Important Canadian Art

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Lot 18
  • 18

Frederick Horsman Varley 1881 - 1969

Estimate
70,000 - 100,000 CAD
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Description

  • Frederick Horsman Varley
  • A Mountain Road Through Lynn Valley, B.C.

  • signed lower right VARLEY; inscribed on a National Gallery of Canada label ORIGINAL SKETCH FROM WHICH "A MOUNTAIN ROAD THROUGH LYNN VALLEY B.C." WAS PAINTED FOR H.S. SOUTHAM ESQ, IN 1936. THE SKETCH ALSO DATES FROM THIS TIME PROPERTY OF MR. & MRS. CARL H. HUNTER, inscribed H.S. Southam on the paper backing, an unfinished painting on the reverse

            

  • oil on silk laid down on panel
  • 30.5 by 38.1 cm.
  • 12 by 15 in.

Provenance

Collection of Henry Stevenson Southam, Ottawa

Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Carl H. Hunter

Collection of E.R. Hunter, West Palm Beach, Florida

Literature

See Peter Varley, F.H. Varley, Toronto, 1983, pp. 137, 140 and 141 for similar subjects, reproduced

Condition

This work is painted on silk and glued to a plywood panel with edges overlapping on verso. These edges have frayed and in some places become unglued around the perimeter. The upper right corner of the original support is torn. Under UV, part of the signature fluoresces because of the presence of cadmium pigment (in letters RLEY). This painting has recently been cleaned and the painted areas varnished while the edges and raw support have been left "as-is". These issues around the perimeter are visible only when the work is unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Varley created a series of compositions relating to this painting and a striking feature of all of them is the artist's high vantage point. Painted from the second floor of his small home in Lynn Valley, Varley had a panoramic view of Lynn Peak, which he nicknamed 'The Dumpling' and Mount Seymour. Below him is the famous bridge which spans a gorge of more than one hundred feet across Lynn Creek.

All of the Lynn Valley paintings paintings express a sense of awe. Formally, Varley is confronted by a vast and intricate scene of fortress-like mountains, dense forest and etheral light and manages to capture all of it on this small support. As in many of his best paintings, he lifts the work to greater heights by suggesting a narrative and providing an entry for the viewer.

The small figures seen here could be autobiographical; the one with the backpack, a rendition of him as he climbs up the mountain of life's experiences attempting to realize his dream of establishing himself artistically, while the other looks down into the waters as if reading a fortune in a crystal ball.

In many ways, Varley's landscapes showed the changes in scenery and seasons which reflected his own emotional state.