John Duncan Fergusson, R.B.A.

Collection of Margaret Morris;
Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, London, where purchased by the present owner

Possibly London, Leicester Galleries, John Duncan Fergusson, 1964, no.65;
London, Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, J.D. Fergusson, 1990, no.26;
London, Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, The Scottish Colourists, 1996, no.5;
Edinburgh, City Art Centre, Full of the Warm South, The Scottish Colourists and France, 1998, number not known;
London, Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, J.D. Fergusson - The Scottish Colourist, 2011, no.29

The board appears to be sound. There is an isolated area of craquelure in the sky in the upper left hand corner and another in the mountain in the upper right hand corner. Some areas of paint have been scraped back to the board by the artist as part of his technique. Otherwise the work appears to be in good overall condition with a richly textured surface. UV light inspection reveals a few minor flecks of retouching to the lower and upper parts of the left hand edge. Further minor flecks along the lower edge; a small spot of retouching in the left hand section of the sky and another small touch in the mountain near the upper right edge. Two slightly larger spots of retouching in and above the water by the right edge. Held in a decorative gilt plaster frame and under glass.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The composition of Cassis Bay was based upon a series of sketchbook drawings (examples sold by Sotheby’s, 26 April 2007, lot 90, 1 May 2008, lot 133 and 21 May 2014, lot 262) made en plein air in 1913 when Fergusson visited the Mediterranean coastal town. Between 1910 and 1912 Fergusson’s oeuvre had been dominated by monumental depictions of bathers and nudes but in the two years leading up to the Great War both Fergusson and his great friend Peploe journeyed to the French Riviera to concentrate on landscape painting. After the War, Fergusson returned to Cassis and resumed his love-affair with the area, which provided him with inspiring subjects in the Provencale landscape and the azure-fringed coast and also the beautiful women in their bathing costumes who he continued to find irresistible. Whilst his work showed some influence from the painting of Cézanne and the Cubists, as always Fergusson remained an individual artist with his own distinct style. In Cassis Bay he has explored the contrast of the rhythmic forms of the green hills of Thorenc with the angularity of the red-roofed buildings clustered around the harbour. A black-hulled schooner is at anchor in the bay whilst a fishing skiff sails through the blue waters towards the shore. Fergusson often included the device of placing a boat in the foreground of his coastal landscapes to denote scale and human activity.

On the reverse of Cassis Bay is a self-portrait which captures the assured and self-confident artist in a similar way to the contemporary photographs of Fergusson taken in his studio in 1910 and to the pencil drawings that he made of himself.