FRANCIS COATES JONES (1857-1932), AMERICAN SCHOOL Conversation of Musicians in Ancient Greece Oil on canvas Signed lower left 69.5 x 49.5 cm Sumptuous gilded and stuccoed wood frame (redoré) (Small scratch lower left, minor retouching and very slight craquelure in the centre) An American painter rarely seen in our institutions or on the French art market, Francis Coates Jones enjoyed great renown on the other side of the Atlantic, where he was a leading figure in the American school of painting. For this ambitious young painter from a well-to-do family, the 'Grand Tour' of Europe was a necessary step. His stay in France at Pont Aven, then in Bouguereau's studio and the Académie Julian, and finally in Italy, enabled him to perfect his polished style and luminous touch. Fascinated by Greek and Roman antiquity, he enjoys depicting figures dressed in antique style in idyllic landscapes. This theme, inspired by his trip to the Old World, was the common thread running through his artistic output, even after his return to his native country, where he was commissioned to paint a number of official works. His themes were seductive and superbly painted, as illustrated by the work we are presenting on 15 June.