1956) / Madonna amidst Flowers (Tulips), ca. 1930 / watercolor on mulberry paper / 20 x 14 1/8 inches / signed at lower left, and numbered with graohite in estate stamp on reverse (floral motif, red ink): "2" and "15" / Provenance: Nolde Estate, Stiftung Seebull; Private Collection, Cambridge (acquired from Knoedler, NY, 1968)
  • label: removed from backing board: M. Knoedler & Co., Inc. / 14 East 57th Street / New York 22, N.Y. / P CA 7717 / F 19510 / Title Madonna amid Flowers / by / Emil Nolde (1867-1956) / Watercolor / size: 20 x 14 3/8 inches

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Nolde Estate, Stiftung Seebüll]; [Knoedler Gallery, New York], sold; to Private Collection, Cambridge, MA (1968-2017), gift; to the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2017.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Anonymous gift in honor of Agnes Mongan
Copyright
© Nolde Stiftung Seebüll, Germany
Accession Year
2017
Object Number
2017.306
Division
Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact
am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
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Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 1440 Secessionism: Munich, Vienna, Berlin (Expressionism), Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/04/2018 - 07/31/2018

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu