JESSICA TCHEREPNINE1938–2018

WORKS FROM THE STUDIO

December 10th 2019 through January 18th 2020

Exhibition organized byRobert Kashey and David Wojciechowski

Catalog by Stephanie Hackett

58 East 79th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10075

Tel: 1 212 861 4050Fax: 1 212 722 1314ShepherdNY@aol.comwww.shepherdgallery.com

SHEPHERD W & K

GALLERIES

© Copyright: Robert J. F. Kasheyfor Shepherd Gallery, Associates, 2019

COVER ILLUSTRATIONS: Yellow Pear Tomatoes with Raffia (Solanum lycopersicum), 2009, cat. no. 14

BACK COVER ILLUSTRATION: Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 1995

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Keith Stout

TECHNICAL NOTES: All measurements are in inches and in centimeters; height precedes width. All drawings and paintings are framed. Prices on request. All works subject to prior sale.

SHEPHERD GALLERY SERVICES is open to the public by appointment, Tuesday though Saturday from10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tel: (212) 744 3392; fax (212) 744 1525; e-mail: sgservicesny@aol.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Thanks to Patricia Jonas for her assistance in cataloguing these works.

We have had the good fortune of presenting Jessica Tcherepnine’sextraordinary botanical watercolors in a series of five exhibitionsfrom 1983 to 2008.

The current exhibition comprises all the watercolors left in herestate upon her death on December 31, 2018.

Most of the works have been brought to completion and othersreveal her working process. We have included these because, asone of her admirers has expressed, “there’s a great deal of charmand learning to be had in these drawings.”

RK / DW

Jessica Tcherepnine, a British-born watercoloristwhose meticulous, naturalistic depictions of flow-ers, fruits and vegetables established her as one of

the world’s leading creators of botanical art, died onDec. 31 at her home in Manhattan. She was 80.

Her husband, Peter Tcherepnine (pronouncedCHER-ep-neen), said the cause was complicationsof corticobasal degeneration, a progressive neurolog-ical disease, which caused her to stop painting fouryears ago.

Her portraits — of pumpkins and peppers, mush-rooms and morels, coconuts and quinces and more —combined a delicate artistic sensibility with superbtechnique, and scientific accuracy with a passion fornearly anything that grows out of the ground.

Her joy in exploring her subjects was evident in aquestion she posed in an article for the AmericanSociety of Botanical Artists in 2014.

“What could be more wonderfully weird, or moreweirdly wonderful, than the seed pod of theStrelitzia nicolai?” Ms. Tcherepnine wrote about thetropical plant better known as the white bird of par-adise, which has banana-like leaves and clumpingstalks. “I have painted these seed pods several times.Each time I see new and exciting details of theshapes and colors.”

She recalled searching in Florida for the group ofblack seeds that would provide the ideal finishingtouch to one of her bird of paradise watercolors.

Ms. Tcherepnine was a star of her corner of theart world. She won two gold medals from the Royal

Horticultural Society, the British gardening charity.She was also invited to paint the beet (Beta vulgaris)for “The Highgrove Florilegium,” a 2008 book thatrecords all the plants in Prince Charles’s garden inGloucestershire, England.

Her paintings are in the collections of the statePeterhof Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and theNatural History Museum in London, among otherplaces. Some of her artwork is also in the expansiveprivate collection of Shirley Sherwood, a Britishbotanist, writer and philanthropist.

“She produced strong, individual plant portraitswhich were arresting,” Ms. Sherwood said in anemail. “She also chose interesting subjects at a timewhen there were far fewer botanical artists thantoday and there was a tendency to paint only pretty,popular subjects like roses.”

Beginning in 1983, Ms. Tcherepnine was thesubject of several successful exhibitions atthe Shepherd Gallery in Manhattan, which steppedout of its specialty in 19th century art to showcaseher paintings.

“The reason we show her work — she’s the onlybotanical artist we do show — is that it is not old-fashioned,” Robert Kashey, the gallery’s director, saidin an interview with The New York Times in 1997.“The lines, the clarity, the magic she creates, theemotion she has for the plants. That’s why she’s oneof the best.”

Ms. Tcherepnine was also a longtime boardmember of the Horticultural Society of New York,

for whom she taught botanical drawing to prisonersat Rikers Island, the city’s main jail.

“She’d come out several times a year and talk tothe inmates about the colors and elements of aflower,” Sara Hobel, the society’s executive director,said in a telephone interview. “Once, she conducted afantastic discussion with them about pepper plants.”

Jessica Elizabeth Harris was born on May 14,1938, in Sussex, England, and grew up in the country-side there and in London. Her father, WilliamBarclay Harris, was a lawyer, and her mother,Elizabeth (Milnes Coates) Harris, was a homemaker.

As a child, Jessica drew and painted flowers —blossoms in particular — in her family’s garden. Afterattending a girls boarding school in England, shestudied drawing and watercolors for several months inFlorence with the noted teacher Nerina Simi.

She found work in the art world in the 1960s,mostly as an assistant in various departments ofChristie’s, the auction house, in London and in itsManhattan office. She married Mr. Tcherephine, aninvestment manager, in 1973 while living in theUnited States.

In 1982, she left her job to focus full-time onbotanical painting.

“When I am doing a painting, my subject is thelast thing I look at before I go to bed and the firstthing I look at when I get up in the morning,” Ms.Tcherepnine wrote in the article for the AmericanSociety of Botanical Artists. “And I am thinkingabout it in between.”

She painted in her apartment in Manhattan andin her home in Millbrook, in Dutchess County, N.Y.,sometimes with a flower in one hand and a brush inthe other. Her subjects included flowers from her gar-den and exotic plants she found in Florida and theWest Indies.

“I have painted practically everything I can gethold of, from magnolias to beets to dandelions andskunk cabbage,” Ms. Tcherepnine wrote, adding thather focus had evolved to depicting sculptural ele-ments, like the seed pod of the West Indian fruitackee. “You have to paint what speaks to you.”

In addition to her husband, she is survived by asister, Hermione Karlin; a brother, Jonathan Harris; astepdaughter, Samantha Tcherepnine, and threestep-grandchildren.

Last year, Ms. Tcherepnine donated the use of herportraits of a garden beet, quince, apple, hydrangea,banana and a woods’ rose for note cards byCurePSP, an advocacy organization that seeks tocombat so-called prime of life neurodegenerative dis-eases like corticobasal degeneration and progressivesupranuclear palsy.

“Even as her physical capabilities diminished, herintellect remained crystalline and her sly Englishsense of humor intact,” David Kemp, president ofCurePSP, wrote in an email, recalling his visits withher. “She was the Audubon of plant life.”

Richard SandomirThe New York Times, Jan. 11, 2019

CATALOG

1. Leek and Green Peppers (Allium ampeloprasum and Capsicum annuum), 1972.Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sightdimensions: 6 5/8” x 15” (16.8 x 38 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right,under image: Jessica Harris/1972

2. Yellow Bearded Iris (Iris x germanica), 1990. Watercolor and some pencil on mediumweight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right: Arches/FRANCE. 24”x 18 1/4” (61 x 46.4 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image:Jessica Tcherepnine/1990. Embossed at lower left: VERITABLE PAPIER D’ARCH-ES/SATINE/SATINE

3. Purple Anemone (Anemone coronaria), 1992. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 11 3/16” x 8 1/8” (28.4 x20.6 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/1992

4. Hydrangea Flower Color Study (Hydrangea macrophylla), 1996. Watercolor and somepencil on medium weight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 11 5/16” x 7 1/2”(28.7 x 19.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/1996

5. Hydrangea Flower Color Study (Hydrangea macrophylla), 1996. Watercolor and somepencil on medium weight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right:Arches/∞ FRANCE. 11 1/4” x 7 1/2” (28.6 x 19.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil atlower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/1996. Embossed at lower right:AQUARELLE ARCHES

6. Hydrangea Flower Color Study (Hydrangea macrophylla), 1996. Watercolor and somepencil on medium weight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 11 1/4” x 7 1/2” (28.6x 19.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/1996

7. Witch Hazel in Bloom (Hamamelis mollis), 2001. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 16” x 7 1/2” (40.6 x 19cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right: Jessica Tcherepnine/2001. Undatedexhibition label on frame backing, Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT

8. Pine Branch with Shattered Cones (Pinus sp.), 2005. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 15” x 11 1/4” (38 x 28.6cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/2005. On verso: embossed along right sheet edge: C.M. FABRIANO-100/100 COTTON

9. Crabapples (Malus sp.), 2005. Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 7 1/2” x 7 1/2” (19.1 x 19.1 cm). Signedand dated in pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2005. Embossedalong left sheet edge: FABRIANO-100/100 COTTON

10. White Bird of Paradise Flower and Dried Inflorescence (Strelitzia Nicolai), 2005.Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sightdimensions: 22” x 16 1/2” (56 x 42 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right,under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2005

11. Dried Rose Buds (Rosa sp.), 2006. Watercolor and some pencil on medium weight,off-white wove paper, no watermark. 11 7/8” x 9” (30.2 x 22.9 cm). Signed and datedin pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2006

12. Chicken Eggs in Nest, 2006. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, novisible watermark. Sight dimensions: 8” x 9 1/2” (20.3 x 24 cm). Signed and dated inpencil at lower right: Jessica Tcherepnine/2006

13. Quince (Cydonia oblonga), 2009. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wovepaper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 13” x 10 1/4” (33 x 26 cm). Signedand dated in pencil at lower right center: Jessica Tcherepnine/2009

14. Yellow Pear Tomatoes with Raffia (Solanum lycopersicum), 2009. Watercolor andsome pencil on heavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark.12 1/4” x 9 1/8” (31.1 x 23.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, underimage: Jessica Tcherepnine/2009. Embossed at lower left: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO

15. Bush Bean Split Pods (Phaseolus vulgaris), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 1/8” x 15 1/8”(56.1 x 38.4 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/2012. Embossed along right sheet edge: IANO ARTISTICO + FABRI-ANO ARTISTICO + FABRIANO

16. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,off-white wove paper, no watermark. 22” x 18 1/2” (55.9 x 46.9 cm). Signed and datedin pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012

17. Bird of Paradise Dried Inflorescence with Split Seed Capsules (Strelitzia nicolai),2012. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark.Sight dimensions: 18” x 13 1/2” (46 x 34.3 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lowerright center, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012

18. Winter Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 6 1/8” x 17 5/8” (15.5 x 44.7 cm).Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012. Onverso: embossed along lower sheet edge: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO ARTISTICO + FAB

19. Black Walnut Unripe Fruit and Husk with Nut (Juglans nigra), 2012. Watercolor andsome pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 11” x12” (28 x 30 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/2012

20. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 13 1/2” x 11 7/8” (34.3 x 30.2 cm).Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012. Onverso: partial watercolor and pencil study

21. Faded Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeria cv.). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 3/4” x 15” (57.8 x 38.1cm). Embossed at upper left: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. On verso: Estate stamp

22. Dragon’s Tongue Beans and Split Pods (Phaseolus vulgaris). Watercolor and somepencil on heavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 225/8” x 18 1/4” (57.4 x 46.4 cm). Embossed at lower right: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO.On verso: Estate stamp

23. Hyacinth Bean Vine (Lablab purpureus). Watercolor and some pencil on mediumweight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right: Arches/∞ FRANCE.20” x 15” (50.8 x 38.1 cm). Embossed at lower right: AQUARELLE ARCHES. Onverso: Estate stamp

24. Elliptic Yellowwood (Ochrosia elliptica) and Study. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 11 1/2” x 11 5/8” (29.2 x29.5 cm). Embossed along lower left sheet edge: COTTON. On verso: Estate stamp

25. Ackee Seedpods (Blighia sapida). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitepaper, no watermark. 20” x 12 1/2” (50.8 x 31.8 cm). On verso: Estate stamp

26. West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni). Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 15 1/8” x 11 1/4” (38.1 x 28.6 cm). Onverso: Estate stamp

27. Japanese Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles japonica). Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 11 7/8” x 10 3/4”(30 x 27.3 cm). Embossed along lower sheet edge: TICO + FABRIANOARTISTI[partial O]. On verso: Estate stamp

28. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitewove paper, no watermark. 15” x 22” 38.1 x 55.9 cm). On verso: Estate stamp

29. Tree Peony Flowers and Seed Capsules (Paeonia sp). Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 3/4” x 177/8” (57.8 x 45.5 cm). Embossed at lower right: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. Onverso: Estate stamp

30. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitewove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 1/8” x 18 1/8” (56.1 x 46 cm).Embossed along left sheet edge: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO ARTISTICO + FABRI-ANO ARTIS. On verso: Estate stamp

31. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,white wove paper, no watermark. 22” x 18” (56 x 46 cm). On verso: Estate stamp

32. Three Anemones (Anemone coronaria). Watercolor and some pencil on mediumweight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right: Arches/∞FRANCE/W. 22 3/8” x 15 1/8” (56.9 x 38.4 cm). On verso: Estate stamp

33. Red Anemone (Anemone coronaria). Watercolor and some pencil on medium weight,off-white wove paper, no watermark. 15” x 11 1/4” (38.1 x 28.6 cm). On verso: Estatestamp

34. Chanterelle Mushrooms in Leaf Litter (Cantharellus roseocanus). Watercolor andsome pencil on medium weight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 15 1/8” x 111/4” (38.1 x 28.6 cm). On verso: Estate stamp

35. Dried Winter Squash Stems (Cucurbita sp.). Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 14 7/8” x 22 7/8”(37.9 x 58.2 cm). On verso: Estate stamp; embossed at upper right: ARTISTICO +FABRIANO; pencil study of dried winter squash stems (cucurbita sp.)

36. Coconut Husk (Cocos nucifera). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitewove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 12” x 11” (30.5 x 28 cm). Embossedalong lower sheet edge: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. On verso: Estate stamp

37. Hyacinth Bean Seed Pods (Lablab purpureus). Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 12” x 4 1/4” (30.5 x 10.8 cm).On verso: Estate stamp; embossed along left sheet edge: C.M. FABRIANO-100/100COTT

38. Decaying Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 15 1/8” x 22 7/8” (38.4 x 58.2cm). Embossed at lower left: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. On verso: Estate stamp

Back Cover. Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 1995. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower left: ARCHES/FRANCE.23 3/4” x 16 5/8” (60.3 x 39.6 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, underimage: Jessica Tcherepnine/1995. Embossed at lower left: AQUARELLE ARCHES

1

CATALOG

32

54

76

9

8

1110

13

12

1514

1716

19

18

2120

2322

25

24

2726

2928

3130

3332

35

34

37

36

38