View of Florence

Provenance

Where it has been

1. 1961 –
   The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1961-)”

2. 1960 – 1961
   (Victor Spark, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “(Victor Spark, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1960-1961)”

3. Until 1960 –
   Francis Moro, New York, NY, sold to Victor Spark1
   purchase
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “Francis Moro, New York, NY, sold to Victor Spark1 (Until 1960) [notes: 1Francis Moro and his brother, Tom, operated Paul Moro, Inc., a paintings conservation studio in New York City that had been founded by their father.  Francis, who owned the Cole, cleaned and lined the painting with Tim, before selling it to Victor Spark in 1960.  Francis also bought and sold paintings, and in 1966 he established Moro Galleries, Inc.  ]”

4. ? –
   Private collector, New York, NY, sold to Francis Moro1
   purchase
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “Private collector, New York, NY, sold to Francis Moro1 (?) [notes: 1After purchasing the painting, this unknown collector brought it to Francis Moro for conservation, ultimately selling it to him.  ]”

5. ? –
   (Antique store, New York, NY, sold to a private collector)1
   purchase
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “(Antique store, New York, NY, sold to a private collector)1 (?) [notes: 1The painting was displayed in the window of an unidentified antique store in New York City, where it was noticed and then purchased by an unknown collector. ]”

6. By 1854 – ?
   Henry James, Sr. [1811-1882], New York, NY1
   purchase
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “Henry James, Sr. [1811-1882], New York, NY1 (By 1854-?) [notes: 1Henry James, Sr. owned the painting by 1854, when he was listed as its owner in a New York Gallery of Fine Arts exhibition on May 1st of that year.  In his memoir of 1913, A Small Boy and Others, his son, novelist Henry James recalls the painting, which "covered half a side of our front parlor” of the family’s brownstone on West 14th Street in Manhattan.   He writes that, as of 1913, the painting was "long ago lost to our sight;" apparently, it was no longer in the possession of any member of the James family by this point.  The painting’s whereabouts from 1854 to circa 1960 remain unknown.  In 1855, the James family moved to Europe, returning in 1859 to reside mainly in Newport, Rhode Island, where they lived until 1865, when Henry James, Sr. sold the 14th Street house and settled the family in Cambridge. The 14th Street house was sold to William Benton Greene [1819-1904], who had rented it while the James family resided elsewhere.  Alfred Habegger, a noted Henry James scholar, suggested that the painting may have remained on the walls of the James home when they moved to Europe and that Greene “inherited” the painting with the house.]”

7. By 1848 – before 1854
   Edward James, New York, NY, probably to his brother, Henry James, S1
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “Edward James, New York, NY, probably to his brother, Henry James, S1 (By 1848-before 1854) [notes: 1Edward James lent the painting to an 1848 exhibition of works by Cole held at the American Art Union.  Edward James was the uncle of novelist Henry James; he lived in Albany and is among the lesser known members of the James family.  In some versions of the provenance of View of Florence, Edward James is followed by Thomas Parkman Cushing, who is then followed by Henry James, Sr. In her entry on View of Florence in the exhibition catalogue, A Lost World: Masterpieces of American Painting , 1760-1910 (1983), Diana Strazdes situated the painting in the possession of Thomas Parkman Cushing in 1850, when he lent a Cole painting titled “View on the Arno, near Florence” to an exhibition at the Boston Athenaeum.  It seems that Strazdes likely confused View of Florence with View of the Arno, near Florence (Worcester Art Museum, 1991.179), assigning the Cushing provenance to View of Florence which in fact it belongs to View of the Arno.  ]”

8. by 1839 –
   Jonathan Mason, Boston1
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “Jonathan Mason, Boston1 (by 1839) [notes: 1Mason, Cole's friend and agent, is listed as the painting's owner in an 1839 exhibition at the Boston Athenaeum.]”

9. 1838 – 1839?
   Possibly Mr. Hunt, Boston1
   high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art

   “Possibly Mr. Hunt, Boston1 (1838-1839?)”

10. Dates unknown
    Metropolitan Museum of Art
    medium confidenceWikidata · collection