Tag: doyle

Doyle New York Dog Art Auction

Head Study of an American Pointer by Maud Earl, 1932

Doyle New York’s 11th Annual Dogs in Art, Sporting Art and Wildlife Art auction on Tuesday will be held March 24, 2009. The event, which used to take place during the week of the Westminster Dog Show in early February, has been pushed back to give dog lovers a chance to take in the art and attend their annual brunch benefiting Angels On A Leash Therapy Dog Program at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital without having to miss any of the dog show. From a look at the party pics of so many dogs and their people, it looks like waiting for spring was the right move.

All the art is on view at Doyle today and the auction is tomorrow at 1pm. Click here for more details. These are some of my favorites:

Mock-up for Scottie Show Poster by Marguerite Krimse, 1915

Waiting for Dinner by Thomas Earl, 1836-1885

The Dog Trainer by F. Sigmund Lachenwitz, 1820-1868

English Pointer by George Percy R.E. Jacomb-Hood, 1882

Your Future Told by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, 1885

This last painting of the gypsy Chihuahua is especially interesting because the artist, C. M. Coolidge, is the man who would go on to paint the famous dogs playing poker series in the early 1900's. You can see another one of his earlier dog art works here. It's always fascinating to note the evolution of an artist, especially a dog artist who created perhaps the most iconic dog paintings in America that now sell for over half a million dollars.

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March 23, 2009
Bonhams Dog Art Sale: Puppies Triumph as Dow Plummets

Bounce by James Barenger, 1811, sold for $45,750

With reports that the economy had taken its toll both on ticket sales and the number of dogs competing at this year's Westminster Dog Show in NYC, it's exciting to hear that at Bonhams' Dog Art auction sales were up.   The fact that Bonhams was the only dog art auction this week might have been a factor, since Doyle, the other auction house that usually competes with them this week, pushed back their annual dog art show until March 24 when the weather is better and the dog fanciers will not be torn between the championship finals and the art. But, given that the hammer went down at Bonhams on $810,000 total sales on the same day the Dow tumbled 381 points on news of Treasury Secretary Geithner's bailout plan, the power of dogs in art appeared indisputable.

The fact that they had many of the superstars of dog art helped too, with dog art lovers able to invest in excellent examples of works by blue chip artists. The pack leader was John Emms's Hounds and a Terrier on a Bench which fetched $218,000.

Hounds and a Terrier on a Bench by John Emms, 1882, sold for $218,00

Other highlights included:

Bob Finds a Covey by Percival Leonard Rosseau, 1920, sold for $42,700

Rough and Smooth Basset Hounds on Oak Screen by Maud Earl, 1863-1943, sold for $26,840

Old Bridge Bob by Herbert Thomas Dicksee, 1938, sold for $17,080, above its top estimate of $12,000

The surprise of the day was the fierce bidding over one of the prettiest pictures, William Bruce's White English Terrier (below). It fetched $17, 080, more than double its top estimate of $6,000.

English White Terrier by William Bruce, 1903, sold for $17,080

With the heights reached by Bruce's painting, it may be surprising to note that another sweet-themed painting, the auction's "cover girl," John Elsley's One at a Time failed to find a buyer. But with an estimate of $300,000 – $500,000, the painting was perhaps too sentimental for such cold, hard cash.

One at a Time by John Elsley, 1901, still needs a home

Overall, Bonhams was very pleased with the final numbers. Director Charles O'Brien stated, "Even with a difficult and selective market, this year's sale brought more than $810,000, a higher total than the previous year, and proved that dog art is an endearing field of collecting – one in which we hope to continue to excell."   The sales total for last year's sale was $716,256.

But my favorite comment to sum up the day comes from Sharlene Spingler, one of the auction house's clients. She wrote:

"What is interesting to note about [the] Best in Show sale is that it occurred on a day when the stock market sunk by 381 points!!!!!   Yet the enthusiasm for puppies did not fail. Rather it triumphed over economic adversity and the beautiful creatures were impervious to the temporal fluctuations of the stock market – leaving such fiscal ponderings to the minds of mere mortals!"

Or to put it another way: Dogs rule!

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February 12, 2009
Westminster Dog Show and Dog Art Auctions Round-Up

Uno and the “ah-roo! heard ’round the ring.”
AP Photo

Uno, the perfect 10 Beagle, won the Super Bowl of dog shows this week with his precociousness and precision. The crowd went wild, chanting his name as he made his final lap before the judges. And when judge J. Donald Jones stood before the contestants and asked for the Beagle, Madison Square Garden erupted with cheers and gave Uno the show’s first standing ovation. If the Longhaired Dachshund, who came in second in the hound group (I was devastated), had to lose, I’m glad it was to “the people’s dog” who went all the way. Congratulations, Uno, you are just perfect!

The New York Times has a great behind-the-scenes fashion slide show. Here are some of my favorite shots.

Megan Fracrik, a handler, with her brushed-out Tibetan terrier.
Photo: Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images

Mariah, an Old English sheepdog, with Jeff Yutzy.
Photo: Michael Falco for The New York Times

Geri Kelly with Buddy, her miniature schnauzer.
Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Vincent, an American cocker spaniel, is ready to be shown.
Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Mary MacQuiddy caged with Louie, an otterhound.
Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

In dog art news, Katya Kazakina of Bloomberg.com reports on mixed results. The John Emms 1889 Foxhounds and Hunt Terriers on a Bench, which also featued some perfect Beagles, was the top lot at the Bonhams’s Dog Art Sale going for $66,000, just over its low estimate of $60,000. But 33% of the lots failed to sell.

Over at Doyle New York’s 10th Annual Dogs in Art Auction, one of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s famed “dogs
playing poker” paintings entitled Only A Pair of Deuces sold for $193,000 well above its high estimate of $80,000.

Another surprise was the bargain Lynn Florian found at Bonhams, where she picked up the five pug collars previously owned by the Duke of Windsor for $1,680 below the presale low estimate of $2,000. No word as to whether she will frame them for display or let her two English Cocker Spaniels wear them. Lynn, please send me a photo of your pups in the royal collars if you do.

February 15, 2008