SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.- Bonhams & Butterfields, the West Coast’s leading fine arts auctioneers, brought the Bonhams’ multi-year tradition of hosting an auction dedicated to Dogs in Art to San Francisco on March 30, 2004. The auction comprised 150 lots of paintings, drawings, sculpture and collectibles and included bidders from across the US, from Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom, setting several record prices. The auction totaled $678,151 with strong prices seen throughout.
Two paintings of hounds from The Percy Hunt in Northumberland by Henry Frederick Lucas-Lucas each sold for record prices. Both oils were estimated at $12,000 to $18,000, and were signed and inscribed on the reverse with the names of the hounds. Painted for The Master of the Percy hunt, these pictures had remained in the family ever since. Each painting sold for $44,063, setting new records for works by the artist. Two additional lots of Lucas-Lucas works also sold. One comprising a pair of hounds brought more than three times its estimate to sell for $22,325 while a lot of three pictures of hounds each 11x14-inches realized $4,994 (within estimate).
An interesting lot which saw highly competitive bidding was a Tiffany & Co. Revere-style sterling silver Westminster Kennel Club "Best in Show" cup with engravings from 1996. Estimated at $700 to $900, the 13-inch diameter bowl sold for $19,975. Several cold painted bronzes sold, as did a 20-inch tall patinated bronze of Champion Marco with its expressive face and curly mane. The Marco bronze sold for $4,994.
The auction opened with drawings, many of which sold for twice or three times the pre-ale estimates. An Abraham Cooper, RA oil on canvas of three sporting dogs belonging to Lord Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend, which may have been exhibited at The Royal Academy in London in 1851, sold over estimate for $17,925 while John Boultbee’s oil An English Setter in a Landscape sold for $28,200.
A John Emms painting of an attentive Jack Russell terrier Hester Sorrel sold for $23,500, nearly three times the estimate, and a lovely oil on canvas by a follower of Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA featuring a pair of brown and white spaniels, brought $35,250.
Another highlight was a picture of terriers working by Arthur Wardle. Painted in 1934, this picture sold just above its estimate for $37,600. A poodle-loving bidder paid $12,925 for a delightful portrait of a poodle called ’Dan’ by Edwin Frederick Holt. ’Dan’ was born in 1878 and shown in the 1879 Kennel Club Exhibition in Brighton.
Bonhams has held this annual sale of Dogs in Art for more than 20 years. This was the first offering from the West Coast, and the first by Bonhams & Butterfields.
