791

August Norieri (American/Louisiana, 1860-1898), "Southern Cabin Scene", oil on canvas, monogrammed lower right, 7-1/2" x 12-1/2". Presented in a contemporary giltwood frame. Provenance: The Estate of Karolyn Kuntz Westervelt, New Orleans, Louisiana. August Norieri, a native of New Orleans, trained under Andres Molinary from 1880-1881, before setting up his own studio. From the early 1880s, he exhibited regularly with the National Academy of Design and the Artists' Association of New Orleans. Though he is best known for his Mississippi River scenes that capture the bustling maritime port at the turn of the century, Norieri was also an accomplished portraitist and genre painter. The oeuvre offered here is one of these rarities, as there are only a few known Louisiana landscapes by the artist. The cabin set amidst a clearing of pine and oak trees, from which the structure was probably hewn, is a picture window into a quiet African-American domicile; the young child plays on the porch, while the man labors beneath a covered work bench. One of the most telling features is the wattle and daub conical chimney - a remnant of African architecture that persisted in the American South, particularly the Carolina lowlands. In time, these chimneys were constructed as largely detached structures that leaned away from the home, and were often supported/propped up by sticks. In the event of a fire, these asymmetrical marvels of architecture were designed to fall away from the main structure, so as to not catch the highly flammable wooden and thatched roofs ablaze. Through Norieri's painterly attention to detail, this seemingly modest scene becomes an equally important visual record of New Orleans' architecture and heritage as the steam-powered "floating palaces" that lined the city's shores.


  • Condition: In overall very good condition. The painting was relined and re-varnished some time ago. Under UV light, there is an inpainted "touch up" to the upper left corner, and some faint creasing that fluoresces in the trees and to the left part of the sky just above the trees. Light surface soiling is also present..

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May 22, 2016 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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