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If there is one image that captures the anticipation and wonder of the holiday season, it is Carl Reichert’s ‘A Christmas Treat’ (lot 95), featured in the popular annual sale of Dogs in Art, taking place at Bonhams & Butterfields on 25 January 2005. Bonhams has held these dedicated sales for over 20 years and once again, collectors and pet-lovers will gather in our San Francisco salerooms to bid on 120 lots. Many breeds are represented in the auction, from the aristocratic Borzoi to the mischievous Terrier; gun dogs, Pointers, Setters, Spaniels, and Pekingese. There should be something for every dog lover.

One of the finest paintings in the sale is by William Frank Calderon (1865-1945). 'Orphans' (lot 77) shows the artist's own Irish Wolfhound 'Patrick' lying down in an interior with one paw resting over two terrier puppies. Calderon's work rarely appears at auction and this exceptional picture is estimated at $35,000-45,000. Calderon came from a prestigious artistic family and enjoyed success at the tender age of 16 when Queen Victoria bought his Royal Academy exhibit of 1881. He found his true vocation in the depiction of animals, great and small, and set up a School of Animal Painting in London in 1894. Among the students to pass through were Cecil Aldin and Lionel Edwards.

Among the other highlights is a beautiful example of the work of William Henry Hamilton Trood (1848-1899) (lot 62), estimated at $15,000-20,00. Only 12 x 16 inches, it shows a black terrier watching over a bundle of sleeping puppies and is not only an excellent example of the artist's work, but also illustrates the best in this genre. There are also several examples of the work of Henry Horatio Couldery (1832-1893). The best is a large canvas, 24 x 36 inches, estimated at $30,000-$40,000, showing a Springer Spaniel with her puppies entitled 'Maternal Affection' (lot 35).

Foxhounds are always popular and the sale includes an oil sketch on paper of the head of a hound by John Frederick Herring, Senior (1795-1865). These beautifully worked sketches by Herring, dating from the early 1850's are highly sought after by collectors as they combine a lightness of touch with a brilliant observation of the animal and are estimated at $6000-9000.

Collectors will also be familiar with the work of Arthur Wardle, R.I., (1864-1949). This exceptional artist was largely self-taught, but is now regarded as one of the finest animal painters of his generation. The catalogue includes five works, ranging in value from $1500-20,000, the best of which are two wonderfully crafted paintings of King Charles Spaniels (lot 92) and Dachshunds (lot 93), which carry estimates of $8000-10,000 each.

Continental buyers will be pleased to see several paintings of interest, in particular two pictures by Danish artists. Lot 78 is by Ejnar Vindfeldt (1905-1953) and shows a Spaniel with puppies in a sun drenched yard, ($20,000-30,000), and a charming composition by Simon Simonsen (1841-1928), is of a pile of Dachshund puppies (lot 94) and is expected to fetch $12,000-15,000.

Sale Enquiries

Mark Fisher
Head of Department
European Paintings
Los Angeles
+ 1 323 436 5488

Charles O'Brien
Head of Department
19th Century Paintings
London
+44 (0)20 7468 8360

For more details visit the Bonhams web site.