David Brown Milne 1882 - 1953

Douglas Duncan, Picture Loan Society, Toronto

Ronald MacDonald, Woodbridge, Ontario, circa 1960

Morris Gallery, Toronto, 1965

Private Collection, Toronto

David Milne Jr. and David P. Silcox, David B. Milne Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume I, 106.28, illustrated in black and white, p. 146

This work has been viewed under UV and it is in pristine condition. We would like to thank "In Restauro Conservart Inc." for examing this painting and their original notes are available upon request to Sotheby's.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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For the thirteen years he lived in New York City, the East, Hudson and Harlem rivers each gave Milne opportunities for subjects that were congenial to him. Water and reflections were a magnet to his sensibility, and this scene of barges on the Harlem River is one of the finest paintings from his years in New York. The locale was also a favourite one for the painters called The Eight, with whom Milne was showing at the N.E. Montross Gallery at the time.

The painting dates from 1915, two years after the Armory show. The composition is a favourite pattern of Milne's, with its foreground riverbank and two prominent trees, which prompt our curiosity to look around and past them. The river itself reflects the ships and barges and the waterside warehouses, then the hill of the far bank with its row of houses is set high against the horizon.

Milne has used seven colours in this work. The darkest and lightest he would have considered as 'tones', those basics that gave structure to the painting. The small lines and spots of brick red, dark blue, turquoise and ochre 'speed up' the reading of the painting by making the shapes of the buildings and boats more quickly recognized and articulate. The banner of smoke floats down through the boat into the foreground strip of water.

Although the paintings Milne did in New York number among the top tier of those accomplished during his long career, this early one shows his full mastery and maturity in strong and vital terms.