Duveneck portrait of girl to lead Cowan’s art auction Feb. 5
Portrait of young girl by Frank Duveneck (American, 1848-1919), oil on canvas, signed and dated ‘92,’ 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
The sale will be held in Cincinnati at Cowan’s auction salesroom and promises to be an exciting event. A fresh-to-the-market portrait by Frank Duveneck, a well-known, locally born artist, will cross Cowan’s auction block, leading the charge of this auction’s regionalist works.
Other highlights in the sale include a rare French “rolling ball, constant force” clock, and an exceptional 15th-century polychrome virgin and child.
A portrait of a girl by Frank Duveneck is estimated to bring $10,000/$15,000. Duveneck, born in Covington, Ky., was an American figure and portrait painter. At age 21, he studied at the Royal Academy of Munich and was known for his dark, realistic style of painting. This particular portrait comes from the collection of Mary Johnston and has descended in the family to the present owner.
Cowan’s will also be offering a French “rolling ball, constant force” clock estimated to sell for $10,000/$15,000. Circa 1900, the clock is made with a singing bird and is similar to one exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. Made for a very few years, these impressive and rare clocks used a series of gravity-driven balls to control the escapement, resulting in improved timekeeping.
An illustration by Frank Schoonover, oil on canvas, is estimated at $20,000/$30,000. Schoonover, an American illustrator, frequently painted images meant to accompany magazines, books and other literature. This particular image appeared alongside W. Somerset Maugham’s short story Macintosh: A Story of the South Sea in an issue of The Cosmopolitan, dated November 1920.
A rare Chinese Rock Crystal is expected to sell for $8,000/$12,000. Dated 1934, this large rock crystal bottle has back-painted scenes by artist Chang Jianxin. One side depicts the caravan of a Tang Dynasty princess and her entourage with a mountainous background. The other side titled, Six Gentlemen in the Pine Forest depicts six scholars in a forest landscape, thick with conifers.
A 15th-century polychome carved Virgin and Child has an estimate of $25,000/35,000. Like most late medieval German wood sculpture, this remarkably well-preserved and charming Virgin and Child is carved from linden wood. It appears to have retained a great deal of its original polychromy and gilding, including the flesh tones of the Child and the Virgin’s hands and face and the gold of her mantle and crown.
A beautiful oil on canvas, titled Grand Canal by Felix Ziem is estimated to bring anywhere from $20,000/$30,000. This painting is dated to 1896, near the end of Ziem’s life and is housed in its outstanding original gilt and gesso frame.
A Swiss chronograph 18K gold pocket watch is expected to sell for $6,000/$8,000.
A beach scene with figures, a watercolor attributed to William R. Flint, is estimated to bring $10,000/$15,000.
Graydon Sikes, Cowan’s director of Paintings and Prints, notes, “Flint is regarded as one of the finest British watercolorists of the 20th century.”
An Indian landscape by George de Forest Brush, oil on canvas is estimated to sell for $6,000/$8,000. Brush, who traveled throughout Wyoming and Montana, and lived briefly at Fort Washakie on the Wind River reservation, sought to record the daily life of the Shoshone, Crow and Arapahoe Indians.
“He painted Indians in an undisturbed setting, and this painting was bought from the artist by ancestors of the same family and has never been on the market,” said Sikes.
An important Johann Wilhelm Schirmer sketchbook and painting is expected to bring anywhere from $2,000/$4,000. The sketchbook shows scenes Schirmer saw during his travels through Italy from 1839 to 1840.
Cowan’s will also be offering a Venetian feast day scene by Luigi Ferrazzi, oil on canvas, estimated at $10,000/$15,000. A cathedral interior by Flemish artist Pieter Neefs II, oil on canvas, is estimated to bring $20,000/$30,000.
A beautiful Chinese carved ivory chess set is expected to bring $2,000/$2,500. This complete set, probably mid-20th century, is made of both natural ivory and patinated ivory.
For details visit Cowan’s website at www.cowans.com or call 513-871-1670.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
French rolling ball, constant force clock, circa 1900, 25 inches high, 17 1/2 inches wide, 7 3/4 inches deep. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Polychrome carved Virgin and Child, 15th century, 33 inches high x 15 1/2 inches wide x 9 1/2 inches deep. Estimate: $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
‘Grand Canal’ by Felix Ziem, (French, 1821-1911), oil on canvas, dated 1896 on verso, 16 3/4 inches x 24 1/2 inches, original gilt and gesso frame. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Swiss chronograph pocket watch, 18K gold, late 19th century. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Beach scene titled ‘On Forbidden Ground,’ attributed William R. Flint, (British, 1880-1969), watercolor, 17 3/4 inches x 27 inches. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
