See the Ranch that Inspired a Maynard Dixon Oil Painting
See images of the ranch that inspired a Maynard Dixon oil painting, ca. 1913, that one guest brought to Roadshow's 2022 appraisal event in Boise!
Apr 3, 2023
During ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's May 2022 stop at the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, a guest named Tony brought in a circa 1913 oil painting by Maynard Dixon.
Tony told paintings and drawings appraiser David Weiss that he had inherited the painting from his mother, who had received it from her aunt. The painting depicts a topographical view of Tony's great-aunt and great-uncle’s ranch in eastern Oregon. The family legend, Tony explained, is that Maynard Dixon stayed at the ranch and gifted the painting to Tony’s great-aunt and uncle.
Weiss noted that Dixon traveled extensively and was one of the leading painters of the first half of the 20th century to capture depictions of the American West. "We really think of his style as having simple lines, bold colors, strong forms, heavy impasto. You see the use of some of the heavy impasto here in the lower right, just above the inscription."
Weiss explained that while the subject matter in Tony's painting is consistent with Dixon's body of work, because of how specific it is to Tony’s family, he surmises that it's a special piece. The painting is even inscribed “Escondido to Tom and Mrs. Tom.”
Tony then mentioned to Weiss that he took a photograph from right where Dixon stood when he painted this piece, to show how the ranch has changed over time. “Nothing looks like it was," he said. The painting and Tony's photograph both hang in his dining room. During the winter of 2023, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW reached out to Tony to request a look at his personal photograph, and shortly after, Tony kindly obliged.
See Tony's photographs below!
A recent image of Tony's family ranch.
