Bonhams announces the upcoming sale of Dogs in Show and Field: The Fine Art Sale on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. This is Bonhams 29th Annual Sale and has long become a must for dog art collectors, standing alone as the market leader for the genre.
Coinciding with the auction and the Westminster Dog Show, is Bonhams annual charity, doggie brunch – known as “Barkfest”- partnered with the American Kennel Club. Dog enthusiasts and their furry friends alike are invited to preview the sale, all while enjoying a lovely champagne brunch. The event will take place on Sunday, February 13th from 10a.m. to 12p.m.
Alan Fausel, Director, Fine Arts, said, “Over the long history of the sale at Bonhams it has been predominantly composed of British paintings from the UK. We are very pleased to have two major American works, the Alexander Pope and Percival Rosseau paintings especially in this the first year of our re-branding of the sale as ‘Dogs in Show and Field: The Fine Art Sale’.” He adds, “We are also delighted to once again host Barkfest here at Bonhams the Sunday before the auction.”
The first major American work is an oil on canvas entitled Leda and the Duck by Percival Leonard Rosseau (est. $80,000-120,000). The work shows a Llewellin type of Setter returning with a Mallard hen from a pond. Painted early in his career in 1905, it shows Rosseau at the height of his observational powers. Particular care is given to the anatomic correctness of the pose and the details of the coat and markings. From this depiction it appears that we can make the identification of the same dog, Leda as in the eponymous 1905 masterpiece now in the collection of the American Kennel Club.
The second is An English Setter in a field by Alexander Pope (est. $40,000-60,000). The oil on canvas was most likely a commissioned portrait of a well-known setter, as one can tell, the artist took pains to emphasize that his subject was an individual.
Viewings will begin at the Bonhams saleroom on February 13th until the day of the sale which takes place on February 16th at 10 a.m. EST. The illustrated auction catalog for the sale is online and available to view at www.bonhams.com/us. For more information about the department, please visit www.bonhams.com/dogs.
Admission to the Charity Brunch is $50 with reservation by phone, or $60 at the door. Proceeds will go to the AKC Humane Fund. To reserve your space, please call the AKC’s RSVP line at 212-696-8277. For more information about the AKC Humane Fund, visit www.akchumanefund.org
www.bonhams.com/dogsale
