Tom Lea (American, 1907-2001) Assam Jungle House, 1947 Gouache and watercolor on paper 19-1/4 x 22-1/4 inches (48.9 x 56.5 cm) (sheet) Signed, titled, and inscribed lower right: ASSAM JUNGLE HOUSE, FROM A STUDY MADE DURING A HUNTING TRIP / ON THE KEMI-NODI RIVER NEAR THE BURMA BORDER 23 NOVEMBER 1943 / Tom Lea Property from The Tom Lea Institute, El Paso, Texas PROVENANCE: The artist; MBank, El Paso, Texas, acquired from the above, by 1989; Wells Fargo Bank, acquired from the above, 2000; Gift to the present owner from the above. LITERATURE: K.G. Hjerter, The Art of Tom Lea, College Station, Texas, 1989, p. 137, illustrated (as Upper Assam Jungle). Tom Lea's career was profoundly shaped by his wartime experience, beginning with a 1941 commission from LIFE magazine, assigned to portray American soldiers, leading to his appointment as a full-time war artist. The present work was likely executed during a brief respite from Lea's assignments, a moment in which observation gave way to reflection. As the artist's annotations suggest, Assam Jungle House was developed from sketches made following a hunting expedition, translating firsthand experience into a composed and painterly image. The scene is suffused with dense vegetation, as layers of verdant foliage gather and rise into a richly articulated canopy. At the center, a solitary figure moves with quiet assurance, his form partially absorbed into the surrounding jungle. Armed with a broad hunting knife, he parts the thick terrain, guiding an unseen party through a landscape he appears to know intimately. Lea's handling of color—lush greens tempered by warm earth tones—imbues the composition with a sense of immediacy, while the careful balance of detail and atmosphere reflects his ability to transform documentary observation into a scene of enduring resonance. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

The artist; Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco, California, acquired from the above; Gift to the present owner.

Condition report available upon request.
Framed Dimensions 33.5 X 36 Inches