| Date: | no date |
| Medium: | oil on Academy Board |
| Size: | 18" x 12" (46 x 30 cm) |
| Inscription: | bears signature l/r "F. Schafer" underlined, in what appears to be the artist's characteristic block-printing hand |
| Verso: | Sticker label of F. Weber & Co., Philadelphia; lower edge of frame lightly in pencil "12 x 18"; handwritten in upper right corner of frame "RB". |
| Provenance: | Sold 16 June 2013 for $550 (hammer) by Clar's Auction Gallery, Oakland, California as lot 2127 and again 26 April 2015 for $600 (hammer) as lot 2147. |
| Reproductions: | Clar's Auction Gallery 16 June 2013 and 26 April 2015 auction catalogs. |
| Attribution: | Though bearing what appears to be an authentic signature, and being typical subject material and composition for Schafer, the painting has several unusual characteristics. Foremost, the overall appearance of the painting is unlike that of Schafer's usual work. It is uniformly bright without a central focus created by varying the illumination. The palette unusually includes both saturated and pastel colors, and the primary subject, a waterfall, is in a secondary plane that is less finished. The apparent removal of a verso inscription (see note 2) raises further questions. On the other hand the sky treatment, foreground boulders, trees, dead branch overhead, and snag in the creek are typical of Schafer's work, and being a sketch may explain some of the other unusual features. On balance, it seems best to place it in the list of questionable attributions. |
| Site: | Despite the title, not a familiar view of Yosemite. |
| Note: | 1. Appears to be a field sketch. 2. On the back of the Academy board, in the upper right corner, the top layer of a small rectangle has been removed, as if to delete an inscription. |
| Identification: | Descriptive title, probably assigned by a collector or dealer, as used in the 16 June 2013 sale catalog. The alternate title used in the 16 April 2015 sale catalog may be more appropriate. |
| Other title(s): | [Springtime, Sierras] (Clar's Auction Gallery 2015 sale catalog) |
| In index(es): | questioned attributions |
![[photo]](../smalls/p/img1494.jpg)