Heritage Auctions’ upcoming sale on May 10 is expected to be a hit for fine art collectors. Consisting of nearly 150 lots, the auction features masterworks across all genres of American art, from presidential portraits to early American modernism.
“Following up on our stupendous 2021, seeing our highest sale totals in the category in the company’s history (over $25 million), we continue to demonstrate our position as leaders in the field of American art,” says Aviva Lehmann, senior vice president and director of American art at Heritage Auctions. “Our clients/collectors will have an opportunity to compete for fresh to market material ranging in value from $5,000 to $500,000.”
J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951), First Long Suit, The Saturday Evening Post cover, September 18, 1937. Oil on canvas, 27¾ x 22¼ in. Estimate: $300/500,000
Scattered throughout the sale are numerous highlights, including J.C. Leyendecker’s First Long Suit that appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. The oil is expected to sell for $300,000 to $500,000. Last year, Heritage Auctions hit a record for a Leyendecker at $4.1 million. “This one is a very special work that has been in one family for over 50 years,” Lehmann says of First Long Suit. “It’s a marvelous, unusually complex narrative for Leyendecker, illustrating his mastery at storytelling.” In total, three Leyendecker Post covers will be offered during the May 10 sale.
Severin Roesen (1815-1872), Still Life with Fruit and Flowers in a Landscape, 1850. Oil on canvas, 36 x 29 in. Estimate: $250/350,000
Robert Henri (1865-1929), Irish Boy, 1925. Oil on canvas, 24¼ x 20¼ in. Estimate: $100/150,000
Another top lot, Lehmann says, is a Rembrandt Peale portrait of George Washington from the mid-19th century. “Although Peale painted approximately 70 replicas of his famous portrait of George Washington, this example is one of the finest to ever appear for sale at auction,” she adds. “We tend to excel at Heritage with presidential material, and currently hold the auction record for a portal portrait of Washington by Peale (we sold one for $662,500 in 2013). The example on offer in May is not only in remarkably good condition, it comes to us from the collection of Melvin “Pete’ Mark Jr., of Portland, Oregon. The provenance, quality and condition of this work rank it as one of the most important Rembrandt Peale Washington portraits to ever come to market.” 
Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860), George Washington, ca. 1855. Oil on canvas, 36 x 29 in. Estimate: $200/300,000
J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951), Playing Hookie, The Saturday Evening Post cover, June 13, 1914. Oil on canvas, 30¼ x 21 in. Estimate: $200/300,000
Collectors can also be on the lookout for works like Robert Henri’s 1925 Irish Boy (est. $100/150,000), Jervis McEntee’s The Fire of Leaves (est. $150/250,000) and Severin Roesen’s Still Life with Fruit and Flowers in a Landscape, 1850, estimated at $250,000 to $350,000. The McEntee piece, Lehmann adds, “is arguably the most important McEntee to ever come to market. It was included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art show The Civil War and American Art [in] 2012…The Fire of Leaves, [painted in] 1862, takes its title from the two small boys huddled over a tiny flame they have kindled from the dry leaves at the edge of a wood.”
Among other highlights, according to Lehmann, is a gorgeous selection of modernism by Black artists, including works by Ernie Barnes, Sargent Johnson and James Lesesne Wells. “This sale truly has something for everyone.” —
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