Press Contact:	Catherine Riedell	Colleen Fesko
	Director of Marketing	Director of Paintings and Prints
	Skinner, Inc	Skinner, Inc
	978-779-6341, x231	978-779-6241 x260
	criedel@skinnerinc.com	Cfesko@skinnerinc.com

 

 

SKINNER’S MARCH PAINTNGS & PRINTS AUCTION
TO INCLUDE WORKS BY MAUFRA, RIPLEY, REMBRANDT, SOROLLA, AND BAUMANN

 

Maufra’s “El Kantara”, oil on canvas; Estimated at $25,000 - $35,000

Ripley’s “Autumn Harvest” depicts Lexington, Massachusetts scene

Rembrandt etching and Sorolla oil sketch boast Massachusetts provenance

 

BOSTON, Mass. – January 21, 2002 -- Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auctioneers and appraisers of antiques and fine art, will hold an auction of American and European Paintings and Prints on Friday March 22, 2002 in two sessions:  a Prints Session at 4 p.m. and a Paintings Session at 7 p.m. in Skinner’s Boston gallery.   Previews will be held March 20, 12-5 p.m., March 21, 2-7 p.m., and March 22, 2-7 p.m.  Featured works in the sale include:

 

• L'Oeud d'el Kantara, an oil on canvas.  Painted in 1913 by French impressionist Maxime Maufra (French, 1861/62-1918), the work depicts the tropical oasis, El Kantara, just North of Biskra, Algeria, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.  (Estimated at $25,000 – $35,000.)

 

• Autumn Harvest, oil on canvas by Aiden Lassall Ripley (American, 1896-1969).  The sizable work depicts a scene of Wilson’s Farm in Lexington, Mass.  Ripley, a painter in the Boston tradition, was best known for his portraits of young socialites and sporting scenes.  Given the large scale and specific nature of this painting, it may have been commissioned from the artist.  The work is estimated at $15,000 - $35,000.

 

Also in the sale, two notable works by European artists, both with Massachusetts provenance:

 

• An etching with dry point on paper by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669.) Christ Preaching (La Petite Tombe), c. 1652.  The work is a late 17th or early 18th century impression and is unsigned.  The etching comes from a private collection but was formerly in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  It includes collectors’ stamps and a duplicate stamp from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on the reverse.  Rembrandt’s etching is estimated at $12,000 - $18,000.

 

• An oil sketch on board by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923.)   The work, entitled Biarritz, is signed and dated "...Sorolla B 1906" and inscribed "197" on the reverse.  This work descended within the family of Mrs. William McLennan, Montreal, to a Massachusetts estate. Sorolla spent the spring of 1906 in Paris, where he was heavily influenced by the Impressionist style.  This trip seems to have marked the final step on his progression from his early style, so heavily influenced by the old masters and Velasquez in particular, to the light-filled style with which he is more often affiliated today.  This shift is reflected in several of the Biarritz views from the summer of 1906.  This work was exhibited at the Hispanic Society of America, New York, in 1909, catalogue number 197, and was sold to Mrs. McLennan at that time. The Society commissioned Sorolla to complete a decorative program for their library two years later.  The work is estimated at  $25,000 - $35,000.

 

The sale also includes three woodcut prints by Gustave Baumann (American, 1881-1971.)  The finest of these is Ranchos de Taos, c. 1925, edition of 125, a color woodcut on oatmeal laid paper with hand-in-heart watermark.  The print is signed "Gustave Baumann" in pencil and with hand-in-heart chop.  (Estimated at $3,500 – $4,500.)  Baumann, an important Provincetown, Massachusetts printmaker, was originally from Germany and was best known for his works depicting views of the American Southwest.

 

Illustrated catalog #2129 is available for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at Skinner/Bolton (978-779-6241 ext. 240).  Prices realized at the auction will be available at www.skinnerinc.com following the sale.  For more information, call 978-779-6241, or fax 978-779-5144.

 

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Note to Editors:

Photos available upon request.  Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.

 

About Skinner:

With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art.  Regularly seen on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses.  Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction.  Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20^th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, and Discovery.  For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.