Aiden Lassell Ripley (American, 1896-1969), Springer and Hunters with Pheasants

Watercolor and whitening on paper, 1938, signed and dated at lower right, matted and framed with archival materials and under conservation glass.

Sight size 13 1/2 x 19 in.; Frame dimensions 27 x 32 in.

The Sporting Gallery and Bookshop, New York
From the Estate of the late Robert Montgomery, Swailbrook, Patterson, New York
The Sporting Gallery and Bookshop, Inc., Pennington, New Jersey
Private Collection, North Carolina

Aiden Lassell Ripley was an American painter, watercolorist, printmaker, and teacher celebrated for his evocative depictions of the sporting life and New England landscapes. Born in Boston and trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts under Frank Benson and Philip Hale, Ripley refined his draftsmanship through a Paige Traveling Fellowship that took him to Europe and North Africa. Initially recognized for his landscapes and travel scenes, he turned to sporting subjects during the Depression, capturing hunters, game birds, and field dogs with exceptional accuracy, atmosphere, and compositional grace.

Ripley’s technical mastery and deep understanding of light and movement placed him among America’s foremost sporting artists. He also completed public murals and taught drawing at Harvard’s School of Architecture. A member and later president of the Guild of Boston Artists, his work is represented in major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His paintings endure for their union of classical skill and a profound affection for the natural world.

Robert Montgomery was an American actor, director, and producer known for his sophistication both on and off screen. After early success on stage, he became a leading man at MGM, earning Academy Award nominations for Night Must Fall (1937) and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), and later served with distinction as a U.S. Navy officer during World War II.

In 1936, Montgomery purchased his country retreat, Swailbrook, in Patterson, New York, from his father-in-law, seeking a landscape reminiscent of his family’s home in England. The property provided ample opportunity for upland shooting, particularly pheasant, and served as a quiet refuge where he could raise British Springer Spaniels and enjoy rural life.

Montgomery met Aiden Lassell Ripley in 1938 at the Sporting Gallery & Book Shop in Manhattan, where he commissioned a series of six watercolors and also acquired several additional works by the artist. His daughter, actress Elizabeth Montgomery, later inherited Swailbrook and maintained it as a retreat from the demands of Hollywood, continuing her father’s tradition of finding solace and inspiration in its pastoral setting.

Good estate condition; not examined out of the frame.