Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)
The Questioner of the Sphinx, c. 1863
Oil on canvas
92.07 x 107.31 cm (36 1/4 x 42 1/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Vedder, then in his twenties, had not yet visited Egypt when he painted this mysterious work. Depictions of the Great Sphinx at Giza (or Gizeh) had appeared in a number of travel books by the mid-nineteenth century, when imagery of the Near East became increasingly popular; Vedder seems to have used such an illustration as a source. However, the subject of an Arab wayfarer questioning the mysterious monument came from Vedder’s fertile imagination, although it does recall the ancient Greek myth of the sphinx that protected the road to Thebes by challenging passing travelers with riddles. Vedder’s pilgrim, in his ragged robes, appears to have made a long and difficult journey through an inhospitable wilderness in the hope of hearing some great truth from the implacable statue. His success is uncertain, for the skull of another questioner lies in the foreground, a mute witness to the occasion.
Vedder wrote that, in this painting, he sought to portray the hopelessness of man before the laws of nature; to the modern viewer, it also resonates with the uncertainty that accompanied the Civil War. Vedder continued to be haunted by this subject and he produced a number of other images of the sphinx over the course of his long career. More on this painting
Elihu Vedder (February 26, 1836 – January 29, 1923) was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator, and poet, born in New York City. He is best known for his fifty-five illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Elihu Vedder (1836–1923)
The Sorrowing Soul Between Doubt and Faith, circa 1887
Oil on canvas
Height: 16 in (40.6 cm); Width: 21 in (53.3 cm)
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University
This painting, in its original frame, presents Vedder’s preoccupation with the theme of the soul flanked by worldly knowledge on one side, a classical figure with the face of age and experience, and by Christian faith on the other, with a face of youth and compassion surrounded by a halo. More on this painting
Elihu Vedder (1836–1923)
Soul in Bondage, c. from 1891 until 1892
Oil on canvas
Height: 96.1 cm (37.8 in); Width: 60.9 cm (23.9 in)
Brooklyn Museum
In this brooding Symbolist subject titled Soul in Bondage, Vedder brought together his key interests in idealized human form, abstracted design, and the themes of internal spiritual conflict. Profoundly inspired by the writer Edward Fitzgerald's translation of mystical Persian verse in the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, he created numerous subjects representing the individual bound by the dilemma of choice between good and evil symbolized here by the butterfly and the serpent. More on this painting
Elihu Vedder, was the son of Dr. Elihu Vedder Sr. and Elizabeth Vedder. His parents were cousins. His father, a dentist, decided to try his luck in Cuba, and this had a profound impact on Elihu Jr.'s childhood. The remainder of his childhood was spent between his maternal grandfather Alexander Vedder's house in Schenectady and a boarding school. His mother supported his goals to be an artist while his father reluctantly assented, convinced that his son should try a different occupation. His brother, Dr. Alexander Madison Vedder, was a Navy surgeon who witnessed the transformation of Japan into a modern culture while he was stationed there.
Elihu Vedder, American, 1836 - 1923
The Cup of Death, c. 1885
44 3/8 × 20 3/4 in. (112.71 × 52.71 cm)
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
"So when the Angel of the darker Drink At last shall find you by the river-brink, And, offering his Cup, invite your Soul Forth to your Lips to quaff—you shall not shrink."
The above passage from the forty-ninth quatrain of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám inspired this haunting image of ultimate acceptance. The painting derives from Vedder’s 1884 masterwork—fifty-six illustrations for a deluxe edition of Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the 12th-century Persian text. Vedder’s illustrations to the translated text, which speculates on the mysteries of existence and death, struck a chord with abroad American public traumatized by the Civil War, shaken by the scientific theories of Darwin, and further challenged by foreign immigration, massive industrialization, and growing social discord. More on this painting
Elihu Vedder, 1836-1923
The Fisherman and the Mermaid
Oil on canvas
41.9 x 72.4 cms | 16 1/2 x 28 1/2 ins
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
The mermaid was a popular figure during the nineteenth century. Hans Christian Andersen first published “The Little Mermaid” in 1837, and other writers, from Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to Oscar Wilde, also treated the theme. Whether depicted as a destructive temptress or helpless victim, the mermaid embodied the sacrifices associated with living in two worlds. It is not surprising that this creature captivated contemporary observers, who were living through unprecedented cultural, political, and social changes. This canvas is the last of five paintings Vedder made of this subject, which all depict a fisherman hauling a frightened mermaid from the sea in his net. The narrative may be based on a specific, as yet unidentified, source. More on this painting
Vedder trained in New York City with Tompkins H. Matteson, then in Paris with François-Édouard Picot. Finally, he completed his studies in Italy - where he was strongly influenced not only by Italian Renaissance work but also by the modern Macchiaioli painters and the living Italian landscape. He first visited Italy from 1858 until 1860. Their idyllic trips through the Italian countryside were cut short because Vedder's father cut off his financial allowance.
Elihu Vedder, 1836-1923
The Roc's Egg, c. 1868
Oil on canvas
19.1 x 40.6 cms | 7 1/2 x 16 ins
Chrysler Museum of Art
The Roc’s Egg (1868) shows a scene from the legend of Sinbad the sailor, a story-cycle probably of Middle Eastern origin. These tales were a late addition to the compilation known widely as the Thousand and One Nights, but seemed to exist independently before being incorporated there.
In the second voyage of Sinbad, he is accidentally abandoned on an island on which there are roc eggs. Rocs are legendary enormous birds which appear in a number of sources. Here the sailors remove the contents of one of the roc’s giant eggs, which they cook on an open fire. Later in that adventure Sinbad uses a roc to obtain diamonds, before returning home to Baghdad. More on this painting
Elihu Vedder (1836–1923)
Fisherman and the Genie, circa 1863
Height: 19.3 cm (7.6 in); Width: 35.2 cm (13.8 in)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Elihu Vedder (1836–1923)
Fisherman and the Genie (Sketch), circa 1863
Height: 17.4 cm (6.8 in); Width: 29.5 cm (11.6 in)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Elihu Vedder (American, New York 1836–1923 Rome)
Lair of the Sea Serpent, ca. 1899
Oil on canvas
12 x 30 in. (30.5 x 76.2 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 1864 Vedder completed a large painting of a huge mythical creature burrowing into a hillock on a sandy shore. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts (See below), Boston, that painting was based on a sketch that Vedder reworked thirty-five years later to create this canvas. The sea serpent’s immense size, thick, coiled body, and incongruous placement in a tranquil setting suggest the influence on Vedder of nightmarish demons such as those portrayed by Gustave Doré and Francisco de Goya, especially in the latter’s aquatints published as Los Caprichos in 1799. More on this painting
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)
The Lair of the Sea Serpent, c. 1864
Oil on canvas
54.61 x 93.03 cm (21 1/2 x 36 5/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Penniless, Vedder returned to the United States during the American Civil War and made a small living undertaking commercial illustrations. He was involved in the bohemian 'Pfaff's' coffee house group and painted some of his most memorable paintings notable for their visionary nature, romantic imagery and often Oriental influences. Paintings of this time include 'The Roc's Egg' (See above), 'The Fisherman and the Genii' (See above) and one of his most famous works, 'Lair of the Sea Serpent (See above).' In the United States. Vedder became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1865. At the end of the Civil War, Vedder left America to live in Italy.
Elihu Vedder, 1836 - 1923
Dancing Girl, c. 1871
Oil on canvas
39 x 19 3/8 in. (99.1 x 49.2 cm)
Reynolda House Museum of American Art
Elihu Vedder’s Dancing Girl from 1871 demonstrates the way the artist absorbed and synthesized various influences to create a harmonious whole. In the painting, a fair-haired model stands holding an elaborately decorated tambourine. She is placed before a luxurious tapestry depicting lush vegetation and exotic animals, including lions, camels, and deer. She is richly attired in a Renaissance-style gown, but she raises her skirts to reveal Turkish-style leggings and slippers, suggesting that the setting is a harem. Surrounding her are various elements for entertainment: a wheel for predicting fortunes for her audience, juggling balls, and sticks. Although the painting is called Dancing Girl, she is not depicted dancing, but rather posing serenely, lips parted, gazing to the side. She is less an actor and more an aesthetic object, like the tapestry and painted tambourine. More on this painting
Vedder visited England many times, and was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and was a friend of Simeon Solomon. He was also influenced by the work of English and Irish mystics such as William Blake and William Butler Yeats. In 1890 Vedder helped establish the In Arte Libertas group in Italy.
In Peace and Prosperity (1896), the symbolic figure rests her hands on laurel wreaths, indicating victory. At the left, a youth is painting decorations onto urns, and behind him is a lyre. On the right, another youth is planting a tree for the future, with a billhook and spade. More on this painting
Corrupt Legislation (1896) is a more elaborate composition which looks at the consequences of poor government. The central figure is more floozy than goddess, holding a set of scales in her left hand. At the right of the painting, and on that left hand, is a lawyer, with an open book labelled The Law. At his feet, banknotes fall out of an urn, there are small sacks of grain, and a small portable ‘safe’.
At the left, apparently pleading with the central figure, is a young girl holding any empty distaff and bobbin for spinning. Behind her are shards from a broken pot, and a broken-down wall.
Vedder also made a beautiful mosaic which is in the central arched panel leading to the Visitor’s Gallery of the Library of Congress: Minerva of Peace (1897). More on this painting
Anarchy mural by Elihu Vedder. Lobby to Main Reading Room. Source: Library of Congress
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| Good Legislation mural by Elihu Vedder. Lobby to Main Reading Room. Source: Library of Congress |
Tiffany commissioned him to design glassware, mosaics and statuettes for the company. He decorated the hallway of the Reading Room of the Washington Library of Congress, and his mural paintings (See above) can still be seen there.
Vedder occasionally returned to the United States, but lived only in Italy from 1906 until his death on January 29, 1923. He is buried in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome. There are no known living descendants of Elihu Vedder as both surviving children died without issue. More on Elihu Vedder
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