199

Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), Two Brothers Hunting, 1906
Dimensions: 20 x 24
Framed/base Dimensions: 27 x 31 x 3
Signature: signed lower left: E - I - Couse ·

oil on canvas
20 x 24 in.

  • Provenance: Justus Morris, Jr.
    American Art Association Auction, New York, 1917
    Dudensing & Son Galleries, New York, NY
    Private Collection, Tennessee
    Peter F. Fagley, Newburyport, MA, 1977
    Biltmore Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, 1985
    Private Collection, California
    Biltmore Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, 1993 (label verso)
    From the Estate of H.B. Turner
  • Literature: [unknown author & title], American Art Annual (New York, NY) vol. XLV (1917), p. 349
    [unknown author & title], New York Sun (New York), January 25, 1917
    Nicholas Woloshuk, E. Irving Couse: 1866–1936. Santa Fe: Santa Fe Village Art Museum, 1976. Monograph, Illus. p. 20, as Two Brothers Hunting
  • Notes:

    Catalogue Raisonné: 2034 / id 2038

    Painted in 1906, Two Brothers Hunting is a luminous and intimate example of Eanger Irving Couse’s early masterworks—quietly narrative, steeped in atmosphere, and centered on themes of familial connection and traditional Indigenous lifeways. Depicting two Native American men crouched in shadow at the edge of a clearing, their eyes fixed on a pair of deer beyond a sun-drenched stream, this painting exemplifies Couse’s signature blend of artistic refinement and cultural reverence.

    Couse, born in Michigan and trained in Paris, was one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists and a pivotal figure in American art at the turn of the century. His time in France shaped his strong academic technique, but it was the Southwest—particularly Taos, New Mexico—that awakened his artistic voice. In Taos, Couse developed a close relationship with local Pueblo communities, especially Taos Pueblo, where he found both inspiration and models for his work.

    In Two Brothers Hunting, Couse employs a rich chiaroscuro to heighten the emotional and narrative impact. The shadowed figures blend into the forest, underscoring their harmony with the natural world and their quiet patience as hunters. The warm glow of filtered sunlight bathes the landscape in golden hues, creating a striking contrast between the hidden observers and the unsuspecting deer in the distance. This delicate play of light and shadow is a hallmark of Couse’s style, conveying not only visual beauty but emotional depth.

    The painting also reflects Couse’s ongoing effort to dignify Native American subjects at a time when many artists and illustrators depicted them in stereotypical or sensationalized ways. His works, including this one, celebrate cultural identity, skill, and connection to land without resorting to romantic excess or exoticism.

    Two Brothers Hunting holds an important place in the early development of Couse’s Taos period. It foreshadows the more formal compositions he would pursue in the following decades while retaining a raw immediacy and sincerity. For collectors and historians, this work encapsulates the foundational values of the Taos Society of Artists: fidelity to regional truth, celebration of light and form, and respect for the people and traditions of the American Southwest.

    As such, Two Brothers Hunting is more than a scene of pursuit—it is a meditation on kinship, environment, and the enduring dignity of Indigenous presence in American art.

    To learn more about Couse’s life and legacy, please visit the Couse-Sharp Historic Site in Taos, New Mexico or online at couse-sharp.org. Through its archives, collections and programming, the Couse-Sharp Historic Site preserves and interprets Taos’ crossroads of cultures, promoting and facilitation research, education, and new perspectives on the Taos Society of Artists, early artists of Taos, and regional and Indigenous communities in relation to the greater story of the multicultural American West.

    Essay courtesy of Couse-Sharp Historic Site, 2025.

  • Condition: The painting appears to be in very good condition with faint stretcher bar indentations around the perimeter. The frame, which appears to be original, appears to be in good condition with miter splits at all four inner corners and some minor general wear. The painting was viewed under blacklight and shows a 1 1/2 inch area of inpainting at the upper left frame edge, a 1 3/4 inch area of inpainting at the upper right and a 1/2 inch area of inpainting at the upper right corner.

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September 13, 2025 10:00 AM MDT
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