19th & 20th Centuries, American & European Paintings, Sculptures, Prints & Works on Paper Michaan's Auctions is pleased to announce the inaugural 19th & 20th Centuries, American & European Paintings, Sculptures, Prints & Works on Paper Auction led by newly appointed Fine Arts Director, Tho
News-Antique.com - Apr 30,2012 - 19th & 20th Century American & European Fine Art
Featuring Paintings, Sculptures, Prints, Photography & Works on Paper
Michaan’s Auctions June Fine Sale features superior works of art from many notable American and European masters of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Property was primarily acquired from estates, private collections and institutions throughout the West Coast. The selection of lots includes oil paintings, prints, sculptures and works on paper, highlighted by several outstanding pieces in a variety of categories.
American artists comprise over half of the featured lots in the sale. An important and desirable work of art is found in a rare piece by William Herbert “Buck” Dunton. The oil painting titled “The Trail Boss (Settlers & Seeds, Civilization's Forerunners)” is estimated at $200,000-300,000. “The Trail Boss” was commissioned by the D.M. Ferry Seed Company in 1910 who hired Dunton to create an iconic image that encapsulated the totality of what it meant to migrate to the west. The painting depicts the Trail Boss, or wagon train foreman, traveling on horseback through a western plain with covered wagons in tow. The Trail Boss cradles what appears to be a Winchester model 1866 rifle in his lap, keenly on the lookout for the next threat to his charges. Dunton’s unique style of painting in bold, patterned brushstrokes of rich color is as distinctive as his themes of the Old West. In demand by high-end collectors as well as those seeking Western genre pieces, Dunton’s works are widely and critically acclaimed with numerous public institutions and museums holding his best work.
Also available is Hermann Herzog’s “Farallon Islands, Pacific Coast.” The tranquil oil is lovely in its understated subtlety, utilizing muted tones in a realist style. Seabirds in flight dot the ocean scene of crashing waves, measuring 22 by 29 inches ($20,000-30,000).
In striking contrast is Gilbert Gaul’s “Unexpected Encounter.” The dramatic winter scene depicts a High Sierra cowboy upon horseback unknowingly coming across three wolves ($20,000-30,000). Gaul received many prestigious recognitions over the span of his career. In 1882 he was the youngest person to be elected a full academician at the National Academy. He was also awarded medals by the American Art Association, the Paris Exposition, the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the Buffalo Exposition.
Frederick Ferdinand Schafer’s popularity has sky rocketed in recent years and collector interest continues to grow for the quintessential California nature artist. His pieces are known to bring $125,000 at auction and high hopes are held for landscape painting “Morning on Feather River, California” ($6,000-9,000). A local artist, Schafer had studios in San Francisco and homes in Alameda and Oakland, where he died in 1927.
Simplistic in its beauty is William John Whittemore’s “John Dickerson Farm, 1901” ($4,000-6,000). The rural scene of barns amongst a country landscape is played out in shades of rust tones, conveying a crisp, autumn feel to the piece. Whittemore’s painting career spanned an impressive sixty-five years. He also studied under renowned teacher J.J. Benjamin Constant and Jules Joseph
