PLEASANT VALLEY, NY – An online auction solely dedicated to a collection of paintings by renowned artists from the famed Hudson River School – 62 works in all – is now hosted online by Absolute Auction & Realty. The auction will end on Wednesday, February 16. People can register and bid now, on the AAR website, at www.AARauctions.com.
The auction held is from the personal collection of Robert and Susan Doyle of Fishkill, NY, dedicated collectors of America’s first school of art that later became known as the Hudson River School, upstate from New York. All paintings are original works and almost all have been professionally cleaned and preserved. Each painting would be a worthy addition to a collection.
The Hudson River School was made up of mid-19th century “nature painters” who discovered spirituality in nature. These adventurous artists walked to see impressive views. They drew and did field studies to take back to their studios and create finished paintings. In doing so, these artists celebrated and portrayed the pristine magnificence of the American landscape of the time.
The Hudson River served as the main travel route to the best places; he also provided the best subject. New York City, with the National Academy of Design, was at the center of the American art world in the 19th century. Now seasoned collectors, as well as those new to the genre, can experience the beauty, tranquility and grandeur of nature from the palettes of these artists.
Lot 1, by Thomas Benjamin Pope (1834-1891), is an oil on canvas titled View from the western tip and is a classic depiction of the Hudson River School, of a cadet couple looking north towards Pollepel Island and the northern gateway to the Highlands. The view has Storm King Mountain on the left and Breakneck Mountain on the right. The work measures 12 inches by 22 inches (at sight, minus the frame).
Lot 3 is an oil on canvas by Fred Pansing (NY/Germany, 1844-1912), depicting Hudson River Schooners navigating the widest part of the Hudson River, at the “Tappan Sea”. The painting, made around 1880, measures 9 ¼ inches by 16 ¼ inches (view, minus the frame). Pansing was born in Germany and immigrated to New York in 1865, where he honed his craft as a sailboat painter.
Lot 5 is an oil on canvas, signed and dated 1859 by Edmund C. Coates (1816-1871). The book, titled American harvest, was originally painted by Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900) in 1851. Other Hudson River School artists also depicted this view, with slight variations. Coates’ rendition measures 20 inches by 25 inches (view, minus frame). eHHe was also a portrait artist.
Lot 7 is an oil on canvas by David Maitland Armstrong (1836-1918), considered by the Doyles to be A view of Moodna Creek (Murderer’s Creek), looking east at Pollepel Island with the Fishkill Mountains (Highlands) beyond. The 19 ½ inch by 23 inch (view, minus frame) painting comes with a copy of Armstrong’s book, The day before yesterday, reminiscences of a varied life.
Lot 10 is an oil on canvas by William Rickarby Miller (1818-1893), titled View of New York from Weehawken, NJ. It measures 21 inches by 35 ½ inches and is signed and dated 1860 on the lower left. Miller was a prolific painter, producing hundreds of watercolors, oils, and pen-and-ink sketches. His work can be seen in the collection of the prestigious New York Historical Society.
Lot 12 is an oil on canvas autumn view attributed to Edward Nichols (1819-1872), titled Salt Grass Harvest. The artwork depicts a hay cart at “Southgate” of the Hudson River, with Anthony’s Nose Mountain on the left and Dunderberg Mountain on the right (current location of the Bear Mountain Bridge). Overall, framed, the painting measures 31 inches by 45 inches.
Lot 26 is an oil on canvas by General George Pope Morris (1802-1864), titled under the cliff (where Morris lived, in Cold Spring, NY). The painting measures 18 inches by 24 inches (view, minus frame). Lot 59 is a signed and dated oil on canvas (1873) of a mother and child picking berries in the Highlands, by R. Wentworth. Little is known about Mr. Wentworth – not even his first name.
Lot 36 is a large landscape view with a river in the distance by George Lafayette Clough (1824-1901). The painting, housed in a 37 ½ inch by 28 ½ inch frame, is signed “GL Clough” lower left. Clough studied in France, Holland, Italy and Germany, but settled in New York, where his favorite places included the Adirondacks and the beautiful wooded areas of upstate New York.
Lot 45 is an oil on canvas View of the sunset while cruising the river by Edmund Darch Lewis (1835-1910), an impressive 32 inches by 49 ½ inches (overall including frame). Lewis was born in Philadelphia, and his magnificent views of Pennsylvania, New York, and New England were avidly collected by Philadelphia patrons. By the early 1880s he had amassed a substantial fortune.
Lot 60 is an oil on canvas View of Sugarloaf Mountain over the Hudson River with sailboat by Norton Bush (1834-1894), artist signed and dated 1874. The work measures 13 inches by 24 inches (view, minus frame). Through many of his paintings, Bush’s goal was to inspire the viewer with the overwhelming aspects of nature and the diminished relative position of human beings.
Previews are available online 24 hours a day, or in person by appointment only (and only for registered bidders), February 2-16 in Fishkill, NY To schedule an in-person preview, you can call Absolute Auction & Realty at (800) 243-0061 or (845) 635-3169; or, you can email [email protected]. A 15% Buyer’s Premium will be applied to all purchases.
For more information on Absolute Auction & Realty and the online auction solely dedicated to Robert and Susan Doyle’s personal collection of Hudson River School paintings, online now and ending Wednesday, February 16, visit www.AARauctions.com. Updates are released often.
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