Neal Auction Louisiana Purchase 2015

Additional information at www.nealauction.com 55 253. Abbott Fuller Graves (American, 1859‑1936) , “Courtyard at 726 St. Peter St., New Orleans”, c. 1927‑1928, oil on canvas, unsigned, extensively labeled en verso, 24 in. x 20 in., original Carrig‑Rohane Shop giltwood frame. $25000/35000 Provenance: Vose Galleries, Boston, MA; A. Everette James, Jr., Nashville, TN; Sessions Hootsell, Natchez, MS; Dr. James Nelson, Gonzales, LA; Private Collection, New Orleans, LA. Note: Abbott Fuller Graves (1859-1936) was an influential Boston painter known for his floral garden scenes painted in a colorful, Impressionistic style. Not fond of the cold New England winters, Graves traveled to different tropical locales during that time of year. He visited New Orleans during the winters of 1927 and 1928 and was inspired to paint the courtyards of the Vieux Carré. The work presented here is a lovely example of one such scene; a painterly view with the effects of sunlight and shadow rendered very skillfully. Graves depicts the courtyard at 726 St. Peter Street, the present site of Preservation Hall and a very historic locale. Graves painted another view of this courtyard which is conserved in the Historic New Orleans Collection (accession no. 2014.0053.1) that includes many of the same compositional elements such as the olive jar, wine jug and colorful flowers but is rendered in a different perspective. The work offered here is a bit more sublime with the figure walking through the archway and the crumbling masonry of the façade rendered to romantic effect. 254. Walter Inglis Anderson (American/Mississippi, 1903‑1965) , “Butterflies”, c. 1947, wall hanging, linoleum block print on cotton cloth, printed in various color paints, 70 in. x 33 in. $30000/50000 Provenance: Collection of the Artist; Private Collection. Note: This rare and important textile exhibits Walter Anderson’s sensitivity to the symmetries and variations of natural form, and it shows a playful modernity and trompe l’oeil effect with a grid arrangement for the unique specimens, as if in an entomologist’s cabinet. Anderson’s lifetime interest in the natural world is well known, through the thousands of watercolors and linocuts he made of specimens and landscapes from Cat Island and nearby retreats. Mary Anderson Pickard observed that images from the natural world, “affirmed his conviction of the inexhaustible beauties of nature, and encouraged the habit of close observation” for her father. The linocut prints, geometric and carefully planned by necessity of the medium, emphasize the rhythms and patterns of nature though Anderson’s close observation. After their 1933 marriage, Walter and Sissy Anderson began collaboration on an illustrated book of poetry to be called Butterflies , with verse from Sissy accompanied by linocut prints from Walter. One surviving bit of text is as follows: Amongst the blossoms in and out \ One seldom sees the curious snout \ To a wise man one might compare \ The butterfly for he is rare. Though Butterflies was never completed as conceived, this textile was created soon afterward and incorporates Anderson’s iconic linocuts into an unified masterwork. Thanks to Leif Anderson and Mary Anderson Pickard for their assistance. Ref: Pickard, Mary Anderson and Patricia Pinson. Form and Fantasy: The Block Prints of Walter Anderson . Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007. 255. Walter Inglis Anderson (American/ Mississippi, 1903‑1965) , “White Convolvulus on Dunes”, c. 1955‑60, diptych watercolors on paper, unsigned, 3 “Luise Ross Gallery, New York” gallery labels with title and date, each 8 1/2 in. x 11 in., framed. $18000/25000 256. Henry Casselli (American/New Orleans, b. 1946) , “The Ballet Dancer”, watercolor on paper, pencil‑signed lower left, 29 in. x 21 1/4 in., framed. $4000/6000 257. William Woodward (American/ New Orleans, 1859‑1939) , “Spanish Cabildo and Stocks, New Orleans”, Raffaelli oil crayon on board, signed lower right, titled lower left, pencil‑signed and inscribed on the original framing back en verso, sight 13 1/2 in. x 9 in., framed. $12000/18000 Provenance: Descended in the family of the artist; Private Collection, New Orleans, LA. Note: In 1895, the historic Cabildo was in a state of decay and was slated for demolition. William Woodward, one of the early proponents of preservation efforts in the Vieux Carré, led a successful campaign to have the building preserved and restored. In 1911, the building became the home of the Louisiana State Museum. The stocks shown in this view of the Cabildo are no longer in existence. Ref.: Hinckley, Robert. William Woodward: American Impressionist . New Orleans: MPress, 2009, p. 70.