Catalog: Sold Items: Fine Art (179)

Heinie Hartwig Grand Grand Canyon at Sunset oil on board signed lower right titled on reverse measuring 24x30 inches. This is a beautiful work of art by this highly acclaimed western painter. The condition is excellent the frame is a fine quality gallery frame. Hartwig is know for his scenes of Indian life in the old west. Hartwigs paintings are in major public and private collections a similar size painting by Hartwig sold for $12,300 at a western painting auction. Biography Heinie Hartwig became a painter of primarily western subjects although he also does landscapes and still lifes. The tone of his work is primarily romantic. He started painting in 1970, working on his art in the evenings, and a year later quit his job and began painting for a living. He had grown up in the Santa Clara Valley of California, and left for three years to spend time traveling through Europe with the Army. He was in Germany as the Berlin Wall went up and persuaded his wife, Eva, to leave East Germany to marry him. Returning to Santa Clara, he worked pouring concrete, and spent a lot of time running marathons. In 1964 he held the record for long distance running in Northern California. By 1991, he was in "Who's Who in American Art". Hartwig taught himself to paint by studying the "Old Masters." He was attracted to the charm and romance of classic art. He has managed to capture the light, color and style of those great artists. Though most of his work has a western theme, Hartwig is a versatile painter. Many of his paintings are landscapes and still lifes. Heinie Harwig's work has been compared to Albert Bierstadt and John Constable for its romanticism, European feel and composition.

Original Watercolor painting Modernist Seascape by Harold Christopher Davies, signed lower right. From the estate of the artist and the Hoover Gallery, San Francisco. Davies' work was exhibited at the San Francisco Art Association, the Oakland Art Gallery, the Birmingham Museum, the Southampton Museum, the University of Long Island Museum, the Parrish Art Museum, the Hoover Gallery, the Haggin Museum, and the Huntsville Museum. Image 13.5"L x 17"W. Framed 21.5" L x 25" W.

A fine pair of antique portrait miniatures of a man and woman signed Dubbison and dated 1823 oil on Ivory in leather cases. In very good antique condition the lady has a restored hairline crack to her left. measuring approx. 3 x 4 inches. a beautiful pair.

Beautiful Egyptian street scene an Original oil painting on board signed lower right measuring approx. 20 x 24 in excellent condition. Biography LEONID GECHTOFF, 1883-1941 

Leonid Gechtoff was born in Odessa, Russia, in 1883, an only child of parents already in their forties and not particularly well off financially.  After his art school training in Russia, where he probably first met his close life-long friend David Burliuk, he and his parents fled from their homeland when he was in his twenties, rather than have him face possible conscription into the army. Cairo proved to be a haven for several years and Gechtoff painted many city and genre scenes of Egypt in his heavily impastoed style, bringing him acclaim in the Orientalist-enamored European art world as well.

Gechtoff always felt most influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh, however, and this led him to travel to Holland where Dutch-born van Gogh painted in his early years, though not in the colorful later style Gechtoff most admired. There he established good connections which led to gallery shows in Amsterdam, and at one he met his future Russian-born wife Etya while she was on vacation from her pre-medical studies in Germany. Her family was well-to-do and supportive of the young couple, so they were able to wed and settle in Holland initially for about a year, around 1917. Several Alpine landscapes indicate painting trips in more mountainous parts of Europe too. Both Leonid and his wife were fluent in several languages.

The Gechtoffs soon moved to Indonesia, then a major South Pacific colony under Dutch control, hoping that the warmer climate would be better for Etya's health. The lush volcanic landscapes were strongly appealing to the artist as well. They lived in Java for about two years, in 1918 and 1919, and enjoyed traveling and collecting throughout the region during painting trips.

By 1920 they were living in Manila, and in early 1921 they planned a visit to see two of Etya's brothers in Pennsylvania later that year.  Once in America, the Gechtoffs found themselves persuaded to stay and settle in Philadelphia, with both becoming US citizens.  Leonid's major patron and benefactor was either a member of the family of Dutch-born philanthropist Edward Bok or Bok himself. Along with inclusion in various group exhibitions, his work was featured in a solo show at the Philadelphia Art Alliance in the early 1930's.

Gechtoff had achieved substantial success throughout the 1920's from his landscape paintings near his home in Philadelphia, and had also purchased a summer home on Cape May, New Jersey, where he painted many coastal scenes.  Unfortunately, he made large investments in the stock market in the latter years of the decade, and these disappeared almost overnight in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The family now included young Sonia, born in 1926, and soon her sister, born in 1933.

With their fortunes in decline, like so many artists in the Depression of the 1930's, they sold the Cape May house but still were able find suitable rentals at the shore for their summer sojourns, and otherwise still lived in downtown apartments in Philadelphia. Gechtoff's works began to depict wintry landscapes along with his bright rocky seascapes and still lifes.

Gechtoff continued vigorously painting in his vivid and distinctive style, a blending of post-Impressionism and expressionism, until his health became a problem in 1940, with the stress of high blood pressure and complications. He died in 1941 at the age of 58. His widow later moved to San Francisco and ran an influential exhibition space in San Francisco called the East-West Gallery, while daughter Sonia became a well-known artist currently living in New York City. 
Gechtoff is listed in the Archives of American Artists, part of the Smithsonian Institution.

An original oil depicting a Brigantine Ship sailing ship off the coast with other vessels and a lighthouse. Oil in board signed lower left in an original arts and crafts era frame. Measuring approx. 10 x 16 inches in excellent condition. A fine example of this artists work. Biography C. Myron Clark (1858-1925) was a painter of mountain landscapes in oil and watercolor, as well as ships (USS Constitution, 1906; Frigate in Tow). He worked mostly in Massachusetts, though his oil landscape of Mounts Skihist and Lilovet was painted north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1921. His work is in the collection of the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. A FINE EXAMPLE AND NICE ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION.

Oil painting landscape with a creek. Signed lower right "Frederick Wagner" (1864-1940), a renowned American Impressionist who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1879 to 1884. He exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy, the Carnegie, and the Corcoran, as well as the National Academy of Design. Image, 6"H x 8"L. Framed in period frame overall size 10" x 12". Written provenance directly from the artist accompanies this painting.

Antique Portrait of a beautiful young girl oil on canvas signed on reverse Pankratz Korle and dated 1844. Pandratz Korle (1823-1875) is a well listed painter and highly regarded painter. This charming portrait of a girl in a white dress with a pink shawl is masterfully painted. A portrait by Korle sold at auction for $6,103 in November of 2005. Measuring approx. 24x28 inches framed in a antique gold leaf frame 27x32 overall. The painting is in very good condition although with age cracklure and one small 1/4 in. touch up. A fine decorative antique painting.

William Adam Carmel California hidden garden oil painting on canvas board framed in an original arts and crafts period frame. Signed lower right in excellent condition measuring approx. 12 x 16 inches a fine example of this sought after artists work.

Biography

William ADAM 1846 - 1931 William Constable Adam (1846-1931) was born in Tweedmouth, England on August 29, 1846. He studied under Delecluse in Paris, Brydall and Greenlees in Glasgow, and in Buenos Aires before immigrating to Boston in 1893. After moving to California in 1898, he soon settled in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula. Known as "Professor" Adam, he gave art lessons in his rose-covered cottage at 450 Central Avenue. With a bright and colorful palette of both oil and watercolor, he specialized in views of the Monterey area such as sand dunes, cottage and garden scenes, and the local flora. Adam died in Pacific Grove on October 17, 1931. Member: Boston Art Club; Lowell (MA) Art Club; Glasgow Art Club. Exhibited: Royal Scottish Academy; California State Fairs (medals); Del Monte Art Gallery (Monterey), 1907-12; Berkeley Art Ass'n, 1908; Sorosis Club, 1913; California Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1916; Rabjohn & Morcom Gallery (San Francisco), 1916. Works held: City of Monterey Collection; Santa Cruz City Museum; Silverado Museum (St Helena, CA); Shasta State Historical Monument.

WILLIAM MALHERBE 1884 - 1951 A beautiful impressionist oil painting of a nude woman holding a sphere one can easily see the influence of Renoir in this example of this fine French-American artist. Oil on canvas monogramed lower right measuring Approx. 26 x 30 inches. Born in France, William Malherbe was influenced by the great Post Impressionist painters of his time, particularly Renoir and Bonnard. He is known for his still lifes, landscapes and figural paintings. In 1939, Malherbe arrived in the United States. He lived in New York City and on a farm in Vermont. He returned to France in 1948 and died there in 1951. Works by William Malherbe are in the collection of the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris among other collections.

A fine antique oil on canvase by Mauritz Frederik Hendrik De Haas picturing a sailing ship in the moonlight signed lower left in excellent condition measuring approx. 24 x 36 inches framed in a period frame. One of the most famous 19th-century marine and landscape painters, especially of Long Island, Mauritz De Haas was born in Rotterdam, Holland where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. He also studied at The Hague, a pupil of Louis Meyer, and then specialized in watercolor in London. In 1859, at the age of twenty seven he immigrated to the United States and set up a studio in New York. In his adopted homeland, he first became known for his European views and then for his scenes painted along the Northeast Coast. Among the latter were views of Long Island: Orient, Montauk, Peconic, Westhampton, Bridgehampton, and Southampton, as well as points along the Long Island Sound. He painted Civil War naval scenes for Admiral Farragut. A brother, William Frederick De Haas, was also a distinguished artist. De Haas felt a special affinity for Long Island because it resembled his native Holland in its terrain and ever-changing effects of light and atmosphere. He was determined to capture the full range of these effects, from bright sunshine reflected on the rippling waves of Long Island Sound to the cool moonlight shining on the beach at Southampton. According to one contemporary critic, he succeeded: "His pencil is equal facile whether portraying a storm on the coast, moonlight effects at sea, or brilliancy of the sunset hour." In painting moonlight scenes, the same source claimed, de Haas had "few equals."

A 18th century Dutch painting school of Jan Vermeer of an interior scene Picturing a woman at work in a traditional 17th century kitchen. Oil on oak panel signed lower right P.V. Ameyden beautifully painted framed in a gilt decorative frame. Measuring approx. 12.5 in. by 14.5 in. framed size 16.5 x 18.5 inches. A fine decorative painting would be a nice addition to any collection.

Original French watercolor painting. A botanical floral study of bluebells from a French porfolio of artwork dating from 1847. Image 7"w. x 10"L. Presented in an exquisite French mat and gilt wood frame measuring overall 20" L x 17" W.

A beautiful oil on board by Harold Christopher Davies of a nude in a landscape with two dogs. Provenance the estate of the artist and Hoover Gallery of San Francisco. Measuring approx. 10 x 14 inches framed in a quality gallery frame overall size 13 x 17 inches. A fine example of this artists work. Harold Christopher Davies was a painter with whom art came first and commercialism last. Though he was a remarkably passionate and somewhat prolific artist, he resisted gallery representation until the age of eighty-four, just one year before his death. Davies began his formal art education at the age of fourteen, enrolling in the Corcoran Art Institute in Washington, D.C. Later he continued his studies at the San Francisco Institute of Art. An abstract expressionist, his style was directly influenced by Cezanne, Gorky and de Kooning. Being a man of intense dedication to his art, he kept extensive notebooks and sketchbooks in which he developed his own artistic and aesthetic philosophy, often through his candid critiques of other artist’s works. Painting, for Davies, was not a means of earning his living. Though he exhibited frequently at various local colleges and museums, he never sought public recognition of his talent. He believed fame compromised the integrity of an artist’s work. Davies earned his living as a businessman, eventually owning and operating his own chemical company. He lived a life of balancing his monetary obligations with the true love of his life: painting. After living in a variety of cities around the United States, Davies moved to Inverness, California in 1969 where he was free to devote all his time to his art. MEMBER: Oakland Art League San Francisco Art Association Huntsville (Ala.) Art Association EXHIBITED: San Francisco Art Association, 1921-1931 Oakland Art Gallery, 1931 Birmingham Museum, 1951 Southampton Museum, 1959 University of Long Island Museum, 1964 Parrish Art Museum, 1964, 1966, 1967 Hoover Gallery (San Francisco), 1975 Fresno Art Center, 1976 (Solo) Haggin Museum 1982 Huntsville Museum, 1982

A beautiful semi antique still life of fruit and a basket. Oil on canvas signed lower right P. Themmen Antwerp 1931. Framed in a beautiful antique gold leaf frame the painting is in very good condition the frame has some losses to the edge but still presents nicely.

A fine California impressionist seascape by Paul Doughtery in oil on board signed lower right in excellent condition measuring 12 x 16 inches. Biography; Born in Brooklyn, New York, Paul Dougherty became a widely-known painter of dramatic marine scenes and desert landscapes although his family hoped he would become a lawyer. Following his father who was an attorney, he graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1896 and New York Law School in 1898. But he changed professions to art and studied with Robert Henri and in Europe for five years from 1900 to 1905. Paul Dougherty then painted along the coast of Maine, and his paintings were compared to those of Winslow Homer. Of his success, John Sloan said: "Everything came to him; all his pictures sold, he won all the prizes. The rich delighted to honor him, and his wives were glamorous" (Falk). In 1907, he was elected a Member to the National Academy of Design in New York. He experimented with sculpture but settled on marine paintings, primarily focused on the ocean. Arthritis forced him to seek a milder climate, and in 1928, he began spending his winters in Arizona where he painted desert landscapes and mountains. In 1931, he moved to the Monterey Peninsula in California. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Joslyn Museum in Omaha; and the Fort Worth Museum in Texas as well as many other museums. Sources: Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"

Original gouache and watercolor "Sail Boats at Sunset" signed lower right by Renowned American artist Edmund Darch Lewis. Lewis exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1854-69) and was elected an associate of the Academy in 1859. He also showed at the National Academy of Design in New York (1860), the Boston Athenaeum (1858-69), and the Brooklyn Art Association (1862-70). Beautifully Framed and Matted. Image 8.5"L x 19.5W. framed size 16" L x 27" W.

A fine impressionist painting of a soccer game goal save initialed lower right A.P. Oil on canvas measuring Approx. 36 x 40 in excellent condition framed in a quality gilt frame. Provenance: the estate of the artist. Biography SIMONPIETRI, Alfred H. (1916-2001). Painter. Born in Puerto Rico on June 20, 1916. While serving in the Army during World War Two, Simonpietri was in a plane crash. After the war he settled into a home in the Sunset District of San Francisco where he remained until his demise on December 2, 2001. A talented artist, he created hundreds of paintings, mostly nudes and still lifes. Biography provided courtesy of Edan Hughes Author Artists in California 1850-1940

Charles Harmon California impressionist redwoods. A bold impressionist painting of California redwood country titled Gateway to Glendale Humbolt County. Oil on canvas board signed lower right. In excellent condition measuring approx. 10x12 inches. A fine example would be a nice addition to any collection.

Biography

Charles Henry Harmon (1859-1936) was born on December 23, 1859 in Mansfield, Ohio. He moved to San Jose, California with his family in 1874 and at an early age was apprenticed to local portrait painter Louis Lussier. He later spent one year working in a local photography studio re-touching negatives. His youth was spent visiting the art galleries of San Francisco and, with no formal training, he began sketching and painting in 1883 in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley. He painted many landscapes of that area and made trips to the remotest parts of the Sierra and the Monterey Peninsula where he painted many coastal scenes. He began exhibiting in San Jose in the 1880s. By the turn of the century, his works were handled exclusively by Gump's and he was recognized as one of California's foremost painters. In 1905 he established a studio in Denver and for seven years concentrated on the rugged landscape of the Rocky Mountains. While there, the Santa Fe, Western Pacific, and Colorado Midland railroads commissioned him to paint scenes along their routes. After his time in Colorado, he returned to San Jose where he remained for the rest of his life. Harmon died there on October 14, 1936 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Exhibited: Mark Hopkins Institute, 1897-98; Gump's (San Francisco), 1899; Berkeley League of Fine Arts; California Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1915; Stanford Art Gallery, 1923; Rosicrucian Art Gallery, 1949 and Triton Museum, 1971 (retrospectives). Works held: San Jose Civic Auditorium; Clarke Museum (Eureka); California State Library; Denver Public Library; Santa Fe Railway. Source : Edan Hughes Artists in California.