Kitchen countertop jewel. Possibly the best luminist painting we have owned. American landscape painting style of the 1850s to 1870s, it is characterized by effect of light in a landscape through the use of aerial perspective and concealment of visible brush strokes. It was unique to the works of a group of independent American painters, directly influence by the Hudson river school of painting. Distinguished by a smooth, slick, finish with cold, clear colors, and meticulously detailed objects modeled by rays of light with the sky, usually occupying 1/2 of the composition. This particular painting is somewhat unique in that it includes a working farm with a hay wagon atop which sit two young lads, pulled by a pair of horses. The wagon is followed by two additional workers; they have just passed a farmhouse in the midfield, and a church in the midfield is visible through the afternoon glow. The wagon approaches a bridge to the left of which two cows rest in a riverside pasture. A great deal in a small painting! 18 x 24 in original oil-gilt frame circa 1870, $1250. Now, it’s up to you, dear viewer, to help us decide whether to restore the frame or not. Some designers like them in their “ as found” condition, and some like them restored to earlier perfection. Which should it be?
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