ROBERT REMSEN VICKREY (American, 1926-2011)Nunegg tempera on Masonitesigned R. Vickrey lower right14 x 20 in., frame: 23 5/8 x 29 1/2 in. Provenance: Midtown Galleries, New York (label verso); By descent within a Hamilton, Massachusetts Family.Other Notes: While Robert Vickrey was a student at the Yale School of Fine Arts in 1948, he found inspiration in a picture of Roman Catholic sisters the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Soon thereafter, depictions of their distinct linen head coverings (cornettes) came to dominate his oeuvre. Vickrey's nun series highlights his use of traditional egg tempera. The yolk emulsion technique creates a unique luminosity seen in Vickrey's cornettes, while the matte surface of the medium heightens his bold, linear compositions. This work highlights the varied effect of the medium in Vickrey's work, with the striking white of the nun's cornette in stark contrast with the grainy texture of the background.