Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978) Grandfather and Grandson, 1929 Oil on canvas 28 x 30-3/4 inches (71.1 x 78.1 cm) Signed lower right: Norman / Rockwell PROPERTY FROM THE DIXON TICONDEROGA COLLECTION PROVENANCE: The artist; Dixon Ticonderoga, commissioned from the above, 1929. LITERATURE: Liberty Magazine, September 7, 1929, n.p.; L.N. Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p. 361, fig. A240, illustrated. As one of American's oldest corporations, the Dixon Ticonderoga Company traces its Heritage to the proponents of the American Revolution, and the very foundation of the United States. Dixon Ticonderoga is rooted in innovation, and continues to embody the inventive spirit of founder, Joseph Dixon. At the time of Dixon's death in 1869, Dixon Ticonderoga was the largest manufacturer of graphite products in the world. By 1872, the company was making 86,000 pencils a day, and ultimately, in 1913, the iconic yellow no. 2 Ticonderoga pencil was introduced. The same spirit of ingenuity that fueled the creation of the very first Ticonderoga pencil is evident in Norman Rockwell's masterful Grandfather and Grandson, commissioned from Rockwell by the company in 1929. The focal point of the scene is the world-famous Ticonderoga pencil, one that is likely found in every home in America, and throughout the world. The work has hung prominently in the corporate offices of Dixon Ticonderoga from the moment it was received in 1929, until now. Heritage Auctions is proud to present this nostalgic, timeless masterwork for the very first time. Few artists have ever pulled on our nation's heartstrings, particularly in reference to family and generations, as adeptly as Rockwell. From his earliest advertisements to his patriotic World War II subjects, Rockwell's virtuoso was in his ability to capture the essence of American culture and a view of a more innocent time in our country's history. Rockwell states: "I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed. And perhaps, therefore, this is one function of the illustrator. He can show what has become so familiar that it is no longer noticed. The illustrator thus becomes a chronicler of his time" (as quoted in Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p. xii). Recognizing the need for reminiscence from young and old alike, Rockwell effectively captures a timeless scene: Here, a young boy sits captivated by the feet of his grandfather, with the family dog sleeping soundly beneath the elder's chair, as Grandpa teaches his grandson how to sharpen his yellow Ticonderoga pencil. The work is executed in Rockwell's signature descriptive style of finely drawn, clear realism with a wealth of fascinating detail. In discussing his career, Rockwell commented, "I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed. And perhaps, therefore, this is one function of the illustrator. He can show what has become so familiar that it is no longer noticed. The illustrator thus becomes a chronicler of his time" (as quoted in Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p. xii). With Grandfather and Grandson, Rockwell once again succeeds in capturing the nostalgia of a simpler world that is as familiar today as it was nearly a century ago when he painted this charming work. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved See More