Neal Auction Louisiana Purchase 2015

Additional information at www.nealauction.com 39 175. William Aiken Walker (American/South Carolina, 1838‑1921) , “Bringin’ in the Dory”, 1895, oil on academy board, signed and dated lower left, pencil inscribed “$5.00”, partial “F.W. Devoe & Co., Academy Board, New York”, “Robert M. Hicklin, Jr., Inc., Spartanburg, SC” label en verso, 6 1/8 in. x 12 1/4 in., framed with artist plaque. $40000/60000 Provenance: The Warner Collection of Gulf States Paper Corporation, Tuscaloosa, AL; Robert M. Hicklin, Jr., Inc., Spartanburg, SC; Private Collection, Savannah, GA. Ill.: Seibels Cynthia. The Sunny South: The Life and Art of William Aiken Walker. Spartanburg, SC: Saraland Press, 1995, fig. 81, p. 161. Note: In this well-documented Florida scene of 1895, William Aiken Walker’s brilliant command of composition and meticulous attention to detail perfectly depict the bank of the Halifax River in Ponce Park. Setting it apart from Walker’s other Florida nature studies and coastal landscapes, “Bringin’ in the Dory” incorporates the figure of a fisherman and the architecture of the coast. The result is a captivating concentration on the subtle vertical accent of the figure at the center, offset by the upward diagonal of the sailboat to the left, artfully reflecting an answering curve in the twin palms on the right-hand side. The painting presents a masterful blue-gray harmony of water and sky, shirt and planking, sail and roofs, all held in a moment of visual balance. The structures in the middle distance are the buildings of the Pacetti House, built in 1886 and run by B. C. and Martha Pacetti and their children. Walker became such a seasonal fixture of the hostelry that he acted as its receptionist, using its front office as a painting studio, and becoming an intimate companion of the often quite prominent patrons who frequented Pacetti House. The work offered here, perhaps more than any other of his coastal paintings, establishes Walker as a preeminent artist of the American landscape. Ref.: Seibels, Cynthia and Robert M. Hicklin Jr.. The Sunny South: The Life and Art of William Aiken Walker. Spartanburg, SC: Saraland Press, 1995, pp. 161-163. Note: To be included in John Fowler’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of William Aiken Walker. 176. William Aiken Walker (American/South Carolina, 1838‑1921) , “Male Cotton Picker” and “Female Cotton Picker”, 2 oils on academy board, both signed lower left and pencil‑inscribed en verso, each 8 in. x 4 in., matching gilt frames. (2 pcs.) $7000/10000 Note: To be included in John Fowler’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of William Aiken Walker. 177. William Aiken Walker (American/South Carolina, 1838‑1921) , “Cabin by the Cotton Fields”, oil on academy board, signed lower left, “The House of Heydenryk, NY” label en verso, 6 1/4 in. x 12 3/8 in., framed. $8000/10000 Note: To be included in John Fowler’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of William Aiken Walker.

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