Exceeding Expectations

Payne and Brown lead John Moran’s fall California and American fine art sale

John Moran Auctioneers 166-lot California and American fine art sale in November 2023 saw an 80 percent sell-through rate culminating in a total close to $800,000. Leading the sale were works by early American artists Edgar Alwin Payne, Benjamin Chambers Brown, Paul De Longpré, William Ritschel and Frederick Waugh, with Payne’s The Water Front, Sottomarina, Italy securing the top lot when it sold for just under its high estimate of $50,000. The painting speaks to Payne’s fondness for travel and depicts a lovely Italian harbor scene.

Edgar Alwin Payne (1883-1947), The Water Front, Sottomarina, Italy. Oil on canvas, 29 x 29 in., signed lower left: ‘Edgar Payne’; titled on reverse. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $44,450

“The Water Front is an extraordinary work by the artist,” says auction house president Jeffrey Moran, adding that the piece was included in the renowned 1926 exhibition at Stendahl Gallery in Los Angeles. “To be sure, 1926 was arguably the pinnacle of Payne’s career and the quality of this oil (and his works depicted in the 1926 exhibition catalog) remain as proof of that claim.” Moran explains that the painting came to them from a home that was in the process of being demolished in Hollywood. “The family that owned it had no heirs and all proceeds were going to charity. Had it not been and if for a realtor who spotted this and called us, it may have gone to a landfill. It’s likely that this painting hung in the living room 90 years after being acquired from the Stendahl Gallery. On a side note, the painting retained the original Edgar Payne carved giltwood frame. The quality, provenance and originality of this painting really helped Moran’s market this to interested Payne collectors.”

Benjamin Chambers Brown (1865-1942), Eucalyptus Road. Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in., signed and inscribed lower left: ‘Benjamin C. Brown/California’; titled on a label affixed to stretcher. Estimate: $8/12,000 SOLD: $27,940

One of Moran’s favorite paintings in the sale was Benjamin Brown’s Eucalyptus Road, which more than doubled its presale high estimate when it achieved just under $28,000 after an animated bidding war. It depicts a eucalyptus-lined avenue, a common sight in Moran’s hometown of Altadena, California. “All told, this painting resonated with a familiarity that I couldn’t shake,” says Moran. “We had it cleaned and revarnished for the consignor, and the final results were just stunning. I hung the Brown in our hallway at Moran’s so I could enjoy this each time I walked passed it!”

Paul De Longpré (1855-1911), Still Life Of Flowers In A Basket, 1897. Watercolor on paper, 15 x 22 in., signed and dated lower left: ‘Paul de Longpre’. Estimate: $4/6,000 SOLD: $21,590

The 1897 watercolor Still Life Of Flowers In A Basket by Paul De Longpré (1855-1911) also received an impressive winning bid of $21,590 after starting with an initial estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.

“I was on the block selling [this piece] by Paul Delongpré, a noted Los Angeles artist who was at one time so popular he had an official Pacific Red Car trolley stop at his studio,” says Moran. “Today, the vestiges of that period is a street sign that simply says ‘Delongpre Ave.’ near where his studio once stood.”

William Ritschel (1864-1949), A Stiff North Wester. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40” signed lower left: ‘W. Ritschel’; signed, titled, inscribed and monogrammed version: ‘Monterey Coast’; signed in pencil on stretcher. Estimate: $6/8,000 SOLD: $20,320

Another artist with multiple works in the sale was William Ritschel (1864-1949), whose piece A Stiff North Wester saw exciting results when it brought in a whopping $20,320.

“Our consignors were delighted with the auction results and that is always a good barometer of where the market is,” says Moran. “I would say that strong examples of pre-WWII always sell well; people realize that there are opportunity costs in not pursuing a work that speaks to them, or otherwise fill a gap in a collection and you end up with the opposite of buyer’s remorse.”