Lot 9: ROBERT SCOTT DUNCANSON(Footnote 1) (1821-1872) Scene in the Canadian Rockies

signed "Duncanson" and dated "1865," l.r.- -oil on canvas 30 x 50 in. (76.5 x 127 cm.) In 1853, Duncanson traveled to Italy, and later to England and Scotland where some of his major works were executed and where he derived inspiration for his later paintings. In Italy, he followed the prevailing stylistic direction of painting in the neo-classical mode. Later, he combined classical ruins and a visionary interpretation of fantasy and the exotic to create his own painterly world. Always remaining true to his own mandate to paint with a passion God's handiwork in nature, Duncanson created works of art that echoed the peace and tranquility of an unspoiled and all but idyllic earthly paradise. Adhering to this imagery, he painted "Scene in the Canadian Rockies" during a short visit to Canada, 1864-65. Another work painted during this brief period, "Waterfalls of Montmorency" (east of Quebec), dated 1864, is in a private collection. This painting will be included in Joseph D. Ketner's forthcoming monograph, "The Emergence of the African American Artist: Robert S. Duncanson," to be published by the University of Missouri Press. See footnote 1 for this sale.