BOSTON, Mass. – September 1, 2005 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host an auction of American and European Paintings and Prints on Friday, September 16, 2005 in its Boston gallery. Because of the large number of offerings, more than 800 lots, the sale will begin earlier than its traditional time, presenting prints at 12:00 noon , and paintings at 4:00 p.m.

Prints
The first session features an especially interesting group of 20 th century works. Marking the selection are three works by Marc Chagall: Le Bouquet de L'Artist (lot 91, $15/20,000), Le Cirque au Clown Jaune (lot 92, $5/7,000), and Le Renard Ayant la Queue Coupée from Jean De La Fontaine's FABLES (lot 90, $6/800), as well as Jeune Fille en Robe Fleurie au Col d'Organdi by Henri Matisse (lot 193, $3/5,000). Three prints by Pablo Picasso also will be offered, in addition to a decorated plate, Bearded Face (lot 220, $2/3,000). Robert Motherwell's Lament for Lorca (lot 198, $8/12,000), George Braque's Fruit et Feuilles (lot 66, $2/3,000), selected works by Alexander Calder, descended through the family of the artist (lots 71-75), and a Face Teacup and Saucer by Jean Cocteau (lot 101, $3/5,000) round out this group.

Other lots of particular note include Grandma Battin's Garden, alternatively titled Hoosier Garden, a color woodcut by Gustave Baumann (lot 15, $3/5,000). After refining his wood blocking technique, Baumann's career as a producer of fine art took off when in 1910 he moved to Brown County , Indiana . He was fascinated by Indiana 's rustic frontiersmen, known as Hoosiers, and received a gold medal in Los Angeles in 1915 for his aesthetically simple yet artistically intricate works on this subject. Created in his Hoosier days, this print shows his love for Indiana 's simple way of life. Other works by Baumann in the sale include My Garden (lot 16, $3/5,000), Cholla and Sabuaro (lot 17, $3/5000), and An Eagle Ceremony At Tesuque Pueblo (lot 18, $4/600).

The early afternoon session also features a good selection of sporting prints, highlighted by several etchings by Frank Weston Benson (lots 23-42), and works by Ripley (lots 226-227); as well as selections by John Taylor Arms, Frederick Childe Hassam, and Paul César Helleu, a group of etchings by Marguerite Kirmse, and six lithographs by Stow Wengenroth. Additional attractions include 27 etchings by Anders Zorn, and an extensive offering of prints by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, led by Early Morning and the Winged Hat (lots 271 and 273 respectively, $2,5/3,500 each).

The first session closes with a selection of photography, highlighted by six images by Berenice Abbott, including four from NEW YORK IV, 1979, and two from the RETROSPECTIVE PORTFOLIO, 1982 (lots 312-317). Other photographs feature a selection by Dr. Harold Edgerton, including the well-known Wes Fesler Kicking a Football (lot 321, $1,5/3,000); and Albert Einstein by Trude Fleischmann (lot 330, $1,2/1,800).

Second Session
The second session of the auction offers a solid selection of paintings for all tastes. Among the highlights are two works by Carlos Merida. The first is Cancion de Cuna/Song of the Cradle (lot 816, $35/55,000), a gift from the artist to Constance W. Holden, who had studied with Merida in Mexico . Merida had traveled extensively, spending most of his time in Europe , the U.S. , Guatemala and Mexico , and in his travels, he met Picasso, Modigliani, and other artistic leaders of the time who greatly influenced his style. Artistically, he "traveled" from a figurative stage beginning in 1907, to a surrealist period in the 1920s to 40s, to a geometric phase until his death in Mexico in 1984. Taken from his surrealist phase, this painting interprets an intimate moment between mother and young child. The second work by Merida is 15 Motivos - Tema con Variaciones (lot 818, $20/30,000), each piece signed and dated "CARLOS MERIDA 1936" and contained in a portfolio inscribed and dedicated "… To Miss Constance Wigglesworth, from Carlos Merida 1937, A Souvenir from Mexico ." Included in the portfolio is a watercolor study for Cancion de Cuna.

Also of particular interest are Tsuguharu Foujita's Morning Glories (lot 752, $12/18,000), a watercolor and ink with gold on paper board, and the striking Chat Blanc, Fond Rouge (lot 759, $25/35,000) of polychromed LAP, by the same artist. LAP is a cement artist's material created by Jean Charles Seailles, an artist and chemist who founded the LAP factory in the 1920s in Antony , France , a suburb of Paris . The term LAP is derived from the French word "Lapidaire" which relates to the cutting and polishing of precious stones.

Highlights feature a diverse selection of other periods, styles and origins, as well. Examples include March by Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses (lot 794, $18/22,000), and Path Through an Autumn Wood, a watercolor by Camille Pissarro. This lot will be accompanied by a copy of a letter from Joachim Pissarro which confirms the authenticity of the work and dates it to the mid-1870s (lot 449, $12/18,000). Additional offerings include At the Flower Market by Henri Victor Lesur (lot 427, $10/15,000), …Airmail… by Saul Steinberg (lot 853, $8/12,000), and Window Seat by Ada W. Shulz (lot 760, $10/15,000). According to Shari Finnell's Indianapolis Woman Magazine article, "Skirting the Issue," "Schulz's interest in the arts started early. As a young girl, she put off her chores as long as possible so that she could paint. Her widowed mother was a major influence, moving the family to Indianapolis so that her daughter could better develop her talents at Shortridge High School . Later, her mother moved to Chicago so that Shulz could study at the Art Institute of Chicago. After marrying Adolph Shulz, Ada Walter Shulz devoted herself to being a wife and mother. A Chicago reporter commented that her 'art was replaced by clubs, by housework, by those things that interest most women.'

European Paintings
A nicely assorted group of landscapes, still lifes, and genre highlight European paintings in the sale. Early selections include The Repose in Egypt, attributed to Polidoro Lanzani, from the Thomas Jefferson Bryan Collection (lot 406, $8/12,000). Recent scholarship relates a group of pictures similar to this work to Titian's student, Polidoro da Lanciano. Later paintings in varied styles include Coastal View by Alexander Koester (lot 717, $8/12,000), Playing Dress Up/An Interior Scene with Dogs by Charles van den Eycken (lot 437, $6/8,000), Figure on a Woodland Path by Joseph Farquharson (lot 414, $5/7,000), and Paris by Edouard Leon Cortes (lot 721, $3/5,000). Still lifes feature four by Paul de Longpre: Red Roses and Butterflies (lot 428, $6/8,000), Pink Roses and Butterflies (lot 433, $6/8,000), Pink Roses and Dragonflies (lot 434, $6/8,000), and Pale Pink Roses and Butterflies (lot 436, $6/8,000), and Still Life with Lilacs and White Roses by Raoul Maucherat de Longpre (lot 435, $3/5,000). Genre will include the 19 th century Spanish School Making His Plea (lot 431, $6/8,000) and Jean Henri de Coene's A La Bureau de Police (lot 432, $8/12,000), among others.

American Paintings
The auction also offers a fine selection of coastal subjects, led by Alfred Thompson Bricher's Marine Scene, Possibly Off Bailey's Island , Maine (lot 476, $40/60,000). Maurice B. Prendergast's Gray Day in Maine, accompanied by a copy of a letter from Dr. Nancy Mowll Mathews discussing the work (lot 482, $25/35,000), and Charles Herbert Woodbury's Beach Crowd (lot 620, $20/30,000) also mark this group. Other examples include Dwight Blaney's A Cove on Ironbound Island (lot 624, $15/25,000), descended through the Sargent family of Maine , the 19 th owners of Ironbound Island . The island was later sold to Dwight Blaney. Blaney trained as an architect in Boston and traveled to Europe to paint, a pursuit encouraged by his close friend John Singer Sargent. Blaney even appears in Sargent's later work. He greatly admired Monet, whose influence is seen in many of his landscapes and seascapes. The sale also offers Blaney's View from Ironbound Island to Frenchman Bay (lot 643, $5/7,000), descended through the Sargent family of Maine . Additional northern New England coastal views include Emile Albert Gruppe's Boat at Gloucester (lot 635, $10/15,000) and Working on the Nets (lot 642, $10/15,000), and Anthony Thieme's Rockport Street (lot 634, $8/12,000). Abbott Fuller Graves' Rough Seas (lot 480, $6/8,000), James Gale Tyler's At Full Sail and Battle at Sea (lots 481 and 661, $3/5,000 each), and William Bradford's Docked (lot 484, $4/6,000) will draw interest as well.

Landscapes and City Views
Also highlighting the auction is a group of landscapes and city views, with seasonal works including An Autumn Landscape by John Joseph Enneking (lot 677, $18/22,000), Winter Mountains by Aldro Thompson Hibbard (lot 686, $7/9,000), and The Mill on a Quiet Stream, Spring by William Henry Hilliard (lot 497, $3,5/5,500); and bucolic scenes featuring The River's Edge, Cattle Watering by Charles W. Knapp (lot 488, $4/6,000), and Cattle Watering by Samuel Lancaster Gerry (lot 489, $1/1,500). Bidders also will find On the Hudson by James David Smillie (lot 517, $4/6,000), and Spring Hill, Sandwich , Massachusetts /A Double-Sided Work by Dodge MacKnight (lot 578, $2/4,000). According to a letter from the Sandwich Public Library, the front and back landscapes on this last piece appear to be views from the front of and behind the artist's Sandwich home. Two other Boston area homes in landscape settings include The Fay Estate, Lynn Massachusetts by Charles Edwin Lewis Green (lot 509, $7/9,000), and The Reed/Loring Home, Dorchester, Massachusetts by Frank Henry Shapleigh (lot 510, $12/18,000). A friend of the Reed family, Shapleigh positioned his easel across from the Reed and adjacent Fitzgerald properties, in order to record the scene. The late 19 th century view of the house, which still stands at 16 Harley Street , includes the steeple of the Second Church of Dorchester, at Codman Square , and a view of the Bay of Dorchester . City views include Morning on the River/An East River View by Guy Wiggins (lot 727, $15/20,000), and Central Park Looking Toward 5 th & 59 th , and St. Paul's Chapel by Johann Berthelsen (lots 724 and 728, $6/8,000 and $2/3,000 respectively).

Fuller Museum of Art
In 2002, the then Fuller Museum of Art announced a shift inits mission to focus on contemporary craft, and in April 2004, the museum formally changed its name to Fuller Craft Museum . The shift in focus required a close examination and a new strategic direction for every facet of the Institution––including its collections and exhibitions. In keeping with its desire to share works of art with the broadest possible public while at the same time remaining fiscally responsible and faithful to its new craft mission, the Board of Directors and membership voted to gradually deaccession works of art no longer fitting its focus and offer them at public auction. After careful consideration, Skinner, Inc. was selected to auction the initial lot of paintings in its November 2004 auction of American and European paintings. This September sale features additional works from the collection of the Museum, with selections as varied as Laura Coombs Hills' The Vase (lot 765, $5/7,000), Evening Sunset by John Joseph Enneking (lot 516, $3/5,000), and several paintings by Mabel May Woodward, among others.

Sculpture
Sculpture in this auction will undoubtedly draw attention, with such offerings as Frederick William MacMonnies' Pan of Rohallion (lot 743, $15/25,000), a purported gift from W. R. Hearst to a private California collection through to a private New England collection; Harry Bertoia's striking Untitled, a metal sculpture with gold wash (lot 808, $15/25,000); and Pierre Auguste Renoir's and Richard Guino's bronze Plaque from the Base of 'Venus a la Pomme' (lot 742A, $10/15,000). Additional highlights will include Paul Troubetzkoy's bronze Tolstoy on Horseback, executed in 1911 (lot 750, $4/6,000). Prince Paul Petrovitch Troubetzkoy, the son of a Russian nobleman and an American woman, spent his early career living and visiting France , Italy , Russia , and the United States . In the early 1900s, he made several trips to Yasnava Polyana, the estate of Russian writer Tolstoy, where he sketched and sculpted several likenesses of the author.

Additional Highlights
Widely different, but equally appealing, offerings in the sale include The Fun's Over by American Western artist James Elwood Reynolds (lot 550, $8/12,000). Lot 855, Christmas Card, 1958 by Andrew Wyeth (lot 855, $7/9,000), is signed and dedicated "Merry Christmas to you both from Betsy + Andy" on the reverse, with provenance from the artist to G… Hopkins Marvel and Josiah Marvel, Greenville , Delaware , 1958, to her nephew in 1964. Additional highlights include Hollyhocks by Samuel Coleman (lot 524, $5/7,000), and a series of six Krazy Kat cartoons by George Herriman (lots 856-861, $6/8,000 each) descended within the artist's family.

Special Event
Skinner will host a lecture entitled "Boston Modern" on Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 5:30 , presented by Dr. Judith Bookbinder, PhD, Boston College faculty member and author of Boston Modern: Figurative Expressionism as Alternative Modernism. For reservations and information call 617-350-5400.

Catalogue and Preview Info rmation
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 14 th, 12 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 15 th, and 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, September 16 th. Illustrated catalogue #2284 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.

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About Skinner
Skinner, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art and the only major auction house headquartered in New England . 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, 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 & Ethnographic Art, and Disco very. 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.