signed and dated 1948 lower right; titled on the stretcher
19 × 24.25 in (48.3 × 61.6 cm)
Auction Estimate:$8,000 - $12,000
Sale date:December 3, 2020
Price Realized
$9,075
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Private Collection, Quebec
Private Collection, Toronto
Robert Pilot was a masterful painter of the subtle harmonies of light and colour. The artist found ample inspiration from Quebec and its environs, here depicting Sillery, which was once an independent municipality, incorporated into Quebec City in 2002. Pilot has chosen to depict Sillery from across the river, with the striking spire of Saint-Michel de Sillery Church standing tall amongst the atmospheric clouds and sky. The nostalgic quality of this composition - with the rising plume of smoke from a distant boat in the wharf, and the striking autumnal colours - is a quintessential Pilot painting of charm and artistry. This vantage point of Sillery was one of Pilot’s favourites, and he often returned to it over the course of his career. “Sillery from the Battlefields, Quebec”, executed in 1948, is closely modeled after “Gold Autumn, Sillery”, which is held in the collection of the Musée national des beaux- arts du Québec and was painted prior to 1937.
