Online bidding has been available at Scottsdale Art Auction’s sales for many years, even prior to the pandemic when auction houses supercharged their online capabilities. But the Arizona-based auction had never hosted an exclusive online-only sale before. All that changed on August 26 when it presented an online sale featuring 375 lots of Western art.
Lon Megargee (1883-1960), The Last Drop from his Stetson, oil on board, 17¾ x 23½” Estimate: $10/15,000 SOLD: $105,300
After spirited bidding, the live online sale performed strongly with a 94 sell-through rate and realizing more than $1.28 million in sales, which came exceptionally close to $1.3 million, the high-estimate value of the entire sale.
The top lot was Lon Megargee’s The Last Drop from his Stetson,one of the most iconic images in the West. Reproductions of the painting have appeared inside Stetson hats continuously since Megargee painted the original image more than a century ago. The painting sold for $105,300, nearly four times over the artist’s previous auction record of $27,000. Megargee has long been associated with Arizona, and today his home and studio are part of the restaurant Lon’s not far from the Scottsdale auction house.
Mark Maggiori, Everlast Sundown, oil on board, 9 x 12” Estimate: $10/15,000 SOLD: $93,600
Another top lot was Mark Maggiori’s Everlast Sundown, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. The small image still has all of the artist’s big subjects, including iconic riders and monumental clouds rising up from the horizon. The painting sold for $93,600.
Another noteworthy lot was G. Harvey’s Ranchers Reward,showing four horses and riders with their backs to the viewer. The 48-inch-wide painting sold for $76,050, just barely exceeding its high estimate of $75,000.
G. Harvey (1933-2017), Ranchers Reward, oil on canvas, 30 x 48” Estimate: $50/75,000 SOLD: $76,050
The Scottsdale Art Auction next begins preparation for its April 2024 sale that will be both in-person and online. For more information, visit www.scottsdaleartauction.com. —
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