Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. Ullswater from Pooley

Featured Artwork: Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. (British, 1877–1957)
Ullswater from Pooley
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Canvas Dimensions: 20” x 30” (51 x 76 cm)
Frame Dimensions: 26 1/2″ x 36 1/2″ (67.3 x 92.7 cm)
Condition: Exceptional, original, unlined condition. Professionally conservation-cleaned in 2016.
Provenance:  Private Collection, Ontario.
Description
A spectacular, museum-quality example of late British Impressionism and Edwardian landscape painting, Ullswater from Pooley showcases Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. at the very peak of his artistic powers. Unlike the artist’s more common Scottish Highland scenes, this masterful work depicts Ullswater, the second-largest lake in England’s legendary Lake District. “Pooley” refers specifically to Pooley Bridge, a small, historic village resting at the northern tip of the lake—a vantage point de Breanski Jr. deeply favored because it allowed him to look straight down the length of the water toward the dramatic, rolling fells of Dunmallard Hill and Whitehall Knott. The English Lake District holds immense, fiercely loyal appeal among British, American, and Canadian collectors, and this specific perspective is considered one of his absolute finest non-Scottish topographies.
The composition boasts the most highly sought-after hallmarks of de Breanski’s celebrated oeuvre: glass-like water reflections, monumental fells cloaked in soft atmospheric mist, and a small herd of native Highland cattle watering at the shore. The foreground is alive with rich, textured brushwork, creating an immense sense of scale that commands any room it inhabits.
Condition & Authenticity Report
Unlike many works of this era that have suffered from aggressive restoration or structural degradation, this canvas remains in excellent structural condition. It is still hand-tacked to its original 1920s wooden stretcher bars with flawless mechanical tension, ensuring long-term stability without the flattened paint layers common in lined pieces.
The reverse face features the crisp, verified handwritten title and signature of the artist, alongside the historic, period-accurate “Winton” prepared stencil stamp by Winsor & Newton, London. Following a light, professional surface cleaning in 2016 to remove historical surface dust, the paint layer is incredibly vibrant and stable. The piece is beautifully housed in a magnificent, period-original ornate giltwood gallery frame typically found on Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. retailed through The Fine Art Galleries, T. Eaton Co. Ltd., Canada.
Inquire About This Piece
Price upon request.
For private viewing arrangements within the Niagara region or to request high-resolution detail photographs, please contact The Nash Gallery directly.
Curator’s Note: The Three Artistic Phases of de Breanski Jr.
To understand the rarity of Ullswater from Pooley, it helps to view it within the three distinct eras of the artist’s lifelong career:
  • Phase 1: Academic Realism (Early Career–1910s): Under the heavy influence of his celebrated father, Alfred de Bréanski Sr., his early works were tightly drawn, dark, and strictly traditional landscape topographies of the Scottish Highlands.
  • Phase 2: The Golden Vistas (1910s–1930s) — The Apex Era: Following studies in Paris, the artist embraced French Impressionism. He loosened his brushwork and pioneered his famous “luminous glow” palette, using thick strokes of pure violet, rose, and amber to capture atmospheric mist. Ullswater from Pooley represents the absolute pinnacle of this commercially coveted prime era.
  • Phase 3: Graphic Design & Cottage Gardens (1915–1950s): In his later decades, the artist successfully modernized. He pivoted into flat, bold graphic design for the London Underground Transport system (1915) and transitioned his fine art practice away from grand wildernesses toward soft, sun-drenched English cottage rose gardens.