Pa. Impressionists, Old Masters, Premier Selections Lead William Bunch’s Fine Art Auction Nearly 400 paintings including premier selections from Philadelphia’s artist’s lifetime collection and other fine quality works by American and European artists are featured in the May 3rd auction.
medium and was adept in every style he embraced, from Western and commercial art to 1950s street gangster art and even cheesecake.”
Bunch said the most difficult aspect of cataloging the Baldwin collection was placing values on the various works. “There are people out there who definitely known Richard Baldwin’s name, but his art hasn’t appeared at auction; it’s untested in the marketplace. This sale will be a nice opportunity for collectors to buy excellent-quality illustration art at a fair price. Most of the lots are estimated in the $300 to $600 range.”
Another strong component of the sale is the collection of approximately one dozen Old Masters from a long-held Texas collection. An unidentified 17th/18th-century oil on canvas of the Madonna with Child surrounded by cherubs measures 47 by 38 inches and is presented in a heavy, horsehair-reinforced gilt frame. “This is a painting that could easily be on the wall of The Louvre or some other great museum,” said Bunch, who has estimated it at $20,000-$40,000.
Other Old Masters to be offered run the gamut from simple portraits of men in period dress to large, exotic garden scenes painted by a follower of Melchior D’Hondecoeter (Dutch, 1636-1695). Two luxuriant oils created by the latter artist are entered in the sale, each measuring 64½ by 98½ inches. One of the paintings features cockatoos and other tropical birds in its foreground, while the other depicts peacocks and flamingos amid lush foliage, flowers and fruit trees.
“This collection is going to be a real treasure hunt for people who pay attention to Old Masters. Something here is going to catch fire,” Bunch predicted.
A religious-themed highlight from the array of Continental art is Ecce Homo, an oil on canvas of Christ in the Crown of Thorns, painted in the manner of Guido Reni (Italian, 1575-1642). The 20½- by 18½-inch oil on canvas is presented in a heavy molded-plaster gilt rococo frame with an Uruguayan gallery label that reads: “Arts Dorados Artistico.”
British art is led by a Charles Spencelayh (1865-1958) artist-signed oil on canvas, 18 by 14 inches, titled Matchstick Boy. As its name suggests, the circa-1900 painting depicts a young boy – rosy cheeked and dressed in rain gear – peddling a box of matches.
The sale selection is rounded out by several fine bronzes, including an Ignatius Taschner (German, 1871-1913) sculpture titled Young Woman on Bull, and a bronze bust titled Cuauhtemoc, Aztec Ruler of Tenochtitlan, circa 1520-21.
All forms of bidding will be available for the auction, which commences at 12 noon Eastern time on Tuesday, May 3, including live in the gallery, absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com and The-Saleroom.com.
To contact the gallery, call 610-558-1800 or e-mail info@williambunchauctions.com. Visit the William H. Bunch website at www.williambunchauctions.com.
CAPTION:
Edward Willis Redfield (New Hope school, Pa., 1869-1965), From Lumberville to Raven Rock, oil on panel, 4½ by 6 inches. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
