This eleven-color lithograph, measuring 25.5 by 20 inches, was hand proofed and printed at Atelier Ettinger in December of 1976. The edition consists of 320 impressions on papier d'Arches. 200 were numbered and 60 artist proofs were signed in pencil by Norman Rockwell. An additional 35 prints pencil signed and designated with roman numerals were reserved for Rockwell. 25 deluxe signed proofs were also printed on Inomachi Nacre (Japon) paper.
From childhood, Norman Rockwell loved the world of Charles Dickens. He would draw pictures of Scrooge while listening to the famous tale, hoping to capture the characters as Dickens imagined them. It is no wonder that Rockwell is often credited with the "invention of the modern American Christmas and the tender sentiments attached to it: kindly Santa Clauses who ponder each juvenile requests; merry Dickensian travelers bound for home on cold winter nights; cozy hearths; windows aglow with warm light spilling out across the snow. Rockwell helped to create the outlines of a secular, commercial holiday suffused with the intense feelings of a religious ritual-but a ritual in which he largely declined to participate, except as a shrewd and not unsympathetic observer."
For its Christmas covers, The Saturday Evening Post often favored one of "three types of holiday symbolism: Santas; Olde English scenes with literary overtones; and posh costumes that were neo-medieval or even religious flavor." The plump man waiting to bring home his Christmas feast is of the second type. It is clear that Rockwell put a lot of effort into making the gentlemen's clothing look authentic in order to create a Dickensian scene equipped with holiday attire and a Christmas goose.
-From Karal Ann Marling's Norman Rockwell
The purchase of any limited edition Norman Rockwell prints is accompanied by an Authenticity Certificate signed by our Museum Director, a complimentary one-year Museum family membership, and care and handling instructions for the print. Payment plans are available. All hand signed reproduction print purchases contribute directly to the Norman Rockwell Museum to preserve and present the art and legacy of Norman Rockwell. Please contact us for more information at 413.931.2237 or 800.742.9450 Or Email: MDuffy@nrm.org
Price | $3,500.00 |
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