Anon.: Nineteenth century watercolor American,
ca. 1850, Unique. A very good copy

A very accomplished nineteenth century gouache meas. 7.5 x 12 inches of a raging river rapid or waterfall. An ink notation on the verso of the backing board locates the scene as being : ' [obscured] Falls, New York but it does not appear to be Niagra. There is another (later) notation stating that the signature of A B Durand has been obliterated. The painting is not by Durand. It is executed on thick paper that had, at one time, been mounted to a backing board around its edges, wet, and shrunk to fit (a common method of preparation). The painting shows a high degree of skill in its execution.

$5,500