Boat at Charenton

The Estate of the Artist F.R. Heaton Estate Sotheby’s Canada, auction, Toronto, May 14, 1979, Lot 108 Sotheby’s Canada, auction, Toronto, November 12, 1980, Lot 533 The Art Emporium, Vancouver Masters Gallery, Vancouver/Calgary Hodgins Auctioneers, auction, Calgary, November 27, 2017, Lot 73 Private Collection, Toronto

While living in Paris for the majority of his career, James Wilson Morrice painted the landscape and scenes of daily life in the city and its environs. Situated in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Charenton-le-Pont is a historic town on the Marnes River. Executed in his signature muted palette of greys and blues and soft handling of the paintbrush, the charming “Boat at Charenton” serves as a keepsake of Morrice’s enduring studies and documentation of the French capital and its surroundings. This sketch was discovered in Morrice’s Paris studio following his death, by Wm. Scott and Sons, executors of the painter’s estate. More than a decade later, in 1939, the painting would be part of the estate of F.R. Heaton, owner of Wm. Scott and Sons. We extend our thanks to Lucie Dorais, Canadian art historian and author of J.W. Morrice (National Gallery of Canada, 1985) for her assistance in researching this artwork.