Frederick Ferdinand Schafer Painting Catalog

Problematic painting record FFSp0660


[no photo] [Yosemite]

Inscription: l/c visible but not readable in photograph
Provenance: In private collection, Piedmont, California, by 1990.
Reproductions: Nelson-Rees photo (destroyed in the Oakland fire, 20 October 1991)
Attribution: The mirror-like water, highly detailed shapes of the deer, and uniform level of detail in the forests on both sides of the river seem unusual for a Schafer painting. In addition, there is no valley view of Bridalveil Fall that includes a sloping right canyon wall. The work resembles that of Holdredge. However, the photograph is fuzzy and the site may be misidentified; examination of the original painting may well lead to a different conclusion.
Site: May be a view to the East of Bridalveil Fall, from along the Merced River, in Yosemite Valley, California.
Description: Two brown deer stand on a point at the left side of a calm, mirror-like river; in the distance a waterfall tumbles from a high cliff. On the left, low brush and grass in the foreground gives way to higher brush, then low trees, and finally a single tall conifer, all in shades of dusty green. On the right, beyond the river is a darker but still dusty green forest, a steep, light brown forested slope, and finally the cliff and waterfall. In the distance on the left another cliff forms the horizon. The sky is filled with storm clouds. (From a color photograph.)
Identification: The size was not given but from the small signature in the photograph, it appears to be large, perhaps 30 x 50 in.
In index(es): questioned attributions

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Mar 10, 2024, 11:47 MDT Accessibility