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Frederick Ferdinand Schafer Painting Catalog

Painting record FFSd0231

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[photo] [Nevada Falls 1]

Medium: oil on canvas, lined
Size: 24 x 16.5 in (61.0 x 41.9 cm)
Inscription: l/r "F Schafer" in the rounded sketch hand
Provenance: Acquired by private collection, San Francisco, c. 1970; offered in 1983 by Carlson Gallery, San Francisco. Offered 19 January 1984 by Butterfield & Butterfield, San Francisco, as lot 1170 in sale 3403P (not sold). In "Private collection, Fallbrook, California"; sold 17 October 2006 for $2000+15% by John Moran Auctioneers, Inc., Monrovia California, as lot 173 in California & American Fine Art sale.
Reproductions: John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. 17 October 2006 sale catalog; 19 January 1984 sale catalog; William K. Dick photo #137 (color, 1972)
Site: View looking East from below Nevada Falls, on the Merced River, in Yosemite Valley, California.
Description: A large waterfall tumbles over a square, grey cliff at the very top of the picture into a cloud of foam in the lower center. The river runs from right middle to left foreground to exit past the viewer's feet. The bright fall and foam contrast vividly with the dark cliff. A few green trees are silhouetted against a mostly blue sky, although a fluffy white cloud sits just above the waterfall. On the left bank of the river are several brown boulders, and higher up the bank are a handful of conifers. A bush stands on the right bank. (From a color photograph.)
Note: The similar small sketch [Nevada Falls 3] may have been the basis for this painting.
Identification: Descriptive title of unknown origin, from the Butterfield & Butterfield 1984 sale catalog. The photograph by William K. Dick, taken before restoration, appears to be of the same painting appearing in the 19 January 1984 and the 17 October 2006 sale catalogs. The 17 October 2006 sale catalog offers the almost certainly incorrect descriptive title "falls at Yellowstone".
In index(es): Title list, Yosemite Valley--other views

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Mar 10, 2024, 11:47 MDT Accessibility