Robert S. Duncanson, American, 1821 - 1872 Search this
Medium:
oil on canvas , wood
Dimensions:
H x W (unframed): 36 × 46 1/8 in. (91.4 × 117.2 cm)
Storage: 142.2 × 167.6 × 33 cm (56 × 66 × 13 in.)
H x W x D (framed): 46 1/4 × 56 × 3 1/8 in. (117.5 × 142.2 × 8 cm)
Type:
oil paintings
Place made:
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1856
Caption:
Robert S. Duncanson was deeply influenced by the Hudson River School, an art movement founded by American landscape painter Thomas Cole. The Hudson River artists are best known for creating allegorical landscapes relating to national identity, exploration, and westward expansion.
Duncanson painted Robbing the Eagle’s Nest at the height of his career. The work reflects the popular 19th-century practice of collecting wild birds’ eggs. Duncanson’s decision to represent two men attempting and ultimately failing at collecting eggs from an eagle’s nest may have been viewed by his audience as an allegory. It referenced the 1854 debate over slavery in the new western territories following implementation of the Kansas Nebraska Act. This law abrogated the Missouri Compromise by allowing white male settlers in the new states of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for or against slavery.
Description:
A view of the Ohio River Valley done in the American Romantic style of the Hudson River School. The painting features an eagle soaring by the face of a cliff. The inclusion of figures is rare in Duncanson's work.
