Madonna and Child, 1904
Courtesy of the Owner
Vital Statistics
Alternate title: The Nativity30 x 24¾ inches
Signed and dated lr: “Wm. T. Trego 1904”
Private Collection
Commentary
Trego’s next door neighbor, Elizabeth “Bessie” Pickering, posed for this work holding the infant Robert Hooley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hooley of North Wales. Begun in 1903, this was the first of several versions of this subject Trego did in the last years of his life and the only one of his several religious paintings which can be located today. Compared to some of Trego’s other late paintings, which bear evidence of a disinterested artist, this work demonstrates a keen interest in both the subject matter and the details of the scene. Several passages in this painting are arguably some of the finest Trego ever achieved, among them the wonderful look on the baby’s face, the photographic realism of the terra cotta vessels and the convincing appearance of the water in the bowl. The high quality of this work makes it all the more unfortunate that Trego’s other religious paintings have not been located.Provenance
Obtained from the artist by a daughter of his cousin, Howard Trego, it has been passed down through her family to the current owner.Exhibitions
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Mercer Museum, 1992: “Three Artists Named Trego.”
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, James A. Michener Art Museum, June 3-Oct 2, 2011: "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego."