THE AMERICAN MASTERS Important American Paintings X X I V
Q U E S T R O YA L F I N E A RT, LL C
COVER
Peter Sculthorpe Moonlight Over the Farm, 2009, detail BACK COVER
Ralph Albert Blakelock Evening Silhouettes, detail LEFT
George William Sotter Miner Hillard Milling Company, detail
THE AMERICAN MASTERS Important American Paintings X X I V
Defining Excellence There isn’t any universally accepted metric that determines excellence. Any attempt to ascertain merit by a process that employs analysis or comparison discounts the creativity of the artist’s concept and execution. Ultimately, it is the informed individual that is most adept at identifying brilliance. Our own experience and intellectual enrichment enable us to recognize and appreciate what is genuinely exceptional. If we endure mediocrity long enough, we are best prepared to discover the dissimilarity of greatness and a genuinely great work of art impacts the viewer in a most intimate manner. It is the most reliable measure of brilliance. In selecting works for this catalogue, I searched for paintings that have the potential to transcend the preference of a time or place. Whether newly created or centuries old, there must be a hint of some enigmatic quality that assures its enduring relevance. But since this is a judgement we must each make, there can never be an absolute consensus. As collectors we bear the burden of finding and defending greatness. Since my gallery owns much of the work it sells, you can be certain that my best instincts and resources guided each acquisition.
October 19–December 29, 2023 An Exhibition and Sale Visit the gallery to view the entire exhibition of over 50 paintings, or browse virtually at www.questroyalfineart.com
Q U E S T R O YA L F I N E A RT, L L C Louis M. Salerno, Owner Brent L. Salerno, Co-Owner Chloe Heins, Director Kayla Seifert, Gallery Manager Jesse McCloskey, Art Handler Katie Siede, Research Associate Eamonn Smith, Administrator Annie Taylor, Administrative Assistant Rita J. Walker, Controller
This is a fertile hunting ground.
(212) 744-3586 gallery @ questroyalfineart.com www.questroyalfineart.com
l ou i s m. sal e r no , Owner
FALL 2023
I N O V E R 14 0 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Ralph Albert Blakelock (1847–1919)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$3,525,750
Ralph Albert Blakelock Evening Silhouettes Oil on canvas laid down on board 16 x 24 inches Signed lower left in arrowhead: R. A. Blakelock
$195,000
Charles Burchfield (1893–1967) I N O V E R 110 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State, New York Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Museum of Art, Utica, New York The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$1,812,500
Charles Burchfield Fires of Spring in Big Woods, 1951 Watercolor and pencil on joined paper 391/2 x 291/4 inches (sight size) Estate stamp lower right
$435,000
I N O V E R 110 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, New York
Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823–1900)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$1,003,500
Jasper Francis Cropsey Couple on a Bridge, ca. 1876 Oil on canvas 9 x 141/8 inches Signed and dated indistinctly lower right: J.F. Cropsey / 187[6]
$135,000
I N O V E R 70 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823–1880)
Brooklyn Museum, New York Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 2,900,000
Sanford Robinson Gifford Twilight on Hunter Mountain, 1867 Oil on canvas 101/4 x 17 inches Signed and dated lower right: SR Gifford 1867
$ 325,000
William Glackens (1870–1938) I N O V E R 110 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$1,707,500
William Glackens Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire Oil on canvas 25 x 301/8 inches Signed lower right: W. Glackens
$ 295,000
I N O V E R 18 0 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio
Child Hassam (1859–1935)
Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, Connecticut Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 12,328,500
Child Hassam Broadstairs Cottage, 1889 Watercolor and pencil on paper 10 3/8 x 15 3/8 inches Signed and inscribed lower left: Childe Hassam. Broadstairs. Eng. To J. Appleton Brown with Hassam’s friendship. “Shoals” Aug 1890
$195,000
I N O V E R 50 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
David Johnson (1827–1908)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Museum of Art, Utica, New York Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts Portland Art Museum, Oregon ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$722,500
David Johnson Buck Mountain, Lake George, 1872 Oil on canvas 15 x 25 inches Monogrammed and dated lower right: DJ 72; on verso: Buck Mountain. / Lake George. / David Johnson, 1872.
$ 175,000
Richard E. Miller (1875–1943) IN OVE R 40 MUSEUM COLLE CTIONS, INCLUDING:
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Belgium ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 1,087,500
Richard E. Miller Woman in a Boudoir Oil on canvas 46 x 35 inches Signed lower left: Miller
$125,000
I N O V E R 50 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
Edward Moran (1829–1901)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$1,327,500
Edward Moran Lifting the Fish Pound, Orient Bay, Long Island, New York, 1876 Oil on canvas 18 1/8 x 297/8 inches Signed lower left: Edward Moran; on verso: Edward Moran, 1876; on stretcher bar: Orient Bay Lifting the Fish Pound
$ 135,000
Frederick J. Mulhaupt (1871–1938) I N O V E R 10 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, Massachusetts Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana Reading Public Museum, Pennsylvania The Rockport Art Association & Museum, Massachusetts Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$168,000
Frederick J. Mulhaupt Winter Calm Oil on canvas 40 x 441/8 inches Signed lower left: MULHAUPT—
$75,000
Dale Nichols (1904–1995) I N O V E R 12 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, David City, Nebraska The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Nebraska Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$120,000 Dale Nichols Winter on the Farm, 1961 Oil on canvas 231/4 x 311/4 inches Signed and dated lower left: DALE NICHOLS ∙ 1961
$105,000 Dale Nichols Stars, 1953 Oil on canvas 10 x 141/8 inches Signed and dated lower right: DALE NICHOLS 1953; on stretcher bar: “STARS ” by Dale Nichols
$38,500
Maurice Prendergast (1858–1924) I N O V E R 13 0 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC Tacoma Art Museum, Washington Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 3,526,000
Maurice Prendergast Beach Scene, Boston, ca. 1907–1910 Oil on panel 10 1/4 x 131/2 inches (sight size)
$225,000
I N O V E R 110 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
William Trost Richards (1833–1905)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$1,650,500
William Trost Richards New Jersey Coast, 1872 Oil on canvas 251/8 x 421/8 inches Signed and dated lower right: WM.T. Richards. 1872.
$ 195,000
Louis Ritman (1889–1963) IN OVE R 20 MUSEUM COLLE CTIONS, INCLUDING:
Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 665,000
Louis Ritman Nymph in a Boat Oil on canvas 251/2 x 313/4 inches Signed lower right: L .RITMAN ; on verso: Ritman / Dec 3-25
$ 350,000
Peter Sculthorpe (b.1948) I N O V E R 10 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$33,000
Peter Sculthorpe Moonlight Over the Farm, 2009 Watercolor on paper 401/4 x 391/4 inches Signed and dated lower right: P Sculthorpe / –09–
$ 75,000
Everett Shinn (1876–1953) I N O V E R 80 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Brooklyn Museum, New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 7,848,000
Everett Shinn The Docks, 1899 Pastel on joined paper 22 3/4 x 221/4 inches (sight size) Signed and dated lower right: EVERETT SHINN / 99
$195,000
I N O V E R 16 M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N S , I N C L U D I N G :
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Francis Augustus Silva (1835–1886)
The Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire New-York Historical Society, New York Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$2,658,500
Francis Augustus Silva View on the Hudson, the Catskills in the Distance Oil on canvas 12 1/2 x 201/4 inches Signed lower right: F.A. SILVA .
$385,000
George William Sotter (1879–1953) IN 5 MUSEUM COLLE CTIONS, INCLUDING:
James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania La Salle University Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery, Pennsylvania Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$264,500
George William Sotter Miner Hillard Milling Company Oil on board 223/4 x 313/4 inches Signed lower right: G.W. Sotter; on verso: MINER HILL ARD / MILLING Co.
$135,000
Guy C. Wiggins (1883–1962) IN OVE R 40 MUSEUM COLLE CTIONS, INCLUDING:
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Dallas Museum of Art, Texas The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York The San Diego Museum of Art, California Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$374,400
Guy C. Wiggins Central Park, Winter, 1936 Oil on canvas 251/8 x 30 inches Signed lower left: Guy Wiggins / Guy Wiggins; on verso (photo available): CENTRAL PARK . WINTER. / GUY WIGGINS N.A . / 1936.
$75,000
Irving Ramsay Wiles (1861–1948) IN OVE R 40 MUSEUM COLLE CTIONS, INCLUDING:
de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California The Columbus Museum, Georgia The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC ARTIST AU C TION RE CORD
$ 635,000
Irving Ramsay Wiles Idleness Oil on canvas 26 x 36 inches Signed lower right: Irving R. Wiles
$ 220,000
Q U E S T R O YA L F I N E A RT, L L C Important American Paintings 903 Park Avenue (at 79th Street), Third Floor, New York, NY 10075
T : (212) 744-3586 F : (212) 585-3828
H O U R S : Monday–Friday 10–6, Saturday 10–5 and by appointment E M A I L : gallery @ questroyalfineart.com
www.questroyalfineart.com