Irish and Wire Fox Terriers Inspecting a Burrow by Arthur Wardle, RI,  is one the paintings of dogs expected to make auction price. Estimate: US$ 10,000 – 15,000-£7,000 – 10,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

ART AUCTION NEWS: Bonhams Dogs in Show and Field sale includes paintings of dog breeds with big personalities

John Emms (British,1843-1912), Hounds and a Terrier in a Kennel. Oil on canvas 48 x 36in (121.9 x 91.4cm). Estimate US$150,000 – 250,000- £100,000 – 170,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

NEW YORK, NY– Hounds and Terrier in Kennel, an oil on canvas painting by British artist John Emms (1843-1912), will lead this year’s Bonhams Dogs in Show and Field: The Fine Art Sale. To be held February 17 in New York, the auction will include more than 150 lots of paintings, watercolors, prints, sculpture and “Dogiana” (collars and other collectibles). In its 35^th year, the annual auction of dog-themed art is expected to attract new and established collectors especially dog lovers.

Estimated at $150,000-250,000, Hounds and Terrier in Kennel is expected to create excitement when it comes up for auction. The painting highlights John Emms distinct painting style. Celebrated as a master painter of Hounds and Terriers, Emms deftly used fluid brushstrokes to emphasize distinct physical characteristics of his subjects, illuminating their individual characters. His outstanding ability to accentuate individual temperaments of his subjects is expected to elevate Hounds and Terrier in Kennel at the auction.

Vice President and Director of Fine Art Alan Fausel expressed delight at having Emms paintings for sale in the auction. “We’re lucky to have two significant works by Emms illustrating the popularity of his output – hunting hounds and clumber spaniels,” he said.

In addition to Emms, Bonhams Dogs in Show and Field sale will feature 12 paintings by Arthur Wardle, RI (British, 1864-1949). Pen Friends, an oil on canvas painting estimated at U.S. $18,000-25,000 is one of the artworks projected to make record auction price. Although Arthur Wardle never received any formal art academy training, he was a brilliant painter. Pen Friends is a testament to that fact. Most likely a society portrait of two English Toy Spaniels, the oil on canvas painting captures two determined dogs in intense gaze with the painter.

Famous for his paintings of purebred dogs in England in the 19^th century, as well as portrayals of big game and wildlife, Wardle had his first exhibition at the Royal Academy when he was only 16 years old.

Dominating the Bonhams Dogs in Show and Field Sale are Victorian master dog paintings. In addition, the sale will also feature a strong selection of continental works, including Dutch artist Henrietta Ronner-Knip and Charles Olivier de Penne, one of France’s most prominent painters of hunting hounds and gun dogs.

Each of the paintings in this auctions brings to the fore the distinct characteristics and personalities of the dogs represented. From hunting hounds to gun dogs and Terriers, the dogs reveal themselves in ways only dog owners are familiar with. The exceptional ability of artists like John Emms, John Trickett, Arthur Wardle, Frank W. Cassell, Colin Graeme Roe, and others to capture the dogs charming personalities is what makes these master dog paintings exceptional.

The auction begins Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016, with a Barkfest, an annual charity breakfast to benefit the American Kennel Club (AKC), Humane Fund. The AKC Humane Fund provides grants to pet-friendly domestic violence shelters and breed rescue organizations.

Bonhams Dogs in Show and Field sale coincides with Westminster Kennel Club’s Dog Show, one of the nation’s longest-running and premier sporting events.  The Dogs in Show and Field sale started in the United Kingdom and moved to the U.S. 17 years ago. Since then, it has become a major feature for dog lovers and art collectors.

Arthur Wardle, RI (British, 1864-1949), Pen Friends. Oil on canvas 22 1/4 x 14 3/16in (56.5 x 36cm). Estimate US$ 18,000 – 25,000-£13,000 – 17,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

Other auction highlights include:

An Unexpected Visitor – Clumber Spaniels in a Kennel, John Emms (British, 1843-1912), estimate U.S. $80,000-120,000.

Believed to have been a commission for the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle while Emms worked at Clumber Park, this oil painting is one of the finest works by the artists to have come to the market in recent years.

John Emms (British, 1843-1912), An Unexpected Visitor – Clumber Spaniels in a Kennel. Oil on canvas 24 x 40 in. Image courtesy of Bonhams

John Emms (British,1843-1912), Hounds and a Terrier in a Kennel. Oil on canvas 48 x 36 in (121.9 x 91. 4cm). Estimate US$150,000 – 250,000- £100,000 – 170,000

Maud Earl (British,1863-1943), Greyhounds in a Landscape 48 1/2 x 62 1/2in (123 x 159cm). Estimate US$ 12,000 – 18,000-£8,400-13,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

John Trickett (British, born 1952), Springer Spaniels in Snow. Oil on canvas 24 x 20in (61 x 51cm). Estimate: US$ 4,000 – 6,000-£2,800 – 4,200

John Trickett (British, born 1952), Springer Spaniels in Snow. Oil on canvas 24 x 20in (61 x 51cm). Estimate: US$ 4,000 – 6,000-£2,800 – 4,200. Image courtesy of Bonhams

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