Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819–1905)
Young Ruffed Grouse, 1858
Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches (oval)
Signed lower left: A. F. Tait / NY
Inscribed on verso prior to relining: Young Ruffed Grouse by A. F. Tait 660 Broadway 1858 no 67
Provenance: the artist, Goupil & Co., New York, 1858; to J. B. Murray, Esq.; private collection, New Jersey, until 1992; private collection until 2006
Literature: Warder H. Cadbury and Henry F. Marsh, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait: Artist in the Adirondacks (Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1986), 142, no. 58.21.
Note: This painting retains its original frame.
Delightful paintings of wild fowl chicks, such as grouse and quail, were a favorite motif throughout Tait’s career. Young Ruffed Grouse exemplifies this popular subject, and depicts a group of five endearing chicks with one tugging at a twig and another investigating a ladybug. According to Tait’s journal, Young Ruffed Grouse was originally paired with another small oval format painting titled Young Quail (location unknown).