Frederick Simpson Coburn, RCA Landscape Study

Updated September 5, 2026

Artist: Frederick Simpson Coburn, RCA (Canadian, 1871–1960) Title: Landscape Study Medium: Coloured pencil / crayon on paper Dimensions: 8 × 9.5 in. (20.3 × 24.1 cm) Framed Dimensions: 15.5 × 16 in. (39.4 × 40.6 cm) Signature: Signed “F. S. Coburn” lower right A small atmospheric landscape study by noted Canadian artist Frederick Simpson Coburn (1871–1960), executed in coloured pencil or crayon on paper and signed “F. S. Coburn” at the lower right. Artist Biography Frederick Simpson Coburn, RCA (1871–1960) was an important Canadian painter, illustrator and printmaker associated particularly with the landscapes of Quebec's Eastern Townships. Born in Upper Melbourne, Quebec, in 1871, Coburn pursued an unusually extensive international artistic education. After early studies in Montreal and New York, he travelled to Europe, studying at the Royal Academy in Berlin and later in Paris, London and Antwerp. His training included study with the celebrated French academic painter Jean-Léon Gérôme and at London's Slade School under Henry Tonks. Coburn initially achieved substantial professional recognition as an illustrator. Beginning in the late 1890s, he became particularly associated with the writings of Canadian poet William Henry Drummond and subsequently illustrated works by major literary figures including Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Browning and Alfred Lord Tennyson. The National Gallery of Canada has documented his illustrations for Browning, Poe and Dickens among important examples of Canadian book illustration before 1916. After returning to Canada, Coburn increasingly devoted himself to painting the rural landscape of Quebec. He became especially celebrated for luminous winter scenes featuring horse-drawn sleighs, logging teams and country roads in the Eastern Townships. Horses and dramatic skies became defining elements of his mature work. Coburn worked in a notably broad range of media, including oil, watercolour, pastel, pencil, crayon, etching and illustration. The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec identifies drawing, charcoal, pastel, watercolour, printmaking and oil among his techniques and holds a substantial collection of his work. He exhibited extensively and became a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His work is represented in major Canadian public collections, and his distinctive interpretations of Quebec landscape have established him as a recognizable figure in early-20th-century Canadian art.

Register & bid on this lot at Bidspirit →

More lots in this auction

• Toller Cranston Signed & Numbered Figural Prints
• Frederick Henry Brigden, OSA, RCA Landscape
• Unidentified Artist - Seated Female Nude, 1957
• G. Candy – Coastal Village Scene, Watercolour
• S. MacDonald — Harbour Landscape
• Queen Victoria 19thC Royal Portrait Engraving
• Thoreau MacDonald "Wolverine Looking for Off Far"
• Edwin A. Gates Rural Michigan Landscape

See all lots in IMPORTANT CANADIAN ART AUCTION Wednesday Sept 16th 7pm →