Frederick Rondel

(1826-1892)

Nobody writes biographical material on Frederick Rondel without emphasizing the fact that he is considered Winslow Homer’s only teacher. So it’s appropriate to get this oft-repeated fact quickly behind us. Rondel is a bit elusive: he was born in Paris, appeared in America in 1855, and for various periods lived in Boston and South Malden, Massachusetts, New York; returned to Europe; went back again to New York; and ultimately settled in Philadelphia. Although generally considered a pure Hudson River School landscape artist, he also exhibited genre, portraiture, marine, and more rarely-seen still lifes. Clearly, he was very good and more versatile than generally considered. I located this atypical tablet-top floral still life in 1973 at Kennedy Gallery during that wonderful time when the quantity of really good second-tier names was extensive and accessible. Along with a C. P. Ream hanging grapes picture, these were the first still lifes I acquired.