62 - Frits Thaulow

Frits Thaulow (Norwegian, 1847-1906) The River Canche, by Montreuil-sur-Mer, 1895 oil on canvas signed Frits Thaulow and dated (lower right) 25 1/2 x 34 1/4 in. (64.8 x 87cm) This lot is located in Philadelphia. Framed: 35 x 43 x 3 in The unlined canvas is in overall good condition. There is no evidence of restoration under UV light, there is a varnish visible. There are a few small areas of surface loss, each approx. 1/8 in.: for instance, to the left of the ducks, center right in the water, and at top center in the fence. Along the right edge, there is a line of craquelure at center and some small losses along the extreme edge where the canvas contacts the frame. There are a few scattered spots of soiling. Additional images available upon request. We wish to thank Prof. Vidar Poulsson for his kind assistance in cataloguing this lot. Provenance: John Gribbel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wm. D. Morley Auctioneers, Philadelphia, sale of November 18, 1941, lot 32 (as Countryside in Brittany, dated to 1899, and with dimensions reversed). Lot Note: The Canche river scene depicted here was painted by Frits Thaulow near the village of Montreuil-sur-Mer, in northern France, where the artist lived for a time in the 1890s. The small village, with its humble cottages, fortified ramparts and quaint bridges suited the artist’s aesthetic better than the bustling streets of Paris, evident in his multiple studies of the environs from around this time. Another well-known work, painted about 1894 in the same spot, was in the Collection of Mrs. Roland C. Lincoln and sold in 1920 at the American Art Association, New York.