Free shipping on orders over $60$5 flat rate under $604 items: 10% off · 8 items: 20% off
You save $87.97
Free shipping over $60 · 30-day returns · Dispatched in 1–2 business days
Prayer to the Rain God by Eanger Irving Couse is one of those images that never dates. Our studio recreates it as a hand painted oil painting — textured, color-rich, and ready to hang as canvas wall art in a hallway, study, or reception area.
circa 1926
Oil on canvas
24 x 29 inches (61.0 x 73.7 cm)
Prayer to the Rain God depicts Jerry Mirabal, one of E.I. Couse's favorite models and personal friend. Also known by his tribal name of Elk Foot, Mirabal was an American Indian from the Taos Pueblo whose distinct profile appears extensively throughout Couse's work. It is the iconic image of Mirabal which has been preserved in some of the artist's most important canvases. When asked about Elk Foot's prolific appearance in his art, Couse reportedly answered that Mirabal was one of his favorite subjects because of his "physical beauty and ideal features."
Couse is best known for his dramatically-lit figures of Pueblo Indians, frequently depicted crouching beside a fireplace or bathed in moonlight beside the banks of a stream. Prayer to the Rain God epitomizes the subject matter and the technical skill of this National Academy graduate. Couse was a master of rendering interior scenes of domestic life, and capturing the quiet moments of contemplation and prayer as seen here. A prayer for rain, that element essential to life everywhere but more precious to the arid regions of the southwest, is a universal theme that still resonates.
This major example of Couse's work was completed around the time that the artist moved his studio and residence from New York to Taos. As the first president of the Taos Society of Artists, Couse spent the summers of 1902 through 1926 painting in northern New Mexico. In 1927 he finally relocated there permanently. According to Virginia Couse Leavitt, the artist's grand-daughter, Prayer to the Rain God dates from this period within Couse's career. She adds "the large Tesuque Rain God, leggings, belt, arm and headbands are still in the collection housed in his studio. The symbolism of the wall painting [behind the figure] also relates to rain." The artist's studio in Taos, complete with the artifacts he collected during his lifetime, is one of only thirty such sites to be designated an Historic Artist's Home and Studio Associate Site by the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Collectors often choose this fine art image when searching for fine art oil painting that feels substantial rather than decorative or disposable.
Expect subtle, hand-made variation rather than factory uniformity. Each fine art canvas is painted with oils, allowed to cure properly, and inspected before it is approved for shipment.
Wondering where fine art oil painting looks best? Try a hallway mantel, a dining room sideboard, or a hallway gallery wall. The fine art subject reads clearly from a distance and rewards close viewing up near.
Order Prayer to the Rain God as a hand painted oil painting on canvas and add lasting classic character to your hallway. Custom sizes, a digital proof before dispatch, and secure worldwide shipping are included.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 24 in | $87.98 |
| 24 X 36 in | $134.48 |
| 30 X 40 in | $185.98 |
| 36 X 48 in | $238.48 |
| 48 X 72 in | $481.48 |
The sizes shown are the reproduction canvas sizes we paint to order. The dimensions given in a work's description refer to the original artwork and will differ from the sizes offered here. Not sure? Read the size guide or e-mail us.
Free on orders over $60; a flat $5 below that. Dispatched in 1–2 business days; 30 days to send it back. Full policy.
Every canvas is painted by hand in oils on artist-grade stretched canvas, with an extra blank border left for framing. How to care for your painting.
Measurements are on the size guide, or e-mail [email protected] and we reply within one business day.
