WILLARD LEROY METCALF OIL, THE WHITE MANTLE.

A Willard Leroy Metcalf (American, 1858–1925), oil on canvas, ”The White Mantle” 1906. Depicting a winter landscape with fields, a stone bridge over a frozen stream, and farm buildings in the distance, all covered by a gentle snowfall. Signed and dated lower left ”W. L. Metcalf, 1906”. In an ornate gilt wood frame. Canvas 26” x 29”, Frame 41.5” x 43.5”.Auctioneer’s Note: In 1906 Metcalf traveled to Clark’s Cove in Walpole, Maine to spend Christmas with his family. In his cash book, next to the entry for The White Mantle, the artist wrote, “painted Christmas Day in Clark’s Cove, Maine.” He then exhibited the piece at Montross Gallery, New York in 1907, where Royal Cortissoz wrote of The White Mantle in his review of the exhibition: 'Technique alone would not have sufficed for the translation of the very spirit of winter into the elements of this picture.’ It was purchased from the exhibition, by William H. Bliss, a prominent Missouri lawyer and U.S. District Attorney. It was left to his son Robert Bliss, who later built Dumbarton Oaks, which was donated to Harvard College in 1940. From Dumbarton Oaks, it was then sold by Hirschl and Adler Galleries in 1975 to a private collection, and from this family, it appears for sale today. Arguably one of the artist’s strongest wintertime works, this is a quintessential example of American Impressionism and would be a centerpiece in any collection of American art. Provenance: The Esther and Howard Freeman Collection.

Estimate:£111,961.2

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