| Medium: | oil on canvas, lined |
| Size: | 30 x 20 in (76 x 51 cm) (see Note 3) |
| Inscription: | Appears to be signed "FSchafer" in the artist's characteristic block-printing style, with initials conjoined in a monogram. However, in the only available photograph, the lower half of the signature is obscured by the frame. See Note 3 and images of signature detail and verso. |
| Provenance: | In collection of Edan Milton Hughes (1935–2015), San Francisco, inventory #979; sold in 1999 to eBay member "shastola", Lakeport, California; offered 19 April 2017 and again 24 July 2022 via eBay by "shastola", Lakeport, California. Sold 15 August 2025 for $455 by Michaan's Auctions by the Bay, Inc., Alameda, California as lot 3267 in August Gallery Auction. |
| Reproductions: | Posted as item 979b on the World-Wide Web site that displays the collection of Edan Milton Hughes (1935–2015) and on california-art.com. Michaan's Auctions by the Bay, Inc. 15 August 2025 on-line auction catalog. |
| Site: | Fallen Leaf Lake, just west of Lake Tahoe, was a frequent subject for 19th century west coast landscape artists. |
| Description: | Broadleaf trees and brush line both sides of a still creek or lake inlet at the bottom left. On the right, a canopy of three trees with white lower trunks is silhouetted against the blue sky; at their base two fallen snags lie on the bank. On the left, on the far side of the forest stand two tall, slender snags. In the distance is the hazy outline of a ridge with a bump near the center. (From a color photograph.) |
| Note: | 1. Paintings with this title have appeared in at least two 19th century auction catalogs but without enough information to either include or exclude the possibility that one of them is this painting. See Paintings known only by title for details.
2. In fall, 1999, an image of this painting was posted on the World-Wide Web site that displayed the collection of Edan Milton Hughes (1935–2015) with inventory number 979b. It was simultaneously offered for sale by california-art.com using the Hughes inventory number.
3. The 1999 catalog of the Hughes collection and the 2017 and 2022 sale listings all report that the canvas is 30 x 20 inches in size, probably obtained by measuring the stretcher bars, and implying proportions of 1.5:1. However, all of those listings are accompanied by recto photographs that have sight proportions of about 1.4:1. The 2025 Michaan's Auctions by the Bay, Inc. listing reports a sight size of 27-1/2 x 19-1/2 inches, a proportion of 1.41:1. Yet the 2025 verso photograph shows stretcher bars that have a proportion of 1.5:1 and cutouts to the top and bottom of the frame. It appears that the rabbet of a 28x20 inch frame has been extended by about an inch at the top and bottom to accommodate a 30x20 inch canvas. This extended rabbet would also explain why the lower half of the signature is obscured by the frame. |
| Identification: | Title of unknown origin, as reported by Edan Hughes |
| Other title(s): | Fallen Leaf Lake (on receipt from Edan Hughes) |
| In index(es): | Title list, lake cove scenes, Lake Tahoe and environs, mountain streams through a forest |
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