Gray's to Auction Renoir's Tête de Femme Gray's Auctioneers' Fine Art, Decorations and Jewelry auction on November 17 features Renoir's delightful portrait Tete de Femme, a Matisse lithograph of a dancer, and a fine collection of Asian Art.
News-Antique.com - Nov 14,2011 - Gray’s to Auction Renoir’s Tête de Femme.
Cleveland, OH.
On November 17, 11am EST, Gray’s Auctioneers will hold their 53rd Auction: Fine Art, Decorations and Jewelry. This multifarious auction boasts fine art pieces from artists such as Renoir, Albert Bierdstadt and Ansel Adams, as well as Asian scrolls, sculpture and wardrobe; gorgeous diamonds, stunning silver and a rare 19 ft vintage cedar canoe.
The focal point of this auction is centered on lot 33, Tête de Femme, an oil painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919.) From extended loan at the Dallas Museum of Art, through Christie’s auction house in 1997, this painting comes to Gray’s from a private North East Ohio collector. The significance of this painting can be found in its subject matter. While the impressionist artists steered away from portraiture in favor of landscapes, Renoir transformed the constructs of the traditional portrait; "When Renoir decided, in mid-career, to try his hand at fashionable Parisian Portraiture, he revolutionized the form by treating it with the same freedom that his friends were bringing to landscape painting" (G. Néret, Renoir Painter of Happiness: 1841-1918, Los Angeles, 2009, p. 188). The Renoir at Gray’s is no exception to this and is a distinctive example of his portrait work. This piece is initialed lower left 'AR' and is estimated at $70,000 - 90,000.
Among the other star lots at Gray’s is a hand colored engraving entitled the Common American Deer, Fawn (Cervus Virginianus, Pennant) drawn from nature by John James Audubon (1785-1851) and lithographed, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, Philadelphia, 1845. This piece is from the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America and is estimated at $5,000-7,000. Moreover, Albert Bierstadt’s (German, 1830-1902) The Last of the Buffalo from 1891 is a hand colored photogravure and a powerful example of his sweeping landscapes of the American West- this work is estimated at $8,000-12,000. Lot 34 presents a lithograph by Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) from the Dix Danseuses series entitled Danseuse au Divan. This piece is signed in pencil and numbered 29/130 with an estimate of $10,000-15,000.
Once again, Gray’s is able to offer some exciting Asian pieces including lot 276, a watercolor and ink scroll attributed to Qi Baishi, (1864-1957) entitled Crabs. This playful piece by the influential Chinese painter is signed with his pseudonym Qi Huang and is dated to circa. 1920-1930. Another influential Chinese artist honored in Gray’s November 17 auction is Cui Bai (fl. 1050-1080). The watercolor and ink on paper depicting a landscape with peacocks is described as after Cui Bai, meaning a piece of art created in his style and honor. This large piece measures in at 64.50 x 33 inches and is estimated at $ 1,500-2,500. Another featured lot is lot 282, an exquisite 10th century buff sandstone figure of the Hindu deity Vishnu. At over 31 inches tall and mounted on a museum grade mount the ornately detailed figure is beautifully preserved.
Lot 320 boasts a 19 foot vintage cedar rowing canoe, in the style of Herald
