Items Similar to Marin County Meadows and Pond with Oak Trees by Manuel Valencia Tonalist Pioneer
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
Manuel ValenciaMarin County Meadows and Pond with Oak Trees by Manuel Valencia Tonalist Pioneercirca 1900
circa 1900
$2,500
£1,898.31
€2,170.86
CA$3,492.86
A$3,884.83
CHF 2,028.54
MX$47,274.20
NOK 25,907.49
SEK 24,296.66
DKK 16,201.95
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
Marin County Meadows and Pond with Oak Trees by Manuel Valencia Tonalist Pioneer
A painter of California history and western landscapes, Manuel Valencia was born in Marin County, California in 1856 on the Rancho San Jose, the Valencia hacienda. The family received many land grants in the San Francisco area because of their ties to settlement history.
Image 8"H x 11.5"W
Frame, 14.5"H x 18.5"W x 2.75"D
The central focus of the painting is a cluster of lush, verdant trees, likely deciduous, situated near a calm body of water, possibly a pond or slow-moving creek. With a faint outline of figures emerging into the meadow below the towering trees. The foreground features a grassy area with hints of wildflowers or textured ground cover, leading the eye towards the water's edge. In the background, beyond the main cluster of trees, there appears to be a smaller, indistinct structure, possibly a house or shed, suggesting a subtle human presence in the otherwise natural scene. The overall composition is balanced and serene, typical of Tonalist works seeking to evoke a peaceful mood rather than dramatic narrative.
Color Palette and Light: The painting employs a subdued, Tonalist color palette, dominated by varying shades of greens, browns, and grays for the landscape elements, and a muted, possibly overcast or hazy sky in the upper portion of the canvas. The light source is diffused and soft, creating a gentle luminosity across the scene, particularly noticeable on the surface of the water which reflects the muted tones of the sky and surrounding foliage. This soft lighting emphasizes the atmospheric quality and quiet mood of the scene.
He was a descendant of General Gabriel Valencia, the first governor of the state of Sonora, Mexico under Spanish rule. He was named for his grandfather, who arrived in California in 1774 and became administrator of the Presidio in San Francisco.
As a Tonalist, Valencia primarily focused on variations in value and muted color palettes, often featuring greens, purples, blues, and grays. This emphasis on subtle shifts in tone, rather than sharp contrasts, allowed him to create smooth transitions between light and shadow, mimicking the soft, diffused light found in atmospheric conditions like mist, twilight, or moonlight.
Valencia studied with artists including Jules Tavernier in the San Francisco area, where he lived his entire life, and attended what is now Santa Clara University. He also spent some time in Mexico where he was a member of the Esquela de Bellas Artes de Mexico.
Early in his career, he was a commercial artist who designed calling cards. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, Valencia and his family moved to San Jose, but he commuted to his studio in San Francisco. There he was art editor of the "San Francisco Chronicle" newspaper under art patron M.H. de Young, for whom the museum in San Francisco is named. War Cry, the Salvation Army newspaper, also hired Valencia as its first illustrator.
During the time he did illustration work in San Francisco, he kept studios in Monterey and Santa Cruz, did landscapes in Tonalist styles including moonlit scenes that were similar to those of Charles Rollo Peters and indicated he had an awareness of the poetic aesthetic of James McNeill Whistler.
Around 1912, he began exhibiting in San Francisco galleries such as S & J Gumps and in New York at Macbeth Gallery and exclusive restaurants such as Delmonico's. President William McKinley, who purchased one of his Yosemite paintings, was amongst his growing list of collectors. He also did desert scenes of Arizona and New Mexico landscapes. He remained in San Francisco until the early 1930s and then moved to Sacramento where he died on July 6, 1935. His family scattered his ashes on Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
In addition to the California capitol, Valencia's work can be seen in the Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino, California; the San Jose Historical Museum; and the Orange County Museum.
Sources:
Carol Lowrey, The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism, (Spanierman Galleries)
Michael David Zellman, Three Hundred Years of American Art
Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940
- Creator:Manuel Valencia (1856 - 1935, American)
- Creation Year:circa 1900
- Dimensions:Height: 145.5 in (369.57 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 2.75 in (6.99 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Very good to excellent. In a very good period heavy gesso frame circa 1880-1890, included as-is.
- Gallery Location:Soquel, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: RJA99301stDibs: LU54216702002
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1986
1stDibs seller since 2014
2,958 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Soquel, CA
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllWells Fargo Express, Gold Country -- Columbia, California
By Cecil F. Chamberlin
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming oil painting of the Wells Fargo Express Office building in the gold country town of Columbia State Historic Park in Columbia, California by Cecil ...
Category
1950s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board
Rota, Spanish Landscape -- Pobre Casa Cadiz
By John Sackas
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful Spanish landscape of a humble farm in Rota, Cadiz, Spain with horses, a cow with two herons, one of which is on cow's back by San Francisco artist John Sackas (American, 1910-2004), circa 1950s. Signed lower Left "Sackas" and verso Rota
Farm House Cadiz" "John Sackas" . Verso has location, attribution and full artist's biography. Presented in gilt-toned carved wood frame. Image size: 14"H x 18"W.
Born in New Jersey on May 22, 1910. John Sackas studied at the San Francisco Art Institute (1934), Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and California School of Fine Arts, Jerry...
Category
1950s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas, Illustration Board
$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Mid Century Carmel Valley Figurative Landscape -- The Roadside Grocer
By Edda Maxwell Heath
Located in Soquel, CA
Gorgeous figurative landscape of a Carmel roadside grocer by Edda Maxwell Heath (American, 1874 - 1972). Signed and dated lower left corner. Presented in giltwood frame. Image, 20"H ...
Category
1950s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Illustration Board
$2,275 Sale Price
35% Off
"Days End" - Volcano, California 1970's Horizontal Landscape
By Frederick Colbus
Located in Soquel, CA
A charming scene of a man leading his horse down a country lane near a red barn in Volcano, CA by listed artist Frederick Colbus (American, 1917-1986).
Signed and dated "F. Colbus, 1978" lower right.
On verso titled "Days End" (Volcano, CA), signed F. Colbus, and dated July 30, 1978.
Presented in a wood frame with linen liner. Image size: 12"H x 24"L
Frederick Colbus was born in Daly City...
Category
1970s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
1900's Horses at the Trough
By William Lemos
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming mid century oil painting of two horses at watering trough by William M. Lemos, Santa Cruz and San Francisco artist (American, 1861-1942), circa 1900. Writing on verso is in ...
Category
Early 1900s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
$1,125 Sale Price
25% Off
"Pilgrimage" - Mid Century Figurative Landscape
By Mary Miller
Located in Soquel, CA
"Pilgrimage", a mid century figurative landscape by Carmel, California artist Mary Miller (Klepich) (American, ? - 1957). Presented in a rustic giltwood frame. Signed "Mary Miller" lower right. Titled "Pilgrimage," dated "1952" and signed "Mary Miller" on logo on verso, with Santa Cruz Art League Twenty Third Statewide Art Exhibition Label. Image, 18"H x 24"L. Framed size: 22.5"H x 28.5"W.
Mary Miller (Klepich) exhibited in the Twenty-Third Annual Santa Cruz State-Wide Art Exhibition. She and her husband Fred Klepich studied at Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Fred and Mary Owned Carmel Craft Studios, later (SAS) Studio Art Supplies...
Category
1950s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
You May Also Like
"Rockport Harbor" Kathryn E. Cherry, Female American Impressionist Landscape
Located in New York, NY
Kathryn E. Cherry
Rockport Harbor
Signed lower right
Oil on canvas board
10 1/2 x 12 inches
Kathryn Cherry was an influential St. Louis painter, ceramicist, designer, and art educa...
Category
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Illustration Board
"Marblehead Harbor, Grey Day" John Rettig, 1919 Marine Landscape Work
Located in New York, NY
John Rettig
Marblehead Harbor, Grey Day, 1919
Signed and dated lower right
Oil on academy board
15 x 18 inches
Dubbed as the “Wizard of Scenic Creation”, John Rettig was best known...
Category
1910s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Illustration Board
"Unloading Truck" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Shingler's (NC based) "Unloading Truck" is an oil painting that depicts a industrial scene of a construction worker standing with a full loading truck
Bio/artist statement:
...
Category
2010s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
"Moab Plateaus" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Shingler's (NC based) "Moab Plateaus" is an oil painting that depicts the vast desert dotted with grasses leading to the towering plateaus of Moab...
Category
2010s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Bathing by the Big Rock, American Impressionist Landscape and Beach Scene
By Martha Walter
Located in Doylestown, PA
This Impressionist beach scene and landscape was painted by American artist Martha Walter. The 15 x 18 oil on board is framed in a 22K gold reproduction frame and is signed "Martha W...
Category
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Winter Fishermen, American Impressionist Snowy Landscape by the River
By Albert Van Nesse Greene
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Winter Fishermen" is a snow covered landscape of a group of fishermen and their boats by the river by American Impressionist painter Albert Van Nesse Greene...
Category
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
