Oil on canvas, framed. Featuring a portrait of a skull. Signed and attr. Henri-Edmond Cross (French, 1856-1910) on the lower right corner. 45.5 x 34.5 cm (17.9 x 13.6 inches). Frame size: 52 x 40.5 cm (20.4 x 15.9 inches). Henri-Edmond Cross was a French Neo-Impressionist painter known for his atmospheric landscapes. Together with Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, Cross became a proponent of Pointillism’s use of contrasting hues to produce a sense of light. “These landscapes are not merely pages of sheer beauty, but motifs embodying a lyrical sense of emotion,†the poet Emile Verhaeren once wrote of his work. Born Henri-Edmond-Joseph Delacroix on May 20, 1856 in Douai, France, he went on to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. Settling in Paris in 1881, the artist changed his last name from Delacroix to Cross in order to distinguish himself from the famed Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix. Three years later, he helped to found the Sociéte des Artistes Indépendants as a challenge to the official Salon. By 1891, the artist had begun to utilize divided brushstrokes of color while painting en plein air. That same year, he moved to the South of France to help with his arthritis. It was here in Saint-Tropez, that he and Signac befriended the young painters who went on to become the Fauves, Henri Matisse, André Derain, and Albert Marquet. Over the follow decades, Cross’s style loosened as a he incorporated watercolor painting into his practice and a less rigid approach to Pointillism. The artist died at the age of 53 on May 16, 1910 in Saint-Clair, France. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, among others. PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

By [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, a work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, a work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: In our opinion, this work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Bears signature: In our opinion, the signature on the artwork may be spurious.

Apocryphal: Of doubtful authenticity.