Sold for: $34,250

PROVENANCE
Corporate Collection, Toronto
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, May 30, 2018, lot 142
Private Collection, Quebec

Robert Pilot often depicted the view of Quebec City from Lévis, but here his vantage point is in the city, looking towards the St. Lawrence River. This fine painting depicts Kent House, at the corner of Rue Saint-Louis and Rue Haldimand—one of the oldest houses in Quebec City and one with a layered narrative. Kent House, named after Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, dates back to 1650, and it has passed through many owners and changes in Canadian history. Pilot often depicted the historic buildings of Quebec City in his paintings and etchings, and in his illustrations for The Storied Streets of Quebec (1929), by Blodwen Davies. An Impressionist, Pilot loved the soft light he found in Quebec City. He suffused this evocative work with a delicate atmospheric haze varying from grey to golden and used sensitive, transparent brushwork throughout—particularly on the side of the house and in the street. Pilot includes many architectural features of the area, such as the distinctive street lamps and gazebo at the bottom of the hill, and his inclusion of pedestrians and horse-drawn cabs captures the animated urban street life.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars