Blog

Who’d have expected that the world’s best collection of stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) would be within an hour of Disney World? I first visited the Morse in March 2020. My blogpost from that visit shows many of the Morse’s artworks and offers more information about the founders and the collections. This post and last week’s include some recent acquisitions and a few works that I missed the first time.

Paintings

Sully (1783-1872) completed more than two thousand beautifully executed portraits over the course of his career. This one shows the sixteen-year-old sister of the founder of Tiffany & Co., Charles Lewis Tiffany. The way the shawl and the sky pick up the pinkish-orange colors in her face is lovely.

Thomas Moran is primarily known for his American landscapes (as here). This time he painted Barnard Castle in northern England, in homage to Joseph Mallord William Turner’s painting of Barnard Castle. As you might expect from Moran’s other works, his version of the castle is much more colorful.

This painting by Elihu Vedder was probably inspired by Tennyson’s somber poem “Break, Break, Break“. It’s a study for an oil now in the L.A. County Museum of Art. The study at the Morse is memorable for the colors and for the tall, narrow format. The finished version is closer to square, and its hovering cloud-face is more than a bit creepy.

Another work by Elihu Vedder: three exquisite, beautifully simple versions of a grape leaf, in chalk on paper. I love the way these lines twist and turn, widen and narrow.

Just beautiful: Calla Lillies, by George Cochran Lambdin.

Here’s something completely unexpected from Albert Bierstadt, who’s famous for his huge, dramatic landscapes of the American West. This work was a gift to a guest at his home. The butterfly was made, as you might guess, by putting paint on a paper and folding it in half, then adding antenna and an inscription. Bierstadt signed each one. Twenty versions are known.

The casualness of this scene by Arthur Ignatius Keller appeals to me: the woman on the left seems to have entered and plopped herself down on her friend’s couch, without even pulling off her outerwear. “My dear, I never should have gone shopping on Black Friday!” Kudos to Keller: it’s difficult to incorporate so much detail and such dark colors without muddying a watercolor.

Right by the Morse’s gift shop is an original Maxfield Parrish oil painting! Parrish’s glowing colors, like Tiffany’s stained glass, are much better in the original than in reproductions or photos.

When I last saw this, I didn’t notice the delightful contrast between the sharp lines of the boy’s profile and the fuzziness of his hair, blowing in the wind of the swing’s movement. I’m a big fan of competence, so looking at the assurance of Parrish’s lines is always a pleasure.

Sculpture

I think of Thomas Ball’s works as stiff: see, for example, the Webster in Central Park. This piece, however, reminds me of some of Houdon’s exquisite sculptures of children, which is high praise indeed.

The title is a pun. In French, “pensée” means “thought”, but also “pansy”. The little girl is looking thoughtfully down at the pansies on her dress. In the Victorian era, pansies represented tenderness, concern, and compassion.

In this small sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh, two charming children stand by their mother, who sits on a high-backed chair. The circular cushion on the chair’s back forms a sort of halo behind her head. Vonnoh was famous for her sculptures of women and children, including the delightful His First Journey at the Metropolitan Museum.

More

• The Morse is in charming, elegant Winter Park, which also offers upscale shopping, restaurants, and a scenic boat tour of three of the areas lovely lakes. Our meal at Tabla was delicious.
• For more on museums on this website, see the Museums and the Five Favorites links, and my article on enjoying art with kids.
• In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats.
• Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.