SKINNER TO OFFER AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN PAINTINGS
MAY 19TH IN BOSTON
Featuring a Recently Rediscovered Still Life by Martin Johnson Heade
BOSTON, Mass. - May 4, 2006
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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 on Friday, May 19th, at 4:00 p.m. at the Boston gallery. Highlighting the selections is a recently rediscovered still life by 19th century American artist Martin Johnson Heade, from a private New England collection. The work was purchased in the Louis Prang sale, December 1899 (a copy of the sales record accompanies the lot), then descended within the family of the buyer.
Martin Johnson Heade (American, 1819-1904)
Flowers of Hope, by Martin Johnson Heade (lot 130, $300/500,000) tops the auction's offerings.
Heade was born in 1819 in rural Pennsylvania, and began painting at the age of eighteen. In 1858, he moved to New York City and settled into the Tenth Street Studio Building, where he painted alongside many of the leading painters of the Hudson River School. It was at this time that he began painting still lifes, which mainly consisted of arrangements of flowers in vases.
Flowers of Hope was painted in 1863. It is probable that Heade made some adjustments to the composition in 1869, and then signed the work a second time, thus the two signatures. In 1870, Louis Prang published the work, which he in fact owned, as a chromolithograph, selling it as a companion piece to Elizabeth Remington's Flowers of Memory. Prang's chromolithograph of the Heade composition originally sold for $5.00, and the fact that the publisher owned the original painting was noted on the prints. Flowers of Hope and its companion remained among the most popular of Prang's flower pieces, and in fact they were listed in his catalogues of 1878 and 1888-1889. In discussing Heade's work, Dr. Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., says, "...Interestingly, the painting is somewhat different from the print in terms of its shape: Prang made Heade's format more horizontal by cropping it slightly at the top and bottom." (This information is excerpted from correspondence to Skinner, Inc., in a letter of April 13th, 2006.)
The choice of subject is unusual for Heade, and in fact he only completed one other painting of trailing arbutus [Stebbins, Theodore E., Jr., Martin Johnson Heade (Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1999), p. 59]. Trailing arbutus, known in its native New England as May flower, and the state flower of Massachusetts, was very common to the woodlands of the northeast in the 19th century. It was coveted as a harbinger of spring, but more importantly, for its sweet and long-lasting fragrance. It was gathered so vigorously in Heade's day that it is now a rarity of the forests.
The recent rediscovery of the original painting, arguably both a masterwork by the artist, and an icon of the period, is exciting indeed. Held by a New England family in an unbroken line of private ownership since its acquisition in 1899, the painting fills an important gap in the artist's oeuvre.
Stylistically, the painting exemplifies all the characteristics of Heade's finest flower pieces. The composition as seen in the handling of the fabrics is both dynamic and sophisticated, and the palette, especially noted in the opaline glow of the nautilus shell, is truly luminous. It is in the almost preternaturally exquisite handling of the now nearly extinct flower that the hand of the master is truly seen in this rediscovered treasure of American painting.
European Paintings
The auction will open with selected early European works, including
Woodland Clearing with Herders, Livestock, and Cottage in the manner of Meindert Hobbema (lot 2, $15/30,000). Also offered is
Kitchen Genre Scene attributed to Jan Steen (lot 10, $6/8,000), a painting from a Massachusetts estate, which will be sold accompanied by a photocopy of a note from M. J. Friedlander, dated 1949 which attributes the work to Steen. Later European works feature
A Toast to Our Good Fortune/Interior Scene with Cavaliers by Adolphe Alexandre Lesrel (lot 38, $15/20,000) and
At Her Toilette by George Wells (lot 42, $10/15,000), as well as
View of a Fjord by Adelsteen Normann (lot 53, $12/18,000),
Country Road by Paul Desirie Trouillebert (lot 58, $12/18,000), and
Sunset Harbor with Ship and Figures attributed Ivan Konstantinovich (lot 50, $8/12,000), among others.
Marine Paintings
The sale's varied selection of marine views include
Watching Sailboats by Frank Henry Shapleigh (lot 105, $30/50,000). Also highlighting this group is
Fruit Steamers Riding out a Blow, off the Coast of Spain by Frederick Childe Hassam (lot 325, $10/15,000) that comes to the auction through the Clapp/Atwood family of Boston. Others include
Coastal View, possibly Narragansett Bay by Edmund Darch Lewis (lot 137, $8/12,000),
Harbor Scene by Emile Albert Gruppe (lot 286, $10/15,000), and
Coastal View with Sailboats in the distance, possibly a View from North Haven Island, Maine by Frank Weston Benson (lot 247, $7/9,000). Benson began summering at North Haven Island in Maine in 1900. The following year he purchased a farm on the island overlooking Penobscot Bay, and summered there with his family for the rest of his life.
Along the Cliffs by William Trost Richards (lot 106, $5/7,000), and
Boat at Dock by Emile Albert Gruppe (lot 278, $6/8,000) also will be featured.
American Genre and Landscape
Leading the selection of American portraiture is Frank Weston Benson's
Atherton Loring Jr. Age 6 of Boston's Duxbury, Massachusetts (lot 337, $60/80,000). Benson worked in an array of genres including portraiture,
plein air, interiors, and still lifes, although he is perhaps best known for his portraits depicting his wife and three children. He was fascinated by the concept of light and shadow and repeatedly used tenebristic techniques to achieve both dramatic and aesthetically beautiful works. Hs style carried throughout the bulk of his career and he only began experiments with black white etchings well into his fifties. The portrait's frame is by Boston-based framing company Carrig-Rohane, established in 1903 by artist Herman Dudley Murphy. Carrig-Rohane is arguably best-known for its 16th and 17th century inspired Venetian casetta frame (such as the one adorning this portrait.) Important genre selections also include
The Mother by Charles Webster Hawthorne (lot 402, $40/60,000), and
A Lady in Black, alternatively titled
Mrs. D by Cecilia Beaux (lot 351, $30/50,000), as well as
The Quiet Hours/Portrait of a Lady in a Rocking Chair by John George Brown (lot 110, $10/15,000),
Skating at the Frog Pond, Boston's Public Garden and
At the Fountain by Arthur Clifton Goodwin (lots 335 and 336, $10/15,000 each), and
Four O'Clock by Marguerite Stuber Pearson (lot 341, $8/12,000).
The interesting group of American landscapes includes Wood Interior/Wood Study by John La Farge (lot 69, $10/20,000), and Home of the Osprey by Dwight Blaney (lot 284, $12/18,000), a work from the art collection of the Ricker family, founders of the Poland Spring Water Company. Additional examples include Early Autumn by Hugh Bolton Jones (lot 102, $10/15,000), The Close of Day by James McDougal Hart (lot 68, $10/15,000), Pastoral Landscape by John Joseph Enneking (lot 97, $6/8,000), and The Reed/Loring Home, Dorchester, Massachusetts by Frank Henry Shapleigh (lot 80, $4/6,000). The diverse selection also features Winter Stream by Aldro Thompson Hibbard (lot 227, $5/7,000), and The Cottage by the River by Louis Aston Knight (lot 233, $5/7,000).
More abstract examples of American artwork in the auction include Blue with Crosses by Robert Motherwell (lot 438, $25/35,000). Born in Aberdeen, Washington, Motherwell was interested in art from an early age, receiving his first art fellowship at the age of 11. Although he maintained this interest in art, he attended Harvard to pursue graduate work in philosophy. Through his studies, Motherwell came into contact with Alfred North Whitehead. Whitehead's teachings, including the views expressed in his Process and Reality of 1929, greatly influenced him. Motherwell brought this new sense of abstraction with him when he moved to New York in 1940. In the company of Jackson Pollack, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline, Motherwell continued to pursue abstraction. Still, in spite of his abstract style, his subjects were clearly tied to reality; many were drawn from his own life experiences, though he also explored subjects from literature and history.
Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Fuller Museum of Art
Recent auctions of American and European paintings at Skinner have offered works deaccessioned from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and from the collection of the Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, Massachusetts. This sale features some particularly fine selections from both institutions. Leading examples from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston include
The Upland Stream by Walter Launt Palmer (lot 220, $40/60,000),
Sketch for Green Wave by Charles Herbert Woodbury (lot 280, $20/40,000), and
Autumn by Charles Harold Davis (lot 240, $10/15,000). From the Fuller Museum of Art, the sale features
Portrait of Caroline J. Tilley attributed to Jane Stewart (lor 117, $3/5,000)
Taos, New Mexico by Mabel May Woodward (lot 174, $2/4,000),
Lot of Two Portraits: Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Watson by John Joseph Enneking, (lot 118, $8/1,200),
Portrait of a Boy (Mr. Agassis) by George F. Fuller (lot 123, $8/1,200), and
Lot of Two Views of Venice and
The Hunter by Arnaldo Casella Tamburini (lots 156 and 166, $1/1,500 and $8/1,200 respectively), among others.
Illustrations
A strong group of illustrations by artists including Jessie Wilcox Smith also highlights the sale. Of particular note in this group is
April Shower by Smith, featured on the cover of the April 1930 issue of
Good Housekeeping magazine (lot 371, $30/50,000). A native Philadelphian who enjoyed working with children, Jessie Wilcox Smith would become America's premiere female illustrator of her time. Over the course of her 44 year career, she illustrated over sixty books, 200 periodicals, and close to 250 covers for
Good Housekeeping. After attending the School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Smith took a position as an illustrator at
Ladies' Home Journal and continued her studies at Drexel Institute, over the course of that time studying with artists including Thomas Eakins and Howard Pyle. She then began to work exclusively on book illustrations which afforded her such great success that she was able to build her own house and studio, complete with a garden which would become the backdrop for drawing the children of her friends and acquaintances. Some distinct characteristics of her work can be seen in her use of striking outlines and flat shapes which she usually employed to distinguish her main figures. Her work epitomized the home life of the late Victorian era and her inspiration from Art Nouveau and Japanese prints are apparent in many of her works. She also admired the work of Mary Cassatt and later traded her technique of bold black outlining for a more soft and painterly appearance.
Additional Highlights
Additional selections in the auction include Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias'
Mujer en el Mercado by (lot 428, $30/50,/000). Others range from
Wayne Sleep by William Hockney (lot 456, $20/30,000), to
A Day at the beach and Nubble Light/A Double-sided Painting by Mabel May Woodward (lot 295, $8/12,000), to
Whale in the Wind by Charles Wysocki (lot 459, $10/12,000). Rounding out the offerings in paintings are Cape Ann and Cape Cod views from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sculpture is led by August Rodin's Tete de la Luxure (lot 375, $15/25,000). Rodin has long been known for his sensual yet muscular figures of women. Tete la Luxure derives from a detail of his 1882 Femme Accroupie, which was created for a set of bronze doors for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, better known as The Gates of Hell. This same figure was also adapted into the composition for Je Suis Belle, also a part of the Gates.
Also offered is a group of Krazy Kat cartoons by George Joseph Herriman, including Playing the Banjo/A
Krazy Kat Illustration (lot 475, $8/12,000),
That Dear "Krazy Kat" Is Under There/A
Krazy Kat Cartoon (lot 469, $$6/8,000), and
I've Hoofed Too Many Miles Today - Looking for That "Krazy Kat"/A
Krazy Kat Cartoon (lot 477, $6/8,000), among others. Selected works from Walt Disney Studios close the sale.
Previews and Catalogue Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17th; 12 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18th; and 12 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19th. Illustrated catalogue #2236 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, call 978-779-6241, or 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 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.
