The Burning of Troy

Copied Grandma Moses, The Burning of Troy, ca. 1939, oil on high-density fiberboard, 15 × 16 3⁄4 × 1 1⁄2 in. (38.1 × 42.5 × 3.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2024.37.7, © Grandma Moses Properties Co., New York

Artwork Details

Title
The Burning of Troy
Artist
Date
ca. 1939
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
15 × 16 3⁄4 × 1 1⁄2 in. (38.1 × 42.5 × 3.8 cm)
Copyright
© Grandma Moses Properties Co., New York
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on high-density fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture — bridge — covered bridge
  • Disaster — fire
  • Landscape — river
  • Figure group
Object Number
2024.37.7

Artwork Description

With a furious blaze of color consuming most of the view, Moses's depiction of a fiery inferno certainly grabs your attention. The 1862 "Great Fire" that nearly destroyed the nearby city of Troy, New York, lingered in local memory and was commemorated in a 1939 feature in the local paper. Moses's rendering of the tragedy, The Burning of Troy, closely follows the newspaper illustration. In the early years of her painting career, the artist often relied on printed sources like this, but as she gained experience and confidence, her artworks manifested a unique and personal vision.

 Exhibition Label for Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work October 24, 2025 -- July 12, 2026