New York School
Possibly Charles W. Burton (act. 1822-1850)

"Saratoga Lake", ca. 1848, after a lithographic view by Augustus Kollner (German/American, 1813-1906)

watercolor, gouache, pencil and gum arabic on paper
unsigned, titled lower center, frame backing inscribed "re-framed by Jas. B. Goddard/30 Huntington, Boston/June 1919".
Matted, glazed and framed.
8-3/8" x 12-1/2", framed 9-1/4" x 13-5/8"

Notes: This charming view of Saratoga Lake was painted after one of Augustus Kollner's famous "Views of America" which were printed in a book of lithographs by Goupil, Vibert & Co. in 1848. Kollner, a German-born artist, immigrated to the U.S. in 1839 and settled in Washington, D.C., as a professional draftsman and engraver.

Charles W. Burton (act. 1822-1850), a New York engraver and draftsman, was an autodidact, who did not have the formal training that Kollner had, established himself as a draftsman of diminutive ink and watercolor drawings designed for engraved publications. Burton was familiar with Saratoga Springs, a popular weekend resort in the mid-19th century that attracted thousands of tourists, as he was commissioned to illustrate the Piazza of Congress Hall for the city, which was engraved by Thomas Illman in 1848. Other notable commissions were New York City Hall and the U.S. Capital Building. The latter, now conserved at the Metropolitan Museum, typifies Burton's style, which is strikingly similar in its medium, scale and execution to this one. Both exude extraordinary precision to detail. In both, the figures are dwarfed by their surroundings as they are executed with a naive use of perspective. The scale of the figures in the fore and backgrounds are confounded and are not relative in size to their environment, creating a multitude of vignettes within the work. Most striking of all is Burton's unusual use of concentrated gum arabic (the binder in watercolors) as a shading device to create greater tonal depth within the tree foliage in Saratoga Lake. The "View of the Capital Building" employs the same technique along the tree-lined avenue, and it would appear by the print that the ivy-wrapped columns in the "Piazza of Congress Hall" possessed the same application of gum arabic.

**In very good refinished and restored condition. Exhibits normal minor wear, shrinkage and indications of age and use. The top has a few light finish imperfections but is in very good, usable condition. The table as currently displayed, with five leaves inserted, is unusually tight and solid. There are some scuffs and abrasions to the corners of the racked leaves.