On November 5, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions hosted its American Art Signature Auction with lots of Golden Age illustrations, Western art and more. The sale enticed early on, producing a robust 1,025 registered bidders in person, online and by phone. This momentum led the auction to a $11,189,813 total and a sell-through rate of more than 94 precent by value. It was Heritage’s most successful fine art auction in firm history.
G. Harvey (1933-2017), Cold Leather—Cold Bits, 1987, oil on canvas, 26 x 38” Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $325,000
As with all its American Art sales, Western art started the day and set the tone for what was ahead. G. Harvey’s Cold Leather—Cold Bits tied for the second-highest earning lot at $325,000, a price that easily bested its presale estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. A second work by the artist, Leaving the Spit and Whistle Club (est. $40/60,000), also exceeded expectations when it landed at $112,500.
Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), The Lone Scout, 1898, watercolor and pencil on paper, 10 x 14” Estimate: $150/200,000 SOLD: $137,500
“We really kicked off the auction in an extremely positive way,” says Alissa Ford, Heritage’s director of Western art. “We saw tremendous interest in the Western portion and even new birders and collectors in the Western art category.”
Birger Sandzén (1871-1954), New Moon, McPherson County, Kansas, 1929, oil on board, 13¾ x 18”. Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $106,250
Two notable lots were the recently identified Charles M. Russell watercolors The Lone Scout (est. $150/200,000) and Scouting Party (est. $70/100,000), which both will be added to the C.M. Russell Catalogue Raisonné. “People were excited about them, and excited that they were newly discovered and just being added to the Catalogue Raisonné,” elaborates Ford. “They were inherited pieces, and fresh to the market. We had them fully restored and framed; they were ready to go and hang. There was a lot of talk about these pieces, and I think they brought the prices they deserved.” The Lone Scout sold for $137,500, while Scouting Party achieved $106,250.
Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), The Sculptor, 1914, oil on canvas, 24 x 20” Estimate: $70/100,000 SOLD: $115,625
A special segment featuring nine paintings by Birger Sandzén was one of the auction highlights, with all finding buyers. Among the standouts were New Moon, McPherson County Kansas (est. $40/60,000) at $106,250; the 1923 painting Lake at Moonrise (est. $30/50,000) at $93,750; and At the Timberline, Pike’s Peak, Colorado, a 1925 work that sold to an internet bidder for $68,750 against an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
Henry Merwin Shrady (1871-1922), Monarch of the Plains, 1899, bronze with brown patina, 13½” high. Estimate: $80/120,000 SOLD: $112,500
Eanger Irving Couse’s The Sculptor was a fresh to the market work that achieved $115,625 to best an estimate of $70,000 to $100,000, while Henry Merwin Shrady’s Monarch of the Plains sold within estimate at $112,500. Contemporary works were also standouts in the segment with Curt Walters’ House Under the Rock (est. $15/25,000) selling for $30,000; a selection of Dave McGary bronzes that included Gray Hawk’s Legacy (est. $7/10,000) tripling its high estimate at $30,000; and John Nieto’s Indian Dancer (est. $15/25,000) at $32,500.
Heritage Auctions, American Art Signature Auction, November 5, 2021 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist • Title • Low /High Estimate • SOLD
Norman Rockwell • Home for Thanksgiving • $4/6 million • $4,305,000
J.C. Leyendecker • Summer • $200/300,000 • $325,000
G. Harvey • Cold Leather—Cold Bits • $40/60,000 • $325,000
Albert Bierstadt • Sentinel Falls ...Yosemite Valley • $300/500,000 • $281,250
Robert Henri • Sarah Burke • $150/250,000 • $275,000
Ernie Barnes • Every Night, All Night • $15/25,000 • $250,000
Birger Sandzén • Twilight on the Smoky • $300/500,000 • $187,500
Maurice Sendak • The Junior Museum • $100/150,000 • $175,000
J.C. Leyendecker • Circus Dog • $100/150,000 • $162,500
Norman Rockwell • Portrait of Richard Nixon • $200/300,000 • $150,000
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