This oil on board painting, signed Francis A. Silva (American, 1835-1886) features a coastal harbor scene and is characteristic of the luminist movement, of which he was one of the country's most important. As one of the country's most important luminist painters, he brought to life an "American consciousness of light and atmoshere in mid-nineteenth century landscape painting" (John Wilmerding, American Light: The Luminist Movement, 1850-1875, 1989, p. 12). Among the movement's chief characteristics are an insistence on an expansive, horizontal composition, cool, gleaming light, and a smooth surface notable for its absence of brushstrokes, all of which culminate in a hyper-real image that is neither naturalistic nor impressionistic. The meticulous realism of luminist canvases creates a sense that time has stood still, bringing the viewer into what Barbara Novak describes as "a wordless dialogue with nature" (Nature and Culture: American Landscape and Painting, 1825-1875, 1980, p. 29). The low, rising sun highlights the white sails of several almost-becalmed vessels and tints the entire scene with a subtle range of pastel shades. With delicate tonal modulations of intense, yet cool hues of pink, yellow, and blue Silva creates a pervasive illumination that unifies the entire surface of the canvas. This work is framed and signed Francis Augusta Silva on the lower left corner, measuring 7.5 inches x 13 inches