On November 15, Heritage Auctions will bring 106 lots of fine illustration art from the to the market. While the sale isn’t heavily Western in nature, the Western offerings are among the highlights.
Now in his 90s, Mort Künstler is represented by two works depicting Civil War scenes, for which he was best known. Thunder in the Valley, 1992, and While the Enemy Rests,1997, are both estimated to fetch between $15,000 and $25,000.
Donald Teague (1897-1991), Sweet Water #2, Collier’s magazine interior, September 27, 1947 watercolor on board, 22 x 29¾ in. Estimate: $4/6,000
In Thunder in the Valley, Künstler brings to life the Battle of New Market, which took place in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley in 1864. While the Enemy Rests depicts Colonel John S. Mosby of the Confederacy surveying Union troop movements from Paris Mountain in Northern Virginia in the same year. About the work, Künstler said, “Placing the time at sunset gave me dramatic lighting, as well as enabling me to show the campfires glowing. It also gave me the opportunity to show two of the three lakes in the valley dramatically reflecting the orange glow of the sun.”
Another highlight among the Western offerings is Donald Teague’s (1897-1991) romantic Old West scene Sweet Water #2. The watercolor appeared inside Collier’s magazine on September 27, 1947, and has estimates of $4,000 to $6,000.
Mort Künstler, While the Enemy Rests, 1997, oil on canvas, 24 x 38 in. Estimate: $15/25,000
“Donald Teague revolutionized the use of watercolor in Western art, and this piece from his career as an illustrator prefigures his significant fine art Western scenes,” says Sarahjane Blum, Heritage’s director of illustration art. “The manipulation of the colors to create the effect of the perfect night sky and the way the eye is drawn from the couple in the foreground to the vast landscape behind make it a perfect example of his talent at bringing landscape to life.”
Other Western works to look out for are Thanksgiving by Franklin Booth (1874-1948) that appeared on the cover of Collier’s in 1916; and John Falter’s gouache used to illustrate the 1966 edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. —
Illustration Art Signature
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway, Dallas, TX 75261
(214) 528-3500, www.ha.com
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