Sélection de ventes notoires de 2023 par Galerie Alan Klinkhoff

A view towards Montréal overlooking Priest's Farm is an exquisite watercolour by James Duncan painted from Mount Royal. The building slightly right and below the centre of the picture plane and highlighted by hints of sunlight breaking through the overcast sky is Grand Seminaire de Montreal (Grand Seminary of Montreal). The buildings were begun in 1854, implying that our work was clearly of a later date, perhaps 1860.

Duncan was one of the foremost artists of his day, primarily celebrated for his Montreal urban scenes painted in watercolour. In their announcement of the upcoming exhibition of approximately 100 works by James Duncan, Montreal’s McCord Museum published, “Documenting the colonial city’s development during his 50 year career, the artist produced panoramic views that predate the invention of photography and a body of work that is a living memory of Montreal from 1830 to 1880”. [1]

James Duncan was born in Coleraine, Ireland, in 1806. He emigrated to Canada in about 1825 and was settled in Montreal by the 1830's. During the rebellion of 1837-1838, Duncan served as first lieutenant in the Montreal Light Infantry. In spite of his military activities, however, Duncan's career moved increasingly towards teaching and painting, and there were exhibitions of his work in Montreal during his lifetime. Newton Bosworth's 1839 book Hochelage Depicta was illustrated by Duncan. He subsequently did illustrations for The London Illustrated News and the Canadian Illustrated News. Duncan died in Montreal in 1881.

We thank Conrad Graham for his assistance in the development of this appreciation. Conrad Graham was Curator at the McCord Museum of Canadian History for 39 years.

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