143

Percy Gray

(1869-1952)

"Folding Hills"

Watercolor on paper
Signed lower left: Percy Gray; titled in blue pencil, verso
Sheet: 12.125" H x 16.25" W

  • Provenance:
    Sold: Butterfields, San Francisco, CA, June 17, 1999, Lot 1390
    From the Collection of Robert A. Day
  • Notes:
    Percy Gray was an American painter celebrated for his serene watercolor and oil landscapes of California. Born in San Francisco and trained in New York, Gray began his career as an illustrator before shifting to fine art, mainly watercolors, due to an allergy to oil paints.

    His work focused on the gentle beauty of Northern California: rolling hills, oak trees, wildflowers, and misty coastal scenes. Influenced by English Romanticism and Tonalism, Gray's paintings are known for their soft light, delicate brushwork, and peaceful mood.

    While modernist trends emerged around him, Gray remained committed to realism and an emotional connection with nature. He was active in the California art scene, exhibiting widely and influencing the regional landscape tradition. Gray's art captures an idealized, timeless California: quiet, harmonious, and lovingly observed.
  • Condition: Overall good appearance. Pale light-staining. A few flecks of pale, unobtrusive foxing in the upper half of the work, primarily visible in raking light. A minor 1" diagonal crease in the upper left corner. Remnants of hinging tape along the upper edge and glue residue along each of the edges, all verso. The sheet is loose, not matted.

    Framed under glass: 20.375" H x 24.25" W x 4" D


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