Illustrative Success
Works by Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker and other Golden Age illustrators lead Heritage Auctions’ November 3 American art sale
Works by Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker and other Golden Age illustrators lead Heritage Auctions’ November 3 American art sale
Golden Age illustrators have captivated audiences for decades through images that are deeply rooted in Americana. Many of the works appeared on magazine covers and in advertisements, making them iconic scenes recognized by the masses. In Heritage Auctions’ November 3 American Art Signature Auction, fine art collectors continued to show their interest in the subject matter as five of the top 10 lots were illustrations and a number of world auction records were set in the category.
Topping the sale was the recently rediscovered Norman Rockwell illustration Lazybones, depicting a young boy and his dog taking a break from yardwork.the piece, which came to auction from the Grant family, had been stolen from their home nearly 40 years ago and was only recovered months before it hit the auction block.the work, which sold for $912,500, appeared on the cover of the September 6, 1919, edition of The Saturday Evening Post.
“It was an early work, done when the artist was a young man.the backstory with it having been missing is part of the painting itself,” says Aviva Lehmann, director of American art at Heritage Auctions. “A wonderful, anonymous collector bought it and plans to have the community enjoy it as well. It’s the perfect ending to this very long story.” In addition to Lazybones, two other Rockwells landed in the top 10 lots: Fishes Like Neckties, a 1934 interior illustration study for American Magazine, and There is Only One Reason, which was a Roebling Corporation Steel Wire Rope advertisement study from May 1983.The former work landed squarely within its presale estimate at $200,000, while the latter piece more than tripled its high estimate of $24,000 when it sold for $75,000. Lehmann acknowledges interest at all levels for the artist, noting,“we are seeing very heavy interest in all media and price points for Rockwell.”
J.C. Leyendecker’s The Rescue of Theophilus Newbegin, the September 21, 1907, Saturday Evening Post cover, was also noteworthy.the piece, which had a presale estimate of $100,000 to $150,000, brought in $187,500 to become the fourth highest earning lot of the day.there were also two Saturday Evening Post covers by lesser-known illustrators of the time period that caught collector attention: Albert W. Hampson’s Bump Mobile (est. $30/50,000) at $137,500 and Monte Crews’ Amateur Nite - Cowboy Bill’s Ramblers (est. $20/30,000) at $40,000. Both set new world auction records for the artists.there was also a 43lot single-owner collection of Golden Age illustration that came to the market in
the sale, which saw several new records including Isa Barnett’s Suffragettes (est. $1,5/2,500) at $10,630. “These results show us with illustrations that high tides are raising all ships,” says Lehmann. “If it’s Saturday Evening Post, Golden Age [and] good narrative, the market will respond really well.”
Outside of the illustration segment, the auction house had success with earlier examples.“what really surprised me in a wonderful way was that we did very well with more traditional categories like impressionism and Hudson River School,” says Lehmann.
George Henry Durrie’s circa 1863 painting Winter in the Country,a Cold Morning (est. $300/500,000) sold just above its low estimate at $324,500.“He was a classic Hudson River School painter best known for snow scenes, and this was one of the best ones to come to market,” shares Lehmann. “…[For it to] sell for a strong price demonstrates our success with all categories of American art, but also our cross-marketing capabilities. It sold to one of our collectors that doesn’t traditionally collect Hudson River School paintings, but understood the quality of the work and fell in love with it as we all did.” Other highlights included William Merritt Chase’s Untitled (Nude Resting in a Chair) at $125,000; Francis Criss’ Third Avenue El (est. $30/50,000) at $62,000; Harriet Whitney Frishmuth’s bronze Joy of the Waters (est. $80/120,000), which sold for $150,000; and a sketch of artist Sanford Robinson Gifford by Eastman Johnson that achieved $45,000 against a presale estimate of $7,000 to $10,000.