"Fishing and Clamming" (1874) | Francois de Blois

FRANCOIS B. DE BLOIS
Canadian/American, 1829-1913

River Landscape of Figures Fishing and Clamming (1874)

Oil on canvas | signed lower right "FB de Blois - 1874 -"

Item # 404NKB21A  A bright and optimistic scene of figures fishing along tranquil waters while sailboats cruise throughout the waterway beneath brilliant blue skies. The bluffs on the left hide the setting sun, the burning light casting intense light on the beach while the sky takes on a golden-hour hue with brilliant pinks and purples in the clouds as the angle of the sunlight gets more extreme. The forefront is cast in warm shadows where a pair of figures dig for clams in the rocky beach behind a pile of boulders while a small fishing boat, presumably belonging to the pair of clammers, is beached behind the rocks. Housed in a lovely giltwood frame. Signed lower right "FB de Blois 1874". Artist Listings & Bibliography: Exhibitions of the National Academy, 1861-1900, Vol. I, Kennedy Galleries, 1973, p. 68
Measurements: 25 1/8" H x 1 7/8" D x 40 7/8" W [frame]; 18 1/4" H x 34 1/4" W [canvas] Condition Report:
Good vibrant surface, probably cleaned in the last thirty years; light craquelure throughout; reverse with two patches, one to each corner, with associated inpainting on the front of the canvas; under UV showing pin-prick touch-ups throughout the sky, spots of touch up in the corners (where patches are present), a spot in the tree below the bluff far left, other very minor touchups. A very well-preserved surface. Giltwood frame is early but not original, presenting with minor chips and wear.