NEW ORLEANS – A 19th-century oil on board painting by South Carolina artist William Aiken Walker (1838-1921), an oil on cardboard work by folk artist Clementine Hunter (1887-1988), and a bronze figural group by French sculptor Alfred Boucher (1850-1934) will all come up for bid at Crescent City Auction Gallery’s Nov. 17-19 estates auction. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
The three-day event will be held in the firm’s gallery at 1330 St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans, starting at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov 17, (340 lots); at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, (750 lots); and at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, (389 lots). All times are Central.
Headlining the auction will be Part 2 of the estates of Dr. and Mrs. David S. Miller out of Baton Rouge, La., plus merchandise from local estates and collections.
The oil on board painting by William Aiken Walker is one of the auction’s expected top lots, with a presale estimate of $10,000-$15,000. Titled Cabin Scene, the work is a brilliant example of what Walker was best known for: depicting life in the post-Reconstruction South, especially the lives of sharecroppers. The painting, 5 ½ by 11 ½ inches, is signed lower left.
Clementine Hunter is sometimes called “the black Grandma Moses,” since both women were self-taught folk artists who lived to be 100 years old. In Hunter’s case, she didn’t begin painting until she was in her 50s. There are two paintings by her in the sale. One is titled Cotton Pickers, circa 1975. It’s 13 ½ inches by 17 inches and is signed lower right (est. $2,000-$4,000).
Alfred Boucher was the son of a farmhand who became the gardener of the sculptor Joseph-Marius Ramus, who, after recognizing Boucher’s talent, opened his studio to him. He went on to become a mentor to Camille Claudel and a friend of Auguste Rodin. His patinated bronze figural group titled Au But Les Coureurs, standing 13 ¼ inches tall, is expected to bring $3,000-$5,000.
The auction will have an eclectic mix of offerings, ranging from wonderful pieces of Newcomb College art pottery to fine French and American period furniture to original artworks – many by New Orleans and Southern regional artists – to jewelry (a category featuring diamonds, rubies, emeralds, tanzanites, opals, sapphires and South Seas pearls), plus clocks and decorative items.
Paintings by New Orleans and Louisiana artists are a staple at most Crescent City auctions, and this one will be no exception. Sold will be a watercolor by Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980), titled Praise Him All Ye Little Children (est. $1,000-$2,000); an oil on board by Alberta Kinsey (1875-1952), titled Still Life of Wine Bottle and Fruit, signed (est. $1,000-$2,000); and an oil on board by Robert M. Rucker (1932-2000), titled Steamboat in the Swamp (est. $1,200-$1,600).
In addition to the Boucher, other bronzes in the auction will include a patinated bronze bust by Albert Carrier-Belleuse (Fr., 1824-1897), titled Dante, 19 inches tall (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a patinated bronze sculpture of Fighting Stags by Thomas Cartier (1879-1943), 11 ½ inches tall (est. $800-$1,200). Also up for bid will be a Russian icon of the Virgin of Kazan Moscow, circa 1896-1908, with a gilt silver and filigree oklad, 9 inches tall by 7 ½ inches (est. $2,000-$3,000).
For details contact Crescent City Auction Gallery at 504-529-5057 or info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com.
[av_button label=’View the fully illustrated catalogs and bid on LiveAuctioneers.’ link=’manually,http://bit.ly/2xP9Vyp’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’medium’ position=’center’ icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ admin_preview_bg=” av_uid=’av-r66uva’]
