Autumn Landscape w/ River Dated 1889 - 28¼" x 21¾"

An 1889 autumn landscape, oil on board by an artist inconnu, from Walter Wells’s office at Chanteduc, the Provençal home he shares with Patricia Wells. This painting has hung in Walter’s study for decades, a familiar companion to his work with the Paris-based International Herald Tribune. A distinguished American journalist, Walter joined the paper in 1980, and retired as executive editor in 2005. From their personal collection, it reflects the steady rhythm of the seasons that shapes their life between Paris and Provence. Rendered with confident, economical brushwork, slender trees edge a still pond, their russet and ochre leaves mirrored in the water while slate greens and soft blues temper the warmth, suggesting late-season light. The surface bears fine craquelure appropriate to its age. A gilded wooden frame with mellow patina and light rubbing suits the painting’s character. Modest in scale, it sits comfortably above a desk, along a corridor, in a petite salon, or near a window overlooking the jardin.