Accession Number

983.869

Description

A landscape oil painting depicting a lake, the left foreground a stand of evergreen trees on the edge of a smooth rounded rock outcropping, the centre mid-ground on the other side of the lake a low mountain with a diagonal cut to the left slope, on each side barren hills of various sizes, billowy clouds stretching in two large bands across the sky, the artist's signature and date "G.T. Brown 1888" at lower left corner, the canvas support stretched and fastened to a wooden stretcher, the exposed canvas on the verso covered with a patch of paint that appears to be covering something, "425/731" inscribed in pencil on the side stretcher bar.

Narrative

When acquired by The Castle Society in the 1970's, this painting was in a modern frame and damaged by punctures. A visitor saw it displayed in Craigdarroch's dance hall and made note of the signature. It eventually came to the attention of Dr. Lizetta LeFalle-Collins, and she selected the work for a travelling exhibition she curated for the California African American Museum in Los Angeles in 2003. The painting was conserved and re-framed with a circa 1880 frame prior to shipment to Los Angeles for exhibition. 

History of Use

This painting was given to The Castle Society by Victoria auctioneer Wilfred Lund in 1972.¹ Its prior history of use is unknown. It was loaned to the California African American Museum in Los Angeles (February 2003 to July, 2003) and exhibited there with other Brown paintings before travelling in that exhibition to the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma (October, 2003 to January, 2004), to The Walters Art Museum  in Baltimore, MD (February 2004 to May, 2004) and finally to the California Historical Society in San Francisco (September 2004 to November 2004). 

1. Castle Society President James K. Nesbitt's written report to Society Members dated October 6, 1972.

Date

1888

Dimensions

40.5 x 1.9 x 65.7 cm

Artwork Title

Untitled

Subject/Image

Landscape - location undetermined, but probably somewhere in British Columbia's Okanagan district.

Medium

Oil

Support

Canvas

Inscription

signed and dated by the artist: G.T. Brown 1888

written in pencil on a stretcher bar: 425/731