BOSTON, Mass. - February 11, 2005 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, Inc., one of the nation's leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host a two-session auction of American and European Paintings and Prints on Friday, March 4, 2005 in its Boston gallery. Prints and photography will be offered at 4 p.m., and paintings and sculpture at 6 p.m.

Prints The day's offerings open with a diverse selection of prints, ranging from mid-19th century to late 20th century examples. Among the lots, and bound to draw attention, is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Elsa, Dite la Viennoise, a second state print dating to1897, signed and numbered "No 2 TLautrec" in pencil within the image (lot 121, $150/200,000). Published by Gustave Pellet in May of 1897, it was, at one time part of the Fred Grunwald Collection in Los Angeles, and then descended within the family. From a half century later, and equally intriguing, are eight prints by Maurits Cornelius Escher, all signed, from the M. C. Escher Family foundation to the present owners. Examples include Day and Night (lot 37, $15/25,000), Belvedere (lot 42, $12/18,000), Ascending and Descending (lot 43, $12/18,000), Waterfall (lot 44, $12/18,000), and Puddle (lot 39, $8/12,000), among others.

Skinner has had ongoing and consistent success in offering etchings by Frank Weston Benson. This auction features Lone Yellowlegs (lot 11, $8/1,200), Two Black Ducks (lot 12, $5/700), and Broadbills (lot 10, $6/800). Works by Thomas Hart Benton also have a successful history at Skinner auctions, and a strong group of lithographs by the artist in this sale is led by Spring Tryout (lot 16, $2/2,500). According to the artist, this image "…represents an incident of my boyhood when another boy and myself took an old horse out one early spring day for a bareback ride. He got frisky and I slid off his tail" (Fath, page 142). Other examples by Benton include Haystack (lot 13, $1,5/2,500), Threshing (lot 15, $1,5/2,000), and Rainy Day (lot 14, $8/1,200). Additional highlights in the afternoon session include selections ranging from Gustave Baumann's An Eagle Ceremony At Tesuque Pueblo (lot 8, $6/800), to Jasper Johns' #4, from the suite After Untitled 1975 (lot 56, $6/8,000), to a group of silver gelatin prints from ALFRED EISENSTAEDT'S BROOKLYN BRIDGE (lots 147-158, $1/1,500 each).

European Paintings
Headlining the evening session is Over the Bridge/A Winter Landscape by Norwegian artist Fritz Thaulow (lot 500, $75/125,000). Thaulow had always wanted to be a painter, but originally wished to paint only marine scenes. He studied in Copenhagen under C. F. Sorenson and Hans Gude and then moved on to Paris to study there. Although he exhibited some marine works at the Paris Salon, he was not particularly well received early on. It was only when he moved back to Oslo and painted the local landscape that he achieved success. He became best known for capturing the essence of moving water and reflections as demonstrated in this painting offered at Skinner. Highlights in European paintings in the auction also include A Plentiful Harvest/A Still Life with Melons, Grapes and Peaches by Italian artist Giorgio Lucchese (lot 225, $20/25,000), and Evening Entertainment/An Elegant Interior Scene by French artist Francisque Edouard Bertier (lot 227, $8/12,000).

American Paintings
Bidders will find a broad selection of fine paintings by American artists, and options as varied as Cabin, St. Augustine, Florida by William Aiken Walker (lot 290, $15/20,000), Harbor View by Arthur Clifton Goodwin (lot 572, $15/25,000), Fulton Street, New York City by David Burliuk (lot 583, $20/30,000), The Playfellows by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (lot 291, $15/25,000), Still Life with Apples by Bryant Chapin (lot 293, $8/10,000), and Secret Meeting in the Garden/A Classical Genre Scene by Edwin Howland Blashfield (lot 229, $6/8,000). Two works by Abbott Fuller Graves will command interest: Hollyhocks (lot 514, $30/50,000), and Still Life (Colour Arrangement) (lot 531, $8/12,000). Graves developed an early interest in flowers after working in a greenhouse. By 1884, he was studying floral painting in Paris, a city he would return to many times during his career. The exhibition history of Still Life (Colour Arrangement) includes The Art Center in Ogunquit, Maine, for which there are labels on the reverse of the painting. The lot will be sold accompanied by a copy of the Ogunquit Art Center exhibition booklet, where Still Life is listed as number 152.

Also of interest in the sale is a well-documented watercolor by John LaFarge, Stephen Peckham Barker's Farm House, Paradise Avenue, Middleton, Rhode Island, Circa 1884, which depicts a Rhode Island farmhouse belonging to Stephen Peckham Barker where LaFarge stayed and painted in the 1860s. The land on which the house stood belonged to General John Hazard, as noted on the label on the reverse. The watercolor was first reviewed in the Boston Evening Transcript, in the Art Notes section of the February 20, 1885 issue. The critic called the piece "a studious and accurate piece of faithful transcription of Nature; the solidity and force of the modeling, the freshness of the dewy air, the elaboration of detail and the entire effect of early morning are as rare and refreshing as they are unconventional and unpictorial" (lot 313, $10/15,000).

Highlights also include Job and His Comforters by William Rimmer (lot 299, $8/12,000). Rimmer approached the subject of Job several times. Jeffrey Weidman, author of William Rimmer: Critical Catalogue Raisonné, writes of this version "… It is certainly the most successful work of the Job theme in Rimmer's oeuvre…The gesture of Job…appears to be more imploring, accepting, and embracing. [It] is not an illustration from the Job story but appears to be a symbolic encapsulation of the reconciliation to come."

Rounding out the highlights in paintings are St. John, New Brunswick, a watercolor by John Marin (lot 585, $15/20,000), An October Morning, Duxbury, Massachusetts by J. Ambrose Pritchard (lot 396, $10/15,000), and Maple Syrup Cart by Aldro Thompson Hibbard (lot 425, $10/15,000).

Sculptures
In addition to paintings, the evening sale presents a fine group of bronzes, led by two numbered, signed and dated works by Chana Orloff from a Massachusetts estate: Acrobat and Acrobats (lots 559 and 560, $15/25,000 each). Other selections will include Katherine Ward Lane Weems' Seated Wippet/A Sculpture of the Artist's Dog (lot 549, $7/9,000), a bronze sculpture, probably an edition of two, purchased from the artist by a private Ranchos Santa Fe, California, collector, then purchased by the current owner. Several examples by Madeleine Park also will be offered.

Catalogue and Preview Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 2nd, 12 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 3rd, and 12 to 3 p.m. Friday, March 4th. Illustrated catalogue #2269 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 catalogues online.

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, 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, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.