Evening Sail, New England Coast (c. 1905 – 1920) Attributed to George S. Banks

Description
A single-masted schooner glides across a slate-green swell while the last amber light dissolves into a silver-grey sky. Working in thin, tonalist veils and quick, broken brush-strokes, the artist translates the scene into a quiet meditation on atmosphere rather than a literal record of place. Painters of Banks’s New-England circle believed that the sea’s shifting light was a gateway to the “inner landscape” of reflection and spiritual calm; by softening detail and limiting the palette they invited viewers to slow down and contemplate nature’s transient moods. The original cove-and-leaf gilt frame, together with a New England Picture Framing Co., Worcester label, confirms the painting’s early-20th-century regional origin.

Indicative market value
Early-1900s New-England seascapes of this size (≈ 12 × 16 in.) by listed but secondary-market artists generally realize US $300 – 800 at regional auction. A recent benchmark is the 10 × 14-inch Seascape by George Seldon Roorbach, estimated at $300 – 500 (Sandwich Auction House, Massachusetts, 14 May 2025) Invaluable.
Should a definitive front signature by Banks be uncovered, a mid-range valuation of $600 – 1,200 would be appropriate; lacking signature or documented exhibition history, the lower half of the range is more realistic.