1880’s. Oil on canvas, 16″ x 24″. Framed in 3-1/4″ wide Compound Mitered frame, a slope (No. 208 + Cap 328), in quartersawn white oak with Saturated Medieval Oak stain, and a pale gold slip.
The profile is very plain to suit the stillness of the scene as well as the masterful perspective of the depiction, but with a couple of elements acknowledging, and alive to, key virtues of Deakin’s painting: the two fine beads, one near the sight edge and one on the outer cap molding amplify the picture’s fine line work and detail; and the cove form of the cap molding, surmounted by a bevel, is a nod to the wonderfully rendered Sierra Nevada mountains that frame the lake. The overall plainness of the profile and wide expanse of unadorned wood complement the fine details in the picture. More importantly, keeping our own shaping of the wood secondary to the inherent beauty of the material subordinates our work to nature’s—the spirit of Deakin’s reverential view of the great wonder that is the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe.
