This is the smallest known painting by Tom Roberts (1856¨C1931). He painted it directly onto the panel (without any ground), as he did with his other plein air paintings of the 1880s and 1890s. The location of the work is uncertain, but it is likely to be around Sydney Harbour, possibly from the north shore area, looking towards the city. Roberts worked in Sydney for much of the 1890s, living on the shore of Sydney Harbour at Curlew Camp, Little Sirius Cove, from 1891 until his marriage in April 1896, moving to Balmain in 1897. The thick impasto of the paint corresponds with Roberts¡¯s work of this period. The buildings are summarily treated in pink, white and brown. This palette and the open composition, with the narrow stretch of buildings across the centre, support a dating of late 1890s. Title Harbourscape Creator Tom ROBERTS Creator Lifespan 09 March 1856 - 14-Sep-31 Creator Death Place Kallista, Victoria, Australia Creator Birth Place Dorchester, England Date Created c.1890s Location Sydney Physical Dimensions w111 x h60 cm Type Painting,oil on wood panel Rights Gift of Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE, 2008
