John Leslie Breck (American, 1859-1899)

A Mill-stream
Signed, inscribed, and dated "JOHN LESLIE BRECK GIVERNY 1890" l.c., titled on a handwritten label affixed to the stretcher, with a label from Haley & Steele Art Dealers, Boston, affixed to the stretcher bar and a canvas stencil from Paul Foinet, Paris, on the reverse.
Oil on canvas, 18 1/4 x 21 7/8 in. (46.0 x 55.5 cm), framed.
Condition: Craquelure.

Provenance: Possibly acquired by Hollis French (1868-1940), then by descent to the current private collection.

N.B. Boston painter John Leslie Breck first visited the French village of Giverny in the summer of 1887 with a group of fellow American students that included Willard Leroy Metcalf and Theodore Robinson. There they met Claude Monet and began to emulate the Impressionist master's style. While most of Breck's colleagues returned to their studies in Paris after the summer hiatus, Breck remained in Giverny through the winter of 1888-89 and became one of the earliest American artists to embrace Impressionism. He was instrumental in establishing the American art colony in Giverny and was among the few American painters to develop a relationship with Monet. An exhibition of Breck's loosely brushed, vibrantly colored, light-filled paintings at Boston's St. Botolph Club in 1890 marked the debut of American Impressionism in the city.

We would like to thank Royal W. Leith for his kind assistance with cataloguing this lot.

Condition: The handwritten label affixed to the stretcher reads: "Artist- John Leslie Breck/2 Newbury St. Boston/Title- 'A Mill-stream'/To be returned to artist's address."

Framed dimensions: 23 1/4 x 27 x 1 3/4 in.

There is some subtle, minor canvas rippling to the lower corners, which could most likely be eliminated with an adjustment to the stretcher keys, if desired. Craquelure is stable and confined primarily to the lower right quadrant and to scattered areas of rich impasto including the brown tree trunk and a small area at the upper center edge. No additional condition issues to report.

Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.