The Wages of War

The Wages of War

Artist: Henry Peters Gray (American, 1819–1877)

Original Dimensions: 48 1/4" x 76 1/4"

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

About Artwork: (1848) "Completed in 1848 and sold to the American Art-Union for the then-large amount of $1,500, "The Wages of War" was considered a masterpiece in its day. It was awarded as a prize in the Art-Union's lottery of December 21, 1849 to a John Doig of Lowville, New York. Gray later regained possession of the picture and took it to London for exhibition in the fall of 1851. After Gray went to Italy in 1871, his son managed a subscription for its sale and collected $5,000 from a group of patrons who presented the painting to the Museum in 1872. It was the first painting by an American artist acquired by the Museum. The composition contains borrowings from a wide variety of sources ranging from the antique to the Renaissance, and perhaps even including Samuel F. B. Morse's "The Dying Hercules" of 1813 (Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven)." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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Estimated painting completion:  4-6 weeks after you place your order.
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From artist to collector, one of a hundred.

Alexis Trembley

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Answers to common questions about our limited editions.

Each artwork is printed on demand in a maximum print total of 100 numbered prints. Once the edition is sold out, it will never be reprinted.

Yes. Every print is hand-numbered to mark its place in the edition. Some artists also include a signature, depending on their process.

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