Sunset Over Lake Windermere – c.1920 Alfred Fontville De Breanski Jr Landscape Oil Painting

Details

Description

c.1920 Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr Lake Windermere Landscape Oil Painting

An elegant Lake District landscape in which cattle, still … Read more c.1920 Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr Lake Windermere Landscape Oil Painting

An elegant Lake District landscape in which cattle, still water and monumental mountain scenery are transformed by the warm light of evening.

Signed “A. FONTVILLE” lower right and further signed and titled “Lake Windermere” on the reverse.

Highlights

• Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. (British, 1877–1957)
• *Lake Windermere*
• Early 20th century, circa 1920
• Oil on canvas
• Signed “A. FONTVILLE” lower right
• Signed and titled verso
• Pastoral cattle and solitary figure
• Atmospheric English Lake District scenery
• Rich evening palette of russet, ochre, rose and mauve
• Substantial decorative gilt frame
• Documented UK auction provenance
• Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution included

Introduction

An impressive Lake District landscape by Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr., presenting Windermere as a tranquil pastoral setting beneath dramatic evening illumination.

Cattle gather in the shallows beside a solitary figure, providing scale to the expansive scenery. Beyond them, the lake recedes towards successive mountain ranges, while the principal fell is transformed by glowing orange, russet, ochre and rose light.

The broad horizontal composition and substantial decorative gilt frame give the painting considerable visual presence, while the restrained pastoral narrative preserves the contemplative character of the landscape.

Catalogue Details

Artist: Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr.
British, 1877–1957
Title: Lake Windermere
Date: Early 20th century, circa 1920
Medium: Oil on canvas
Signature: “A. FONTVILLE” lower right
Verso: “Lake Windermere / A. FONTVILLE”
Frame: Substantial decorative gilt frame

Catalogue Note

The composition is carefully organised through contrasts of colour and distance.

Dark vegetation, rocks and reeds anchor the foreground before the scene opens across reflective water. The mountain ranges become progressively softer and cooler as they recede, producing atmospheric depth.

The illuminated fell provides the principal chromatic focus. Its warmer orange, ochre and russet passages contrast with cooler mauve and blue-grey distance, while the quieter treatment of the water and sky reinforces the stillness of the scene.

The result combines traditional British landscape subject matter with a heightened sensitivity to transient light and atmosphere.

The Artist

Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. was born into an established British artistic family, the son of landscape painter Alfred de Breanski Sr. and artist Annie Roberts.

He studied at St Martin’s School of Art and developed an independent career as a landscape painter, exhibiting at the Royal Academy and Royal Society of British Artists.

His mature work demonstrates a particular interest in mountainous and waterside scenery, colour, atmospheric recession and changing natural illumination.

The “A. Fontville” Signature

“A. Fontville” is documented as an alternative signature used by Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr.

The present painting carries this signature lower right and is additionally signed and titled on the reverse.

Comparative documented works demonstrate de Breanski Jr.’s practice of identifying landscapes verso. The combination of signature, inscription, subject matter, technique and established auction attribution provides strong supporting evidence for the present identification.

Exhibition History of the Artist

De Breanski Jr. exhibited at the Royal Academy and Royal Society of British Artists.

Documented Royal Academy exhibits include:

1907 – A Cottage Garden
1912 – Summer
1914 – Willows
1917 – Autumn Gold

No claim is made that the present *Lake Windermere* was itself exhibited at these institutions.

Provenance

Private collection, United Kingdom.

BFA Auctioneers Ltd / Bigwood Auctioneers, Stratford-upon-Avon, 10 January 2025, Lot 89, offered with *Lake Windermere from Bowness* as a pair of oils by Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr.

Acquired from the above by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.

Dimensions

Overall framed:

Height: 71.5 cm
Width: 92 cm
Depth: 10 cm


Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution

The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.


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