Notable Prices

American paintings led Shannon’s recent Fine Art Auction, with strong demand from private collectors and museum institutions

Among the top five paintings in Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers’ October sale were historic works by William Trost Richards, Irving Ramsay Wiles, Jasper Francis Cropsey, William Harnett and Walter Launt Palmer. The top lot, Richards’ 1876 oil Mother and Child in an Autumn Landscape bested its $250,000 high estimate when it sold for $300,000. In total, the Fine Art Auction achieved $2.1 million and sold 82 percent of the 159 lots that were on offer.

Irving Ramsay Wiles (1861-1948), The White Sloop (Peconic Bay), 1907. Oil on canvas, 20½ x 28 in., signed lower right. Estimate: $50/75,000 SOLD: $106,250

“The sale was a success with notable prices achieved for 19th-century art, proving this market is still active for quality works,” says Shannon’s owner Sandra Germain.

Wiles’ 1907 marinescape The White Sloop (Peconic Bay) attracted significant interest, reaching $106,250 against a $75,000 high estimate. Another highlight of American impressionist paintings was Palmer’s Off the Public Gardens (Venice), painted in 1882. The piece more than doubled its $25,000 high estimate when it sold for $68,750 to a private collector in the Midwest.

Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900), Autumn at Greenwood Lake, 1871. Oil on canvas, 14 x 24 in., signed and dated. Estimate: $80/120,000 SOLD: $100,000

William Harnett (1848-1892), The Argus, 1878. Oil on canvas, 12¼ x 10¼ in., signed and dated. Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $82,550

Autumn at Greenwood Lake, an oil by Cropsey from 1871, sold for $100,000, besting its $80,000 low estimate. “It had all of the characteristic features of the artist’s best work. Rich fall colors, a luminist sky, a small figure group in the foreground, and an overall atmospheric quality,” the auction house notes. In addition, a still life by Harnett titled The Argus sold for $82,550 against an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.

Shannon’s next fine art auction will be held in spring 2026. —

Top 10 LOTS
Shannon’s Fine Art Auction, October 30, 2025 (including buyer’s premiums)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
William Trost Richards Mother and Child in an Autumn Landscape $150/250,000 $300,000
Irving Ramsay Wiles The White Sloop (Peconic Bay) $50/75,000 $106,250
Jasper Francis Cropsey Autumn at Greenwood Lake $80/120,000 $100,000
William Harnett The Argus $40/60,000 $82,550
Walter Launt Palmer Off the Public Gardens (Venice) $15/25,000 $68,750
Pegeen Vail Guggenheim Interior $40/60,000 $63,000
Emily Mason Blue Angel $30/50,000 $56,250
Luigi Lucioni The Syrian Jug $20/30,000 $53,975
George Henry Durrie Grist Mill, Winter $20/30,000 $43,750
Alfredo Ramos Martinez Meditation $10/15,000 $43,750