Frank Weston Benson

Grogan & Company is pleased to bring to auction this impressive collection of sixteen works by Frank Weston Benson, assembled by a New England collector over the past 30 years. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Benson is a favorite of many New England collectors for his astounding abilities across watercolor, etching, and oil. The fifteen watercolors in this collection encompass Benson's highly regarded sporting art as well as his esteemed landscapes, painted in Canada, Maine, New Hampshire, and the Bahamas. Benson’s superior ability to capture movement, subtle coloration, and dramatic subjects in watercolor is well represented in the collection. Three remarkable sporting works, Scoters Over Water (Lot 67), The Trophy Catch (Lot 68), and Swift Water (Lot 69) are impactful depictions of Benson’s lifelong interest in outdoor pursuits, while his love of nature is aptly captured in Fox Island Thoroughfare (Lot 77), a view from his beloved North Haven, Maine. Casting his eye further inland in Mt. Monadnock (Lot 81), Benson depicts the majestic mountain in an intimate scale. Meanwhile, the collection is completed by the oil painting Portsmouth Harbor (Lot 82), a view of one of America’s most historic harbors, that perfectly captures Bensons's iconic Impressionist style.

67

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951) Scoters Over Water 1924, watercolor signed and dated F.W. Benson '24 lower left; inscribed No. 2 Scoters verso sheet: 14 1/8 x 20 in., frame: 25 1/4 x 31 1/4 in. $15,000–25,000

Other Notes: E. & A. Milch, Inc. (New York) label verso; Childs Gallery (Boston) label verso.

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

The Trophy Catch 1928, watercolor on paper signed and dated F. W. Benson '28 lower left sheet: 20 x 25 1/8 in., frame: 30 1/2 x 35 in. $20,000–25,000

69

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Swift Water 1929, watercolor on paper signed and dated F. W. Benson '29 lower left sheet: 20 3/4 x 29 in., frame: 27 1/2 x 36 in.

$20,000–25,000

Exhibitions:

– Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, Call of the Wild: The Primal Adventure, October 18–November 10, 1984

– Coe Kerr Gallery, New York, American Impressionism II, May 9–June 23, 1988

– Vose Galleries, Boston, Frank W. Benson Watercolor Exhibition, October 7–December 1, 1997

70

FRANK WESTON

Benson

(American, 1862–1951) Marsh View watercolor en grisaille signed F. W. Benson lower right and dated indistinctly ['14?] sheet: 20 1/4 x 14 1/4 in., frame: 32 3/4 x 26 3/4 in. $8,000–12,000

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951) From the Marsh watercolor en grisaille sight: 12 x 18 in., frame: 20 x 25 1/2 in.

72

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Duck Shooting watercolor en grisaille signed F.W.B twice lower right sheet: 14 x 20 in. frame: 20 3/4 x 26 3/4 in.

$5,000–10,000

73

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Three Dead Geese watercolor en grisaille initialed F. W. B. lower right sheet: 12 3/4 x 16 in. frame: 20 x 23 1/4 in.

$5,000–10,000

74

FRANK WESTON

Benson

(American, 1862–1951)

Nassau Fisherman 1922, watercolor signed and dated F. W. Benson '22 lower right; dedicated and dated to Gertrude Fiske. 1927 lower left sheet: 20 x 14 1/4 in., frame: 28 x 22 1/4 in.

$8,000–12,000

75

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Sea Grapes

1922, watercolor signed and dated F. W. Benson '22 lower right sheet: 12 x 16 in. frame: 23 3/4 x 28 3/4 in.

$5,000–8,000

76

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951) Shoreline with Tree 1915, watercolor signed and dated F.W. Benson 15 E.B.R. lower right sheet: 14 3/4 x 21 in. frame: 23 1/2 x 30 in.

$7,000–10,000

77

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Fox Island Thoroughfare 1923, watercolor signed and dated F.W. Benson '23 lower left sheet: 14 7/8 x 21 in., frame: 24 1/2 x 30 1/4 in.

$15,000–25,000

Exhibitions: Vose Galleries (Boston), Watercolor Exhibition, October 7–December 1, 1997.

With note verso indicating the painting depicts the view across the Fox Island Thoroughfare, looking toward the village of North Haven, Maine, from Frank Benson's barn.

78

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951) Tree with Dappled Light watercolor signed F. W. Benson and dated indistinctly lower left sheet: 21 x 14 1/2 in., frame: 31 5/8 x 24 3/4 in. $7,000–10,000

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Autumn Stream 1922, watercolor signed and dated F. W. Benson '22 lower left sheet: 20 1/8 x 16 1/8 in., frame: 25 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. $7,000–10,000

80

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

The Lone Pine 1933, watercolor signed and dated F.W. Benson '33 lower left sheet: 24 x 20 in., frame: 34 1/2 x 30 in.

$5,000–10,000

Exhibitions: Vose Galleries (Boston, MA), Watercolor Exhibition, October 7–December 1, 1997 label verso.

81

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951)

Mount Monadnock watercolor signed and dedicated F.W. Benson to Mrs. Bush lower left sheet: 8 3/4 x 15 1/4 in., frame: 22 1/4 x 29 1/4 in.

$7,000–10,000

82

FRANK WESTON BENSON (American, 1862–1951) Portsmouth Harbor 1895, oil on canvas signed and dated F.W. Benson '95 lower left 24 1/8 x 20 1/8 in., frame: 28 x 24 in. $15,000–25,000

JAMES GUY EVANS (American, 1810–1860) Loss of the Schooner Cora oil on canvas signed Evans lower right inscribed Loss of the Schooner Cora on Brazos Bar. July 20th 1846. Capt. S.M.Read along lower margin 29 x 36 in., frame: 35 x 42 in. $10,000–20,000

84

WILLIAM GAY YORKE (Canadian, 1817–1892)

The Schooner Hannah Coomer of Plymouth 1874, oil on canvas signed and dated Wm. G. Yorke May 1874 Brooklyn lower left 26 x 36 in., frame: 31 3/4 x 41 3/4 in. $5,000–10,000 Provenance: The Collection of the Late John and Marilyn Keane, Boston and Cohasset, Massachusetts.

Solon Francis Montecello Badger

(American, 1873–1919)

The Allanwide Under Full Sail off Minot's Light 1897, oil on canvas signed and dated S.F.M. Badger '97 lower right; signed and dated verso 22 x 36 in., frame: 28 x 42 in. $5,000–8,000 Provenance: The Collection of a Massachusetts Gentleman.

86

WILLIAM PIERCE STUBBS (American, 1842–1909)

The Joshua Lovett oil on canvas signed W. P. Stubbs lower left 22 x 36 in., frame: 25 3/4 x 39 3/4 in. $3,000–5,000

Provenance: By descent within a Massachusetts family.

New England artist Alfred Thompson Bricher was inspired to make painting his career in 1858, after meeting Charles Temple Dix and William Stanley Haseltine while sketching on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Growing up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Bricher was never far from the sea, keeping studios in Boston and later New York City. Largely self-taught, the artist spent his summers traveling the northeastern coastline from Canada to Rhode Island. Bricher painted the Atlantic coastal scenes at different times of day and in various weather conditions, and his works are at once sublime and naturalistic. He was fascinated by the rugged beauty of Grand Manan Island (off the coast of Northern Maine), and spent seventeen years studying, sketching, and painting its coastal views. In this work, the transcendent beauty of Bricher’s compositions can be seen in his luminous treatment of light and atmosphere and his exquisitely detailed depiction of seabirds dancing in front of the cliffs and above the capped waves.

88

Alfred Thompson Bricher

(American, 1837–1908)

By the River oil on canvas signed A.T. Bricher lower left 16 x 24 in., frame: 26 1/2 x 34 1/2 in.

$10,000–20,000

Provenance: The Collection of a Massachusetts Gentleman.

(American, 1828–1901)

Cows Grazing Under the Oaks 1893, oil on canvas signed and dated E.M. Bannister 93 lower right 24 x 36 in., frame: 35 3/4 x 47 3/4 in.

$50,000–80,000

Provenance: Private Pennsylvania Collection; Christie's New York, September 15, 2005, Fine American Paintings, Lot 61; The Collection of a Rhode Island Doctor.

Literature: This work will be included in the forthcoming E.M. Bannister Catalogue Raisonne by Anne Louise Avery.

Providence artist Edward Bannister caused a sensation when his painting Under the Oaks won first prize at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, the first work by an African-American artist to win such an award. The present work, Cows Grazing Under the Oaks, relates directly to Bannister's 1876 Under the Oaks. Though that work has been lost since the turn of the 20th century, sketches of it remain, and many of the qualities that made it a prizewinning painting can be understood through a visual analysis of Cows Grazing Under the Oaks, one of only two extant Bannister works to depict discernable oak leaves. In this work, Bannister uses varied areas of light and shadow to draw the viewer’s eye through his painting. The cows grazing at the center of the composition are gently encircled by the dark arms of mature oak trees, a symbol of strength. The ground in front of the cows is in the shadow of the oaks, while a golden pasture is illuminated beyond, with a second herd just visible. A patch of blue sky completes the composition, separated from the bright meadow by a layer of dark trees on the horizon. This harmonious composition demonstrates how Bannister imbued the artistic tradition of the French Barbizon school with the philosophical ideals of New England’s Transcendentalist movement, creating paintings that push the viewer to pause and consider the relationship between man, nature, and the divine.

91 FRANKLIN D. BRISCOE (American, 1844–1903)

Crashing Waves oil on board signed F. D. Briscoe lower left 10 x 14 in. frame: 15 1/2 x 19 1/4 in.

$1,000–2,000

Provenance: Property of a Private Maine Collection.

92

GEORGE HATHAWAY (American, 1852–1903) Harbor View 1897, oil on board signed and dated GM Hathaway 1897 lower right 16 x 20 in. frame: 24 1/2 x 30 1/2 in.

$1,500–2,500

Provenance: Property of a Private Maine Collection.

93

WILLIAM AIKEN WALKER (American, 1838–1921) Cabin oil on board signed W.A.Walker lower left; titled verso 6 1/4 x 12 1/2 in., frame: 8 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. $7,000–10,000

Provenance: Property of a Connecticut Estate.

94

THOMAS LECLEAR (American, 1818–1882) Marcus and Mary Swift oil on canvas each signed Thos. LeClear N.A. lower right each 24 x 20 in., frame: 29 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.

$2,000–3,000

Provenance: The Collection of a Massachusetts Gentleman.

Other Notes: Marcus Swift (1848–1902) was a prominent attorney in Fall River, Massachusetts.

95

BENJAMIN WEST

(American, 1738–1820)

Master Copley and His Elder Sister ca. 1777, ink on paper signed Benj.n West lower left; titled lower center sight: 4 5/8 x 7 3/4 in., frame: 7 5/8 x 10 1/8 in.

$4,000–6,000

Provenance:

John Singleton Copley (1738–1815)

Likely to his widow, Susanna Clarke Copley (1745–1836)

And thence to their son, John S. Copley, Jr., Lord Lyndhurst (1772–1863)

Likely to Lord Lyndhurst’s widow, Georgiana Goldsmith Copley (1801–1901)

And thence to their daughter, Georgiana Susan Copley, Lady Du Cane (1838–1926)

Sold at the Rt. Hon. Lord Aberdare and Other Collections Sale Christie’s, London, June 3, 1932, Lot 70* Purchased by Copley Amory, Jr. (1890–1964), the painter’s great–great–great grandson Descended to his sister, Katherine Amory Smith (1908–1996)

To her daughter, Mary Smith Wilcox (1933–2015), the painter’s great–great–great–great granddaughter And to her son, the present owner.

The work depicts two young children seated closely together with a gameboard on a table in front of them. The girl wears a dress with sash and a wide–brimmed hat with ribbon and bow; the boy wears his hair in long bangs and is looking at the game pieces on the table. The crest rail of a chair is partially visible behind him to the right. The sister is Elizabeth (Betsy) Copley (1770–1866), John Singleton Copley’s eldest child who later married Gardiner Greene of Boston. Next to her sits her younger brother, John Singleton Copley, Jr. (1772–1863) , who as an adult remained in England, becoming the 1st Baron of Lyndhurst. In this drawing, Betsy appears to be wearing the same dress she wears in John Singleton Copley’s large group portrait, The Copley Family, 1776–77, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Affixed to a wood panel on the reverse is an old, typed excerpt from Martha Babcock Amory's 1882 book The Domestic and Artistic Life of John Singleton Copley, R.A., reading: “We can scarcely imagine a more congenial sphere for a man of genius than this London House; every resource for art, study, and society without; reposes without dullness within. It was the favorite resort during and after the Revolution of all Americans of any repute who visited England; of those who leaned to the doctrine of liberty which agitated the public mind of Europe as well as in America, and also of those who like the venerable patriarch of the family considered it no less than a holy command to do honor unto Caesar. Among those were the Olivers and Hutchinsons, connections of Mrs. Copley through her Winslow ancestry, many of whom had been distinguished in the aristocratic circles of the colonial court, like the first minister in his diplomatic dignity, scantily paid and coldly received. There came also those distinguished in art, whether of the Academy or not; many a sketch thrown off in the carelessness of social intercourse is preserved; among them a pen and ink drawing of “Master Copley and his Sister –– the daughter above alluded to, ––by Benjamin West, hung on the walls of Lord Lyndhurst’s bed–room until the last days of his life. (p. 100–101 Life of J.S.C. by Martha B. Amory)." Further inscribed in ink in the righthand margin: “This drawing was bought by me at [the] Aberdare sale at Christie’s – 1932/ (To Lord Aberdare from? his grandmother, a daughter of Lord Lyndhurst) C.A. Jr.”

Literature:

– For a reference to this drawing as having hung on Lord Lyndhurst’s bedroom wall, see Martha Babcock Amory, The Domestic and Artistic Life of John Singleton Copley, R.A., Boston, 1882, pp. 100–101.

– Benjamin West’s 1777 drawing of Miss Susannah Copley was illustrated in Jane Kamensky, A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley, New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2016, p.340.

* Lord Aberdare was John Singleton Copley’s great–great grandson. According to records in the Frick Art Reference Library, Lot 70 in the Aberdare Sale consisted of three items: West’s drawing of Master Copley and his Elder Sister; another West drawing of Miss Susannah Copley (1776–1785), signed and dated 1777; and a third unidentified piece. They apparently sold for £6.6.

Grogan & Company thanks Monica Reuss for her assistance in cataloging this lot.

96

JAMES JEBUSA SHANNON (American, 1862–1923)

Portrait of a Little Girl Holding a Toy 1895, oil on canvas signed and dated J. J. Shannon 1895 upper right 37 5/8 x 27 3/8 in., frame: 47 1/2 x 37 1/2 in.

$5,000–8,000

Provenance: Private Collection, England; Sotheby's London, January 19, 2005, Lot 81; Messums London; acquired from Messums by a private London collector, ca. 2007.

Exhibitions: (possibly) Society of Portrait Painters, London, 1895, cat.no. 70.

The subject of this work is likely Marian Frances Charles (b. 1888), the daughter of artist James Charles (1851–1906).

97

JULIAN

Alden Weir

(American, 1852–1919)

Portrait of Caro 1887, oil on canvas signed and dated J. Alden Weir 1887 lower left 49 3/8 x 36 1/8 in. frame: 64 1/2 x 51 1/4 in.

$5,000–10,000

Provenance: The artist by descent to his daughter, Mrs. George Page Ely (née Caroline Weir), 1919; by descent to her daughter, Mrs. Gregory Smith (née Anne Weir Ely); by descent within the family to a private California collection; private collection, New York.

Exhibitions:

– Palais des Beaux–Arts, Paris, Exposition Universelle, May 5–November 5, 1889, no. 326, as Portrait of Artist's Child.

– Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Julian Alden Weir, March 17–April 20, 1924, no. 7 (illus)., as Portrait of a Child.

– Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, J. Alden Weir: An American Impressionist, October 13,1983–January 8, 1984, no. 3 (illus)., as Portrait of a Child. [This exhibition also traveled to The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, February 9–May 6, 1984, and The Denver Art Museum, June 13–August 19, 1984]. (label verso).

– Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, The Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889: American Artists at the World's Fair, September 15, 1989–July 30, 1990, pp. 225–6, 296, no. 326 (illus), as Portrait of Caro. (label verso).

– The William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut, J. Alden Weir–A Place of His Own, June 4–August 18, 1991, as Portrait of Caro. (label verso).

Literature:

– Harold Frederic, "American Art in Paris," New York Times, June 16, 1889, p. 11

– Theodore Child, "American Artists at the Paris Exhibition," Harper's New Monthly Magazine 79, September 1889, p. 520

– Hildegard Cummings, "Art and Nature in the Landscapes of Nod, in Nicolai Cikovsky Jr. et al, A Connecticut Place: Weir Farm–An American Painter's Rural Retreat (Wilton, Connecticut: Weir Farm Trust, 2000) p. 82, no. 72 (illus), as Portrait of a Child.

99

WALTER GAY

(American, 1856–1937)

Interior Scene watercolor sight: 9 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. frame: 21 1/4 x 17 3/4 in.

$2,000–4,000

100

MSTISLAV DOBUZHINSKY (Russian/American, 1875–1957)

Foyer, Bellevue House, Newport gouache on paper sight: 18 x 13 1/2 in. frame: 27 x 22 3/4 in.

$1,500–2,500

101

RICHARD EDWARD

Miller

(American, 1875–1943)

Black Mantilla oil on canvas signed Miller lower right 36 1/4 x 34 1/4 in., frame: 45 x 43 in $20,000–30,000

Provenance: Grand Central Art Galleries, New York (label verso); Christie's New York: May 26, 1988, Lot 262; Sam and Marion Lawrence, Orlando, Florida; acquired from the above by the present owner.

Exhibitions: Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, In the American Spirit: Realism and Impressionism from the Lawrence Collection, 1999, cat. no. 27, pp. 30, 58, 84, illustrated (label verso).

102

EDWARD ALFRED CUCUEL (American, 1875–1954)

Das Erwachen (The Awakening) oil on canvas laid on board signed Cucuel lower left; signed Cucuel verso 28 1/4 x 31 1/2 in., frame: 35 x 38 in.

$30,000–50,000

Provenance: Christie's New York, 19th/20th Century American Pictures, September 28, 1989, Lot 278; The Collection of a New England Lady.

103

EDWARD ALFRED CUCUEL (American, 1875–1954) The Tea Party oil on board 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. frame: 13 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.

$4,000–6,000

Provenance: The Collection of a New England Lady.

104

EDWARD ALFRED CUCUEL (American, 1875–1954) Still Life with Teacups oil on canvas laid on board signed Cucuel lower right 8 1/2 x 14 1/2 in. frame: 16 1/2 x 22 1/2 in.

$2,000–4,000

Provenance: The Collection of a New England Lady.

105

JOSEPH SOLMAN (American, 1909–2008)

Subway Rider gouache on newspaper signed J. Solman lower right sight: 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. frame: 18 1/4 x 14 in.

$1,000–2,000

Provenance: The Collection of a Beacon Hill, Boston Gentleman.

106

JOHANN BERTHELSEN (American, 1883–1972)

Columbus Circle oil on canvas signed Johann Berthelsen lower right; titled verso 12 x 16 in. frame: 17 x 21 in.

$3,000–5,000

107

ARTHUR

Biehl

(American, 1926–2004)

Pasture

1964, tempera on board signed and dated Biehl '64 lower right 23 1/4 x 23 1/4 in. frame: 23 3/4 x 23 3/4 in.

$1,000–1,500

Provenance: The Collection of a Massachusetts Gentleman.

Other Notes: The Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C) museum label verso.

108

LUCY L'ENGLE

(American, 1889–1978)

The Artist's Property at Long Nook Road, Truro oil on canvas 30 x 24 in. frame: 32 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.

$1,000–2,000

111

EMILY BUCHANAN

(American, b. 1966)

Mountain View 2004, oil on panel signed and dated Buchanan '04 lower left 8 x 24 in., frame: 13x 29 in.

$2,000–3,000

112

EMILY BUCHANAN

(American, b. 1966)

Beach Path oil on board signed Emily Buchanan lower right 24 x 36 in., frame: 29 1/2 x 41 1/2 in.

$5,000–8,000

113

GEORGE DUREAU (American, 1930–2014)

Behind the Beach 1989, oil on canvas signed Dureau lower right 68 x 90 in.

$7,000–10,000

114

ANNE PACKARD (American, b. 1933) Dunes 1997, oil on canvas signed and dated A. Packard '97 lower right 30 x 40 in., frame: 36 x 46 in.

$10,000–15,000

Provenance: Packard Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1997; The Collection of an Indiana Gentleman.

115

ANNE PACKARD (American, b.1933) Storm Brewing oil on canvas signed A. Packard lower right 11 x 20 in., frame: 18 7/8 x 27 3/4 in.

$4,000–8,000

116

ANNE PACKARD (American, b. 1933) MacMillan Wharf oil on canvas signed A. Packard lower left 5 x 10 in. frame: 7 1/2 x 12 1/4 in.

$2,000–3,000

117

ANNE PACKARD (American, b. 1933) Beach Path oil on canvas signed A. Packard lower left 7 x 5 in., frame: 9 3/8 x 7 3/8 in.

$1,000–2,000

118

ANNE PACKARD (American, b. 1933) Crashing Waves oil on canvas signed A. Packard lower right 5 x 7 in., frame: 7 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. $1,500–2,500

119

MARY SIPP GREEN (American, b. 1947) Up Island Farm 2001, oil on canvas signed and dated M. Sipp Green '01 lower right 36 x 44 in., frame: 38 x 46 in. $5,000–10,000

Provenance: Arden Gallery (Boston, Massachusetts), 2002; Private New York Collection.