James William Fosdick (American, 1858-1937) "Adoration of the Magi," pyrography mural, fire etching and pigment on wood, signed. Unframed,American artist and writer J. William Fosdick born 1858 in Charlestown, Masssachusetts learned about pyrography, when still a boy, thanks to two 'poker-paintings' by artist Robert Ball Hughes, which were acquired by his father. Ball Hughes' widow Eliza (Wright) Ball Hughes invited the budding artist to her house in Dorchester to instruct him on what she knew about her late husband's technique. As a young man, Fosdick then studied first at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston and later at the Académie Julian in Paris from 1881–1888. In 1884, he interrupted his studies in Paris to take his first commission for the famed American architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White. That first commission came as the result of a reference from Eliza Ball Hughes. Size: 47.5'' x 104'' x 3.75'' (121 x 264 x 10 cm).

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