Posted 2 years ago
Michelleb007
(256 items)
I was thrilled to have this framed oil painting arrive today, and I wanted to share it with fellow Loetz collectors. I first saw this painting several years ago at an auction, and thought it was really something special to see a Loetz vase used as a painting subject. A vase very similar to that in the painting is shown on Loetz.com (image 2, from Loetz.com) and is a Crete Martelé jack-in-the-pulpit form vase, PN 346/389. I saved an image of the painting from the auction, and moved on...until a few days ago, when the painting again came up for sale, and I just had to have it.
The painting was done in the 1920’s by a woman sculptor and painter, Ivie A. MacCarthy (née McGuire), who was also known for her illustrations and short stories. She was very well known both in the United States and in England for her small bronze figurines of famous people, including Caruso, H.G. Wells, Harry Lauder and even the Crown Prince of England.
She was born in Kirksville, Missouri in 1881 into a wealthy family, and was able to travel the world from a young age. After high school in 1897, she began her studies in design, the theory of painting, art, and English at the University of Missouri at Columbia. She later entered the St Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts where she studied to be a painter. She moved to New York after her marriage, and had a studio in Manhattan for her sculpture work in the 1920’s. In 1944 she moved back to Kirksville where she continued to paint, and she later died in 1962. Perhaps the vase in my painting was a piece that she herself owned? I don’t think we will never know…
The reason I am giving all of this information about her is because although she was quite famous at one time, there is very little now known about her or her work. I spent the last few days trying to find other examples of her paintings and sculptures, and it took quite a bit of work just to find a few. She led such an interesting life and was such a creative person that I didn’t want her work to fall into obscurity. I hope my post adds just a little bit to her legacy…
This is a wonderful painting, a real piece of history that links different art forms together - art glass & painting.
The research you've done on the artist is really important!
Women artists in particular were often forgotten by official art history, which focused more on the mostly male "heroes" of Modernism. Still life pieces like this are valuable sources of information about how people lived, the objects they owned, & are also tangible documents of social & cultural history.
What an interesting life Ivie must have led.
And so perfect for the collection of a thoughtful & informed collector such as you, Michelle!
Brilliant summation from IronLace. Thank you for posting this Michelle!
How neat to have such a thing and so lucky you got a second chance to own it! :)
thanks a lot wonderful post
What a wonderful story. I totally understand why you would want the painting, Michelle, and am so happy that you had a second chance to buy it. The fact that the picture also depicts a flourishing plant suggests it was destined to find its home with you.
Marin, thank you very much for your thoughts on the painting and on woman artists. I completely agree with you that too many woman artists have fallen into obscurity in comparison to their male contemporaries. This was actually one of the reasons I wanted to make more about her life known. I wrote a short a biography for her and sent it to one of the big Art resource internet sites, and they have now added it to her profile (before they had just listed her name, and an incorrect transcription of her first name, at that!). I also have a family tree on Ancestry.com, so I was able to create a short one focused on Ivie. I attached all sorts of newspaper articles, photographs, and other examples of her work to it. She had so much more of an interesting life than you could imagine, or that I could post here. For instance, she met her future husband while boating down the Amazon, in about 1903! He was an invalid most of his adult life (I believe due to WWI) and died quite young. However, even while married to him, Ivie led a very independent life, making her art and and traveling all over the world; she was close with many of the rich and famous people of the era. She rented her studio on her own, and was always mentioned in newspaper articles singly, as her own person, without mention of her husband. I found this quite unique for the time period. I always enjoy your comments, Marin, so thanks again!
Thank you very much, Gillian!
BHIFOS, thanks so much - I can't believe how luck I was this time! :)
Thanks so much kivatinitz!
Peggy, thanks so much. Yes, the wonderfully painted plan was a big bonus for me! :) I love how detailed and textural it is. As I mentioned in another comment, I was very lucky to see it again, and am very happy to have it in my collection!
Fantastic Michelle! I love that you have found an example of Loetz being used in real life and documented for posterity!
Thank you Sammyz, I really appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing this history. I find it so valuable to learn about the history of the pieces, the artist or the origin and age of the vintage or antiques I acquire. While reading this, it was extra special to me because I grew up in St Louis and now live about 1 hour outside of the city but am very familiar with these institutions in the area. I visited Columbia a few times, its a cool little town. I've known quite a few people who studied there also. Again, this was fun to read and learn about, so thank you!
Hi Blueyecon,
Thanks so much for your comment! I am so glad that my post was interesting to you, and it is nice to hear your connections to the area, too.
I grew up in Kirksville and still remember going to Ivie's studio with my mother in the 1950's. My mother commissioned Ivie to paint a picture of a Quan Yin figurine she had purchased while living in post WWII Phillipines. I still have the painting in my possession.
Hi rzwolinski, that is great to know, thank you! I hope you enjoy the painting!