| Date: | undated |
| Medium: | oil on canvas |
| Size: | 14 x 10 in (35 x 25 cm) |
| Inscription: | Signed l/r "FS" in the characteristic block-lettering hand of the artist, the initials conjoined in a monogram. |
| Verso: | Titled in a thin black brush or pencil on the center of the canvas "Franz Creek / Sonoma Co Cal", the first line underlined, in a disconnected cursive hand distinctly different from that of the artist. A Hobby Lobby label on the upper frame bar certifies that the modern frame complies to California standards. |
| Provenance: | Sold 24 July 2021 for $804 by Mark Twain Supply Company, Hannibal, Missouri, as lot 54 in "Gems, Minerals, Artifacts, Odd Treasures +Art" sale; to unidentified collector; sold 7 June 2024 for $1020 by Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, as lot 184 in "Native American | Ethnographic | Ancient Art" sale. |
| Reproductions: | Mark Twain Supply Company on-line sale catalog; Artemis Gallery on-line sale catalog. |
| Attribution: | The combination of the initials-only signature and the verso inscription being in an unknown hand create a challenge for attribution. The monogrammed signature is quite similar in detail to the monograms that accompany other signatures by Schafer. Consistent direction of illumination, central focus on the stream, natural-looking water, botanical detail, and typical Schafer subject material (a Barbizon-style forest interior), style, and composition all suggest that the work is probably by him. |
| Site: | View of Franz Creek, an intermittant tributary of Russian River in northern California. |
| Note: | The Mark Twain Supply Company auction listing identifies the artist as "Ferdinand Schafer". |
| Identification: | Title from verso inscription of unknown source (not the artist). |
| In index(es): | Title list, Barbizon-style forest interiors, mountain streams through a forest, paintings probably attributable to Schafer |
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