James Edward Stuart''s massive painting, "The Ruling Spirit of the Columbia,” is undergoing restoration in Redmond. The painting, which has hung in the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center since 1985, dates to 1894.
James Edward Stuart''s massive painting, "The Ruling Spirit of the Columbia,” is undergoing restoration in Redmond. The painting, which has hung in the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center since 1985, dates to 1894.
WENATCHEE — On Nov. 21, the painting “Sunset and Moonrise on the Great Chief” or “The Ruling Spirit of the Columbia,” was removed from the walls of the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center and shipped to Redmond for restoration.
Ashley Sinner
Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center
The museum is contracting with conservator Bruce F. Miller for this project, which is expected to take four months. Upon completion, the painting will return to the museum to be prominently displayed for the enjoyment of all. A Seattle-based fine art services company, Artech, was contracted for handling and transportation.
This landscape painting done by James Edward Stuart in 1894 is displayed in an ornate gilt frame. It depicts a large rock formation overlooking the Columbia River. It was previously thought to be located at the Maryhill Ferry, near Goldendale. Upon removal from the museum wall, the back of the canvas revealed in Stuart’s own handwriting that it is “Situated on the upper end of the Island that forms Hell Gate, and about 130 miles above Portland, Oregon.” This would put the location east of Maryhill, closer to Arlington, Oregon. Also uncovered was the record of restoration work done on the painting in San Francisco in 1945.
{span style=”background-color: #ffffff;”}Stuart was a highly successful and well-known painter. His paintings are still actively sold at auctions and some are currently hanging in the White House, several prestigious art galleries in Western states, and in the collections of many historical societies. The “Sunset and Moonrise” painting is a beautiful treasure, and has a special history in our community, as well as in Washington state. It celebrates the mystery and beauty of the unique geological formations along our great Columbia River. This landscape painting in its original ornate frame is reflective of late 19th century neo-romanaticism, with influences of the Hudson River School of Painting.
Originally displayed in the Washington State Pavilion at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, it later hung at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma. Frank A. Dupar purchased the painting in 1954 and moved it to the lobby of the Cascadian Hotel in Wenatchee, where it hung until the Dupar family gifted it to Wenatchee Valley College in 1968. WVC donated it to the museum in 1985.
Over the past 125 years of its life, the painting has darkened and is in need of conservation to bring it back to its former vibrant glory. The museum intends to restore the original gilt frame that Stuart chose for the painting. Fundraising for the restoration project was launched in 2017, and is nearing the full $18,210 goal required to fully complete the project. Thanks to the support of generous donors and foundations, the museum has raised $16,240 to fund this historic art preservation project for our community and for generations to come.
For more information about the restoration project or to make a donation please visit https://wwrld.us/2PdY5rp or call the museum at 888-6240. The community is encouraged to follow the restoration process through posts on the museum’s website and on social media.
Ashley Sinner is the outreach/public relations coordinator for Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.
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