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Frederick Ferdinand Schafer Painting Catalog

Painting record FFSd0192

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[photo] [High Sierra scene with Indians]

Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 17 x 25 in (43 x 64 cm) [See note below]
Inscription: l/r "F Schafer" in the rounded script found on many sketches
Verso: no inscription
Provenance: Sold at auction 1 June 1985 by an unidentified seller, Petaluma, California to Christopher Queen Galleries, Duncans Mills, California (inventory record 094); offered 8 May 1999 by San Rafael Auction Gallery, San Rafael, California. Sold 5 March 2006 for $850 as lot 6234 in Magnificent March Auction #435 by Clar's Auction Gallery, Oakland, California. Sold 23 April 2017 for $525+20% as lot 2167 in sale 583 by Clar's Auction Gallery, Oakland, California; offered 28 April 2017 via eBay by "pannonius", Pacific Grove, California.
Reproductions: Christopher Queen Galleries photo (color, undated); 5 March 2006 sale catalog (color); 23 April 2017 sale catalog (color).
Attribution: The uniform illumination, the overall rough appearance, and the complete lack of finish are unusual for a painting this large by Schafer. These qualities may be because it is actually a field sketch but it is also possible that, despite the typical composition and palette and acceptable signature, it is misattributed.
Site: Unidentified, perhaps a composed scene.
Description: Two colorfully dressed figures stand in front of two white tepees on the near side of a river. A rocky, snow-capped mountain peak stands in the distance. On the left is a high promontory with steep slopes down to the river valley, which cuts across from the center to the front left. On the right stand a few tall green conifers; rocky cliffs are visible between their branches. The right foreground is covered with forest debris and dead trees. The painting is only roughly finished, suggesting that it is actually a field sketch rather than a studio painting and confirming the signature form. (From the painting, 10 January 1990, at the Christopher Queen Galleries.)
Note: The dimensions of the painting are given in the several auctions as "17 x 25 in", "16.5 x 25 in", and 'sight 16" x 24" '.
Identification: Descriptive title apparently assigned by Christopher Queen Galleries. Despite the variations in title, the Christopher Queen Galleries photograph, the 2006 sale catalog photograph, and the 2017 sale catalog photograph are all of the same painting.
Other title(s): Mountain landscape with Indians (Clar's Auction Gallery, 2006); Mountain Lake with Indian Encampment (Clar's Auction Gallery, 2017)
In index(es): Title list, Indian encampments as incidental subjects, unidentified mountain scenes, sketches

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Mar 10, 2024, 11:47 MDT Accessibility