So entranced was Morton Livingston Schamberg (1881-1918) with the precision of modern-day machinery that, even in his paintings of flowers and, notably, this Still Life (1913), nature assumes a geometric dimension and order. “Schamberg’s fascination with broken-up planes and the structure of things is reflected strongly in this picture,” remarks Elizabeth Goldberg, who heads Sotheby’s American Art department, which will include the painting in its auction on May 20.
“After all,” Goldberg adds, “Schamberg was trained as an architect in Philadelphia and for a while was aligned with Charles Sheeler, who was a personal friend, as well as others in the movement known as Precisionism. The moment I saw this painting, it jumped out at me — in terms of its quality, its freshness, its composition. It’s a little gem,…
