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The painting is one of the best known and most publicized examples of Rimmer’s work and is one of only a few surviving oils. When it was exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1880, Lion in the Arena received praise from critics for “its finish,” “correctness of detail,” and “originality of subject.” [2] Gladiators and lions reappear in Rimmer’s oeuvre as a sort of signature. The lion is a traditional symbol of power and royalty and may refer to his father’s conviction that he was the lost Dauphin of France. Although this was never proven, the prospect of a royal legacy appears to have haunted the artist in direct contrast to his life as an impoverished artist. The conflict between man and beast in Lion in the Arena might be read as an allegory for Rimmer’s own internal battles.
Notes:
[1] Rimmer quoted in Truman Howe Bartlett, The Art Life of William Rimmer, Sculptor, Painter, and Physician (Boston: James R. Osgood, 1881. Reprint, New York: Kennedy Graphics, 1970): 102.
[2] Unidenfied critic quoted in Charles C. Eldredge, Barbara Babcock Millhouse, and Robert G. Workman American Originals: Selections from Reynolda House, Museum of American Art (New York: Abbeville Press, 1990): 80.
ProvenanceBy 1882 to 1897
Mrs. Samuel D. Warren, Boston, MA, purchased from the artist (or possibly his family— like daughter, Caroline Hunt Rimmer) sometime after the 1876 Boston Art Club exhibition. [1]
From 1897 to 1910
Seth Morton Vose (1831-1910), Providence, RI, purchased from Mrs. Samuel D. Warren in 1897. [2]
From 1910
Robert C. Vose (1873-1964), Boston, MA inherited from father Seth Morton Vose in 1910. [3]
From 1944
Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1996), New York, NY purchased from Vose Galleries, Boston on February 29, 1944. [4]
Robert Isaacson, New York NY. [5]
1967
Durlacher Brothers, New York, NY. [6]
From 1967 to 1970
Barbara B. Millhouse, purchased from Durlacher Brothers, New York on June 6, 1967. [7]
From 1970
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, given by Barbara B. Millhouse on December 29, 1970. [8]
Notes:
[1] Letter from Jeffrey Weidman, July 6, 1977. See also Jeffery Weidman, William Rimmer: Critical Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II. Indiana University, 1982, p. 629.
[2] Weidman, William Rimmer: Critical Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II. Indiana University, 1982, p 629.
[3] See note 2.
[4] See note 2. Also Bill of Sale, object file.
[5] See note 2.
[6] Bill of Sale, object file.
[7] See note 6.
[8] Deed of Gift, object file.
Exhibition History1876
First Exhibition For 1876
Boston Art Club, Boston, MA (1/12/1876-2/5/1876 )
Exhibited as "Gladiator and Lion," lent for sale by William Rimmer
1877
Untitled exhibition of paintings by non-members and members
The Chelsea Review Club, MA (2/1877)
Exhibited as "Gladiator and Lion"
1880
Exhibition Of Sculpture, Oil Paintings, And Drawings By Dr. William Rimmer
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA (1880)
Cat. No. 17
Exhibited as "Lion in Arena"
1943
The Art Of Colonial America And The Early Republic, Primitives, Hudson River School, And Their Contemporaries
Vose Galleries, Boston, MA (1943)
Cat. No. 43
Exhibited as "Spectacle at the Coliseum"
1946-1947
William Rimmer- 1816-1879
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA (1946-1947)
Cat. No. 26
Lent by Lincoln Kirstein
1964
The American Scene, 1800-1900
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA (7/4/1964-8/16/1964)
Lent by Durlacher Brothers
1964
American Paintings Of The Nineteenth Century
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN (1964)
Cat. No. 67
Lent by Durlacher Brothers
1968
The American Vision, Paintings 1825/1875
M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY (1968)
Cat. No. 24
For the benefit of the Public Education Association
1971
Reynolda House American Paintings
Hirschl and Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, NY (1/13/1971-1/31/1971)
Cat. No. 18
1990-1992
American Originals, Selections From Reynolda House Museum Of American Art
The American Federation of Arts
Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, FL (9/22/1990-11/18/1990)
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA (12/16/1990-2/10/1991)
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (3/6/1991-5/11/1991)
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN (6/2/1991-7/28/1991)
Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, TX (8/17/1991-10/20/1991)
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, IL (11/17/1991-1/12/1992)
The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK (3/1/1992-4/26/1992)
2005
Vanguard Collecting: American Art at Reynolda House
Reynolda Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (4/1/2005-8/21/2005)
2012
Mystical Visions, Divine Revelations: Religion and Spirituality in 19th Century Art
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (3/31/2012 – 11/25/2012)
2017
Samuel F.B. Morse's Gallery of the Louvre and the Art of Invention
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (02/17/2017 - 06/04/2017)
Published ReferencesBartlett, T.H. Art Life Of William Rimmer--Sculptor, Painter, Physician. (1882): illus. 127.
Bartlett, Truman. The Art And Life Of William Rimmer. James R. Osgood and Co., 1982.
Colbert, Charles. Far More Arrogant Republics. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1995.
Flexner, J.T. That Wilder Image (1962): 204.
Gruen, John. “Nineteenth Century Heritage.” New York Magazine. October 21, 1968: 45.
Kirstein, L. "Who Was Dr. Rimmer" Town And Country (July 1946): color illus. 72.
Lassiter, Barbara B. Reynolda House American Paintings. Winston-Salem, NC: Reynolda House, Inc., 1971: 38, illus. 39.
Millhouse, Barbara B. and Robert Workman. American Originals. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1990: 78-81.
"Paintings for the Many: The American Vision 1825-1875" Arts Magazine LXIII (September-October 1968): illus. 32.
Rimmer, W. Art Anatomy (1877, 1962 reprint): intro.
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda: Her Muses, Her Stories , with contributions by Martha R. Severens and David Park Curry (Winston-Salem, N.C.: Reynolda House Museum of American Art affiliated with Wake Forest University, 2017). pg. 64, 65, 128, 129
DepartmentAmerican Art
Lion in the Arena
Artist
William Rimmer
(1816 - 1879)
Datecirca 1873-1876
Mediumoil on pressed wood pulp board
DimensionsFrame: 14 3/4 x 17 5/8 in. (37.5 x 44.8 cm)
Image (visible): 8 5/8 x 11 5/8 in. (21.9 x 29.5 cm)
Canvas: 9 5/16 x 12 1/4 in. (23.7 x 31.1 cm)
SignedRimmer
Credit LineGift of Barbara B. Millhouse
CopyrightPublic domain
Object number1970.2.2
DescriptionThe artist and highly regarded teacher William Rimmer instructed, “Make your men deep- chested and narrow-waisted, like a lion.” [1] This statement reveals his love of anatomy and his fascination with lions, qualities evident in Lion in the Arena. In this small painting, a gladiator is hunched in a battle-ready pose that mirrors the crouched form of his opponent, a snarling lion. The crisply delineated contours of their bodies highlight the musculature of both man and beast. The erect tail of the lion parallels the warrior’s line of movement. A low light source casts deep shadows while a soft haze suffuses the background, turning the spectators into an anonymous mass of people. The gladiator also remains anonymous; his broad muscular back is turned, allowing the viewer to imagine himself in the battle. The flared nostrils, large outstretched paw, and fierce face of the lion confront the viewer directly, strengthening the impression that the viewer is somehow involved in the unfolding action. While the size and ferocity of the beast suggest a losing battle for the man, the bloodstained form of a vanquished lioness at left conveys the possibility of triumph.The painting is one of the best known and most publicized examples of Rimmer’s work and is one of only a few surviving oils. When it was exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1880, Lion in the Arena received praise from critics for “its finish,” “correctness of detail,” and “originality of subject.” [2] Gladiators and lions reappear in Rimmer’s oeuvre as a sort of signature. The lion is a traditional symbol of power and royalty and may refer to his father’s conviction that he was the lost Dauphin of France. Although this was never proven, the prospect of a royal legacy appears to have haunted the artist in direct contrast to his life as an impoverished artist. The conflict between man and beast in Lion in the Arena might be read as an allegory for Rimmer’s own internal battles.
Notes:
[1] Rimmer quoted in Truman Howe Bartlett, The Art Life of William Rimmer, Sculptor, Painter, and Physician (Boston: James R. Osgood, 1881. Reprint, New York: Kennedy Graphics, 1970): 102.
[2] Unidenfied critic quoted in Charles C. Eldredge, Barbara Babcock Millhouse, and Robert G. Workman American Originals: Selections from Reynolda House, Museum of American Art (New York: Abbeville Press, 1990): 80.
ProvenanceBy 1882 to 1897
Mrs. Samuel D. Warren, Boston, MA, purchased from the artist (or possibly his family— like daughter, Caroline Hunt Rimmer) sometime after the 1876 Boston Art Club exhibition. [1]
From 1897 to 1910
Seth Morton Vose (1831-1910), Providence, RI, purchased from Mrs. Samuel D. Warren in 1897. [2]
From 1910
Robert C. Vose (1873-1964), Boston, MA inherited from father Seth Morton Vose in 1910. [3]
From 1944
Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1996), New York, NY purchased from Vose Galleries, Boston on February 29, 1944. [4]
Robert Isaacson, New York NY. [5]
1967
Durlacher Brothers, New York, NY. [6]
From 1967 to 1970
Barbara B. Millhouse, purchased from Durlacher Brothers, New York on June 6, 1967. [7]
From 1970
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, given by Barbara B. Millhouse on December 29, 1970. [8]
Notes:
[1] Letter from Jeffrey Weidman, July 6, 1977. See also Jeffery Weidman, William Rimmer: Critical Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II. Indiana University, 1982, p. 629.
[2] Weidman, William Rimmer: Critical Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II. Indiana University, 1982, p 629.
[3] See note 2.
[4] See note 2. Also Bill of Sale, object file.
[5] See note 2.
[6] Bill of Sale, object file.
[7] See note 6.
[8] Deed of Gift, object file.
Exhibition History1876
First Exhibition For 1876
Boston Art Club, Boston, MA (1/12/1876-2/5/1876 )
Exhibited as "Gladiator and Lion," lent for sale by William Rimmer
1877
Untitled exhibition of paintings by non-members and members
The Chelsea Review Club, MA (2/1877)
Exhibited as "Gladiator and Lion"
1880
Exhibition Of Sculpture, Oil Paintings, And Drawings By Dr. William Rimmer
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA (1880)
Cat. No. 17
Exhibited as "Lion in Arena"
1943
The Art Of Colonial America And The Early Republic, Primitives, Hudson River School, And Their Contemporaries
Vose Galleries, Boston, MA (1943)
Cat. No. 43
Exhibited as "Spectacle at the Coliseum"
1946-1947
William Rimmer- 1816-1879
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA (1946-1947)
Cat. No. 26
Lent by Lincoln Kirstein
1964
The American Scene, 1800-1900
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA (7/4/1964-8/16/1964)
Lent by Durlacher Brothers
1964
American Paintings Of The Nineteenth Century
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN (1964)
Cat. No. 67
Lent by Durlacher Brothers
1968
The American Vision, Paintings 1825/1875
M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY (1968)
Cat. No. 24
For the benefit of the Public Education Association
1971
Reynolda House American Paintings
Hirschl and Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, NY (1/13/1971-1/31/1971)
Cat. No. 18
1990-1992
American Originals, Selections From Reynolda House Museum Of American Art
The American Federation of Arts
Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, FL (9/22/1990-11/18/1990)
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA (12/16/1990-2/10/1991)
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (3/6/1991-5/11/1991)
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN (6/2/1991-7/28/1991)
Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, TX (8/17/1991-10/20/1991)
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, IL (11/17/1991-1/12/1992)
The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK (3/1/1992-4/26/1992)
2005
Vanguard Collecting: American Art at Reynolda House
Reynolda Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (4/1/2005-8/21/2005)
2012
Mystical Visions, Divine Revelations: Religion and Spirituality in 19th Century Art
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (3/31/2012 – 11/25/2012)
2017
Samuel F.B. Morse's Gallery of the Louvre and the Art of Invention
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (02/17/2017 - 06/04/2017)
Published ReferencesBartlett, T.H. Art Life Of William Rimmer--Sculptor, Painter, Physician. (1882): illus. 127.
Bartlett, Truman. The Art And Life Of William Rimmer. James R. Osgood and Co., 1982.
Colbert, Charles. Far More Arrogant Republics. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1995.
Flexner, J.T. That Wilder Image (1962): 204.
Gruen, John. “Nineteenth Century Heritage.” New York Magazine. October 21, 1968: 45.
Kirstein, L. "Who Was Dr. Rimmer" Town And Country (July 1946): color illus. 72.
Lassiter, Barbara B. Reynolda House American Paintings. Winston-Salem, NC: Reynolda House, Inc., 1971: 38, illus. 39.
Millhouse, Barbara B. and Robert Workman. American Originals. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1990: 78-81.
"Paintings for the Many: The American Vision 1825-1875" Arts Magazine LXIII (September-October 1968): illus. 32.
Rimmer, W. Art Anatomy (1877, 1962 reprint): intro.
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda: Her Muses, Her Stories , with contributions by Martha R. Severens and David Park Curry (Winston-Salem, N.C.: Reynolda House Museum of American Art affiliated with Wake Forest University, 2017). pg. 64, 65, 128, 129
Status
On view