BOSTON, Mass. – April 29, 2008 – www.skinnerinc.com – Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, today announced that its spring painting sale will be held on May 16th in Skinner’s Boston gallery. The auction of American and European Paintings will include more than 500 fine landscapes, portraits, marine-scapes and modern works.
American paintings
One of the sale’s highlights is Animated View of Valparaiso Harbor (lot 93, est. $20/40,000) by Jacob C. Ward. The painting came directly from the artist to the Loring family, then by descent to the current owner. The Loring family of Hingham, MA established Loring & Company in Valparaiso and was actively engaged in trade during the period of the painting. Another interesting marine piece is an unsigned work: Ramsgate Lighthouse, Kent (lot 109, est. $7/9,000), which is attributed to James Edward Buttersworth. A similar composition is listed in Rudolph J. Schaefer’s J.E. Buttersworth 19th Century Marine Painter (Mystic Seaport, 1975).
Several moving landscape grace the sale including Storm in the Adirondacks (lot 163, est. $12/18,000) and Forest Brook (lot 223, est. $5/7,000), both by John Joesph Enneking; Bald Mountain Brook/A Jamaica, Vermont Landscape (lot 242, est. $6/8,000) demonstrates Aldro Thompson Hibbard’s adjusted technique of broader brushstrokes that covered the canvas surface more quickly and was adopted by him to address the challenges of working in the cold; Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard (lot 269, est. $15/20.000), also by Hibbard, was influenced by Monet’s technique in its diffusion of light, delicate hues, and varied brushstrokes; and California Foothills (lot 178, est. $8/12,000) by Maurice Braun, best known for his southern California valley landscapes with eucalyptus trees, executed in either a cool or warm palette.
Two Hudson River School works of note will be offered in the sale: Autumn on the Hudson (lot 135, est. $15/20,000) by Jasper Francis Cropsey, one of the leading artists of the Hudson River School – whose composition’s related work Autumn-On the Hudson River rests in the collection of the National Gallery of Art; and Autumn Landscape (lot 142, est. $1/2,000) by Jervis McEntee, whose paintings convey a poetic and nostalgic mood.
Two works by Eric Sloane that are expected to draw significant interest: Geese Flying (lot 180, est. $12/18,000) and The Stone Wall (lot 309, est. $15/20,000). It was during flying lessons that Sloane became fascinated with the sky and clouds, elements that he continually featured in his paintings. Other American highlights include Girl in Blue – alternatively titled The Little Deaf Girl (lot 388, est. $8/12,000) by Frederick Andrew Bosley, best known for his portraits, interiors, and landscapes; John Joseph Enneking’s Interior (lot 134, est. $3/5,000); Jessie Arms Botke’s Distant Towers (lot 243, est. $3/4,000); An Afternoon by the Rhône (lot 89, est. $15/25,000) by J. Ambrose Prichard; and The Duet – alternatively titled The Interlude (lot 378, est. $200/300,000), by Thomas Wilmer Dewing. Dewing is best known for his refined and poetic figural works, which challenge conceptions of beauty, femininity, and women’s role in society.
European works
European highlights include: Virgin Interceding on Behalf of Plague Victims (lot 11, est. $2/4,000) attributed to Felice Giani; A Royal Banquet (lot 56, $3/5,000) by Frenchman Louis Gabriel Eugène Isabey; José Arpa y Perea’s In the Studio (lot 80, est. $5/7,000); and Portrait of a Lady in Red (lot 88, est. $6/8,000 by Hugues Merle.
Another featured work is Lancers at Rest (lot 76, est. $10/15,000) by Polish artist Wojciech (Aldabert) Ritter von Kossak, son of artist Juliusz Kossak and the farther of artist Jerzy Kossak. Kossak traveled widely throughout his career and painted portraits and historical scenes. In a lot of two drawings, distantly related to Sabatelli’s fresco at the Sala dell’Iliade in the Pitti Palace, Florence is Jupiter and Mercury Holding a Child attributed to Luigi Sabatelli, offered with Allegorical Scene attributed to Baldassare Calamai (lot 2, est. $2/4,000).
Rounding out the offerings of European painting is At the Breakfast Table (lot 67, est. $10/15,000) by one of the leading Italian genre painters of his generation, Pietro Saltini, whose work captures the vitality and emotion of peasant life, and In a Surrey Garden (lot 404, est. $6/8,000) by Helen Allingham, the first female artist granted membership in the Royal Watercolor Society.
Modern pieces
For collectors of modern works, this sale will not disappoint. Focal pieces of the modern genre include two works by Robert Beauchamp, who is known for vivid, gestural, and congested picture planes: Self-Portrait with Red Eyes (lot 438, est. $4/6,000) and Portrait of Nadine (lot 436, est. $4/6,000), both coming through the artist’s estate. Also featured is Los Pieles Rojas (lot 430, est. $3/5,000) by Jose Luis Cuevas, with accompanying book El Mundo de Jose Luis Cuevas; Composition (lot 453, est. $4/6,000) by John Way, who works in a style which blends his training in Chinese calligraphy with the spirit of Abstract Expressionism; and Untitled by John Wells (lot 470, est. $10/15,000) who was influenced by the Constructivist style, which concerns itself with depicting visual analogs of physical forces in the world.
Rounding out the modern offerings is a carved and decorated floral motif wood coffee table (lot 388A, est. $6/8,000) by Max Kuehne.
Preview and catalog information
Previews for the auction will be held from 12 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 14th, 12 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15th, and 12 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 16th. Illustrated catalog #2409 is available by mail for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is also available at the gallery for $29. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner’s site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogs online.
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About Skinner
Skinner, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art. With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest of buyers from all over the world and its auctions regularly achieve world record prices. Skinner provides a broad range of auction and appraisal services, and it is widely regarded as one of the most trusted names in the auction business. Skinner’s appraisal experts regularly appear on the PBS-TV series, Antiques Roadshow, and its specialty departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, American & European Paintings & Prints, European Furniture & Decorative Arts, 20th Century Design, Fine Ceramics, Fine Jewelry, Couture, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Works of Art, Fine Wines, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, Fine Judaica, Antique Motor Vehicles, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, and Discovery. Skinner galleries are located in Boston and Bolton, Mass. For more information on upcoming auctions and events, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com