Ruins

James Hamilton American, born Ireland

before 1864

Not on view

Hamilton, best known as a marine painter, trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Nicknamed an “American J.M.W. Turner” for his accomplished seascapes, Hamilton admired the great British painter’s work during a year-long sojourn in England in 1854. Turner’s influence is also evident in Hamilton’s watercolors, with their bold use of gouache and interest in atmospheric effects, as in this fanciful roundel view of Egyptian ruins. Hamilton, who may not have visited Egypt, amplifies the romance of the ancient ruins by situating the central temple remains and palm trees between a brilliant red sunset, reflecting on placid waters, and low-lying cool blue clouds enveloping fragmented structures.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Ruins
Artist: James Hamilton (American (born Ireland), Entrien 1819–1878 San Francisco, California)
Date: before 1864
Culture: American
Medium: Watercolor and gouache on paper
Dimensions: Diameter: 15 in. (38.1 cm)
Frame: 18 1/2 × 18 1/2 × 1 in. (47 × 47 × 2.5 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of James David Draper, from the Robert Isaacson Collection, 2019
Object Number: 2021.13
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

By James Hamilton

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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On Hampstead Heath, James Hamilton American, born Ireland, Oil on canvas, American — On Hampstead Heath
James Hamilton
1856

Beach Scene, James Hamilton American, born Ireland, Watercolor and gouache on off-white wove paper, American — Beach Scene
James Hamilton
ca. 1865

Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), Charles Ethan Porter American, Oil on canvas, American — Untitled (Cracked Watermelon)
Charles Ethan Porter
ca. 1890

Rooftops, Brooklyn, Fidelia Bridges American, Watercolor and gouache on tan hot-pressed wove paper, American — Rooftops, Brooklyn
Fidelia Bridges
ca. 1867

Standing Male Nude (Vincent Spinelli), John Flanagan American, Charcoal on paper, American — Standing Male Nude (Vincent Spinelli)
John Flanagan
ca. 1891

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