Deer Head

Artist William Herbert Dunton (American, 1878 - 1936)

Date1934

Mediumoil on canvas board

Dimensions9 1/2 x 7 7/8 inches (24.1 x 20 cm)

Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965

Object number31.21.98

ClassificationsPaintings

DescriptionGroup I, Study No. 34. Oil study of the head and antlers of a buck.

Label TextDunton avidly studied wildlife for accuracy in his depictions. He observed animals such as deer and elk, members of the Cervidae family. He used the sketching process to learn their postures and characteristic poses. Dunton hunted and brought back specimens to use as models. He wrote, “Everything in the big game line I shot, I propped up and painted and then made anatomical studies with pencil after painting.” His sketch of the Deer Head is a careful study of anatomy and the antlers. Yet, it also seems like a trophy, displayed with its notations on the hunting record.

ProvenancePurchased May 11, 1942 through (Joseph Sartor Galleries, Dallas, Texas) by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

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