Over the years, Heritage Auctions has set a number of auction records with a particular strong suit being works by Golden Age illustrators. During its most recent American Art auction on November 1, the reception for these classic images continued with four new records set. This included a charming Saturday Evening Post cover by lesser-known artist Thorton Utz titled Love’s Lost Child at the Information Booth that sold for $206,250 against a presale estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
“We sort of knew it was going to be a sleeper. It had that magical quality of Golden Age illustration,” says Aviva Lehmann, director of American art and vice president at Heritage Auctions. “Not everybody knows the name Thorton Utz, but it had the magical nostalgia and fun, great, quirky narrative that goes along with Post covers, whether by Rockwell, Leyendecker or someone else. We had eight bidders on it.”
Frederic Remington (1861-1909), Bronco Buster, conceived 1908, cast 1910. Bronze with greenish-brown patina, 32 7/8 in. Estimate: $500/700,000 SOLD $615,000
The piece became the No. 6 lot of the auction. Another record-breaking painting in the sale was the No. 5 lot of the auction, J.C. Leyendecker’s Ice Skaters. It is now his highest earning work that did not appear on a Saturday Evening Post cover. This particular piece, which sold for $225,000 against an estimate of $80,000 to $100,000, was on the March 1909 cover for The Popular Magazine and depicted a well-to-do couple embracing. “It was a nice early work, but very and completely encapsulates him with the crosshatching technique and the narrative,” says Lehmann, who adds that Ice Skaters arrived at auction from a collection that had the piece for close to 100 years.
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), The Night Before Christmas (Santa Peering over Chair at Sleeping Child), Literary Digest magazine cover, December 22, 1923. Oil on canvas, 28 x 24¼ in. Estimate: $250/350,000 SOLD $375,000
The other two illustration record setters were covers for The Saturday Evening Post: George Hughes’ Dinner Party at $87,500 and Harold Anderson’s Kitchen Haircut at $30,000.
The No. 2 lot of the sale was the standout illustration The Night Before Christmas (Santa Peering over Chair at Sleeping Child), a Literary Digest cover by Norman Rockwell. According to Lehmann the work was a crowd favorite, garnering nine bidders that helped drive the price to $375,000, topping its estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. “It’s very representative of Rockwell’s body of work where he does these dark scenes and you see how he’s influenced by the Old Masters,” adds Lehmann.
Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), Cold Spell, 1965. Watercolor on paper, 19 x 28 in. Est. $200/300,000 SOLD $250,000
Thorton Utz (1914-1999), Love’s Lost Child at the Information Booth, The Saturday Evening Post cover, December 20, 1958. Oil and pencil on board, 23¾ x 22 in. Artist World Auction Record. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD $206,250
J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951), Ice Skaters, The Popular Magazine cover, March 1909. Oil on canvas, 30 x 20 in. Estimate: $80/120,000 SOLD $225,000
Outside the illustration category, the major highlight was a rare casting of Frederic Remington’s Bronco Buster. The piece was a 1½-scale version of the work that only had 19 editions made after the artist’s death. Two of Milton Avery’s Mexican series works performed well: Mexican Woman (est. $200/300,000) at $200,000 and Agua (est. $150/250,000) at $137,500. The cover lot of the sale, Andrew Wyeth’s Cold Spell (est. $200/300,000), sold squarely within its estimate at $250,000, while a Hudson River School work by William Bradford achieved $80,000 against its estimate of $70,000 to $100,000. —
Top 10 sales
Heritage Auctions, American Art, November 1, 2019 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist, Title, Low/High ESt., SOLD
Frederic Remington, Bronco Buster, $500/700,000, $615,000
Norman Rockwell, The Night Before Christmas…, $250/350,000, $375,000
Andrew Wyeth, Cold Spell, $200/300,000, $250,000
Frederick Carl Frieseke, En Promenade, $150/250,000, $225,000
J.C. Leyendecker, Ice Skaters, $80/100,000, $225,000
Thorton Utz, Love’s Lost Child at the Information Booth, $30/50,000, $206,250
Milton Avery, Mexican Woman, $200/300,000, $200,000
G. Harvey, When the Cowboys Come to Town – Houston, 1900, $120/180,000, $162,500
Milton Avery, Agua, $150/250,000, $137,500
Howard Terpning, Jicarilla Apache Riders, $200/300,000 , $125,000
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