Harry Leith-Ross

(American, 1886-1973)

12:24 (Emmy at Window), 1965

oil on Masonite

signed Leith-Ross (lower left)

20 x 28 in.

Property from the Collection of Renny Reynolds

Provenance:

Collection of the Hortulus Farm Foundation Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Literature:

Erika Jaeger-Smith, Poetry in Design: The Art of Harry Leith-Ross, Philadelphia, 2006, pg. 91 (illustrated).

Exhibited:

Doylestown, Michener Art Museum, "Poetry in Design: The Art of Harry Leith-Ross," May 12, 2006 – October 1, 2006.

Lot Note:

Quiet winter scenes were among Pennsylvania Impressionist Harry Leith-Ross’s most favored subjects, as he sought to capture in subtle and suggestive ways the serenity emanating from snow-covered rural landscapes. 12:24 (Emmy at Window), a gentle rendition of a winter night at once filled with chill and warmth, encapsulates Leith-Ross’s aesthetic, one that puts forth observations of nature through an eminently personal lens.

Here, we are let in on a rather intimate scene, even if from a distance. The view of the house is not frontal; we only get to see a side façade, unadorned, seemingly impenetrable, save for the one window in the top right corner that does not dwell in the dark, and where the gaze is immediately drawn. The red-clad figure in the window is Leith-Ross's wife, Emmy. She appears to be sitting atop the couple's bed or perhaps at a desk, possibly reading or writing. She is caught in a private moment–at a time of day usually quiet and deserted–but with a sensitivity that only her husband's brush can afford.

12:24 (Emmy at Window) is equally a depiction of a peaceful wintry Pennsylvania landscape as one might generally think of it, as it is about how it is personally experienced and, arguably, enjoyed. The main source of light in the painting, the window, seems to diffuse its warmth throughout, as it reverberates into the porch, the softly slumbering sky above, and even the bright glistening snow below. And quite poetically, it also defuses any lingering frictions, such as the tension between the frigid outdoors and the cozy interior. Like the diaphanous curtain draping the window, it soothes and softens, blending conflicting sensations into one welcoming and perfectly arranged whole.

In overall very good condition. Light abrasions along/under edges of frame, most noticeable at upper left corner where there is a 1/4 x 1/2-inch loss to surface of Masonite. Small scratch (approximately 1/4 inch) at center left within trees. UV: broad areas of milky-green varnish, visible only under UV, and localized within center left, upper right and lower right. Additional images available upon request.

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Alasdair Nichol

EVP, Deputy Chairman

[email protected]267.414.1211

Alasdair Nichol is Deputy Chairman of Freeman's. He previously served as Chairman of Freeman's, and he and two colleagues acquired the company in a friendly management buy-out in 2016.

He joined Freeman’s in 1999, and as an auctioneer of almost 30 years, has sold many significant collections, including The George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art, The Lehman Brothers Collection, The Collection of Dorrance "Dodo" H. Hamilton, The Stanley Bard Collection: A Life at the Chelsea, and numerous works that set new world auction records. He was instrumental in establishing Freeman’s departmental fine sales and has spearheaded the company’s mission of showcasing single-owner collections.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he studied fine art at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. He later graduated with a master's degree from the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1985, he embarked on his career in the auction world in Edinburgh before moving to Glasgow, where he organized the first sale of Scottish contemporary art at the world-renowned Glasgow School of Art. He subsequently moved to a flagship saleroom in London where he specialized in Modern and Impressionist art before transferring to New York as Head of Fine Art in 1997. Since 1998 he has been a familiar face on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Adam Veil

VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

[email protected]267.414.1221

Adam Veil serves as Vice President and a Fine Art Specialist at Freeman’s.

Veil joined Freeman’s in 2021 following years of experience in both the auction world and the academy. His area of specialization is pre-WWII American Art, although he has lectured and published on topics ranging from Mexican landscape painting and Old Master printmaking to art market economics.

Veil earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in art history from Penn State University and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining Freeman’s, Veil was Head of Fine Art at a Washington, D.C.-area auction house, and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction, where he oversaw market-setting auctions of classical and contemporary Western, Southwestern, and California art. He has also held positions in provenance research, art fair operations, and as editor and producer of The Conversation, a popular Los Angeles–based contemporary art podcast. Concurrent with his role at Freeman’s, Veil is a professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in Renaissance, Modern, and American art history.

Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds

12:24 (Emmy at Window), 1965

Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds

12:24 (Emmy at Window), 1965

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