A regular member of the Barbizon circle of painters who was strongly influenced by Corot and Daubigny, Appian gained a reputation for his virtuoso treatment of light and shadow executed in a rapid and fluid style. Tanner, who was well schooled in the Barbizon tradition, was certainly familiar with Appian’s oeuvre. He may have been attracted to works such as this one, in which the treatment of light reflecting off water imbues the serenity of the scene with a suggestion of mystery.