James Wilson Morrice

Heffel Auction House Biography and Notes

This delightful work by James Wilson Morrice was exhibited as Scene in Brittany for many years, but actually depicts a scene in Dieppe, France, looking across the harbour towards the square tower of the Gothic-style Church of Saint-Jacques. Morrice's work is prized for its beauty of light and colour, and this work is painted using a softly muted palette of pinks, greens, greys and reds that unifies and harmonizes the scene. Boats, people, buildings and water are all cast in a softening white light that infuses the scene with a feeling of delicacy and airiness. Morrice's scenes of people at leisure - whether sitting outside in cafés, or, as we see here, strolling along the quay and contemplating this picturesque harbour scene, are particularly sought after. The surface of the deck they are on is as fluid and reflective in its brushwork as the water below them, giving an exquisite sense of atmosphere to the scene. William Henry Howe, the first owner of this fine work, was an American painter who worked in Paris. Morrice's inscription to his friend "Howe" on the front of this work adds a note of particular warmth to this appealing scene.