Summer Auction Picks of the Week

With our Summer auction only 6 days away, we would like to present one last highlight from this month's auction selection.

Please Contact the gallery if you have questions about the bidding process, or need further information about a particular lot. Our gallery associates are quick to respond to your needs and will help ensure a successful auction outcome. We are driven to perfect and grow your collection, and provide you with the tools necessary to do so.

Highlight of the Week: Lot 12

Chuck-Will's Widow, Plate 52

37 x 49" framed

Once Audubon had committed to his project, producing the monumental Birds of America, it fell to him to find an engraver and subscribers. After a failed attempt to drum up interest in Philadelphia, he turned to Europe. Departing from New Orleans in 1826, he arrived in Liverpool first. While in Europe, he presented himself as a romanticized American woodsman. He dressed in buckskins and applied bear grease to his long hair, playing to the English’s attraction to characters of frontier culture. He brought more than 300 pictures, which were exhibited in Liverpool, Manchester, and Edinburgh where they were enthusiastically well-received by a scientific community much preoccupied with little-known lands. While in Edinburgh, Audubon was directed to William Home Lizars (1788 – 1859), the finest engraver in the city. Lizars was so impressed by Audubon’s drawings that he put aside a project and agreed to instead take on the formidable task of engraving the plates for Audubon’s “Great Work.” Work on the first part began in November 1826 and by January 1827 the first five images were printed. Audubon’s relationship with Lizars was, however, not long-lasting. During the production of the first two parts Lizars’ colorists went on strike, and in June 1827 Audubon retrieved the ten completed plates and began his search for a new engraver.

In London, he met Robert Havell, Sr. (1774 – 1832), a print maker. Havell, Sr., felt he was too old for such an undertaking, but his son Robert Jr. (1793 – 1878) entered into a partnership with him and together they brought to fruition Audubon’s massive work, The Birds of America.

Audubon’s prints are, in a word, stunning. He was an exceptional naturalist. The striking posture of the birds displays as much of their shape and plumage as possible, with a degree of detail that proves the extent of his research. Audubon stood out from other ornithological naturalists of his time by depicting his birds in dynamic, active attitudes, rather than just in profile. The artist’s eye and hand can be seen on every page; the birds have personalities, and with them, Audubon cemented his status as an American archetype, as much a part of our national folklore as George Washington or Johnny Appleseed.

Interests Turned Collections

George Arents, Jr. was the grand-nephew of Major Lewis Ginter of Allen and Ginter tobacco manufacturing company, later acquired by the American Tobacco Company. With a Bachelors from Columbia University (and a  Masters degree at Syracuse University at the age of 57), Arents joined the family business and served as a member of the American Tobacco Company firm from 1896 to 1905. In 1922, he became a director and, from 1924 on, the treasurer of both the American Machine and Foundry and International Cigar Machinery, a subsidiary. For his contributions, Arents is considered one of the founders of the American Machine and Foundry. With his partner Rufus L. Patterson, Arents received a patent on a cigar-rolling machine in 1900 and eventually they produced two-thirds of the cigars manufactured in the United States.

In conversation with Sue Dickenson of Commonwealth Magazine, Arents recalled a talk given at the College of William and Mary in 1939 where he discussed some advice his great-uncle once gave him:

“On one of my many visits, Major Ginter gave me some advice which I have never forgotten; it has added greatly to my happiness and I think may be of value to many of you here – he said, ’When you are young, have many hobbies, but let your business or profession come first; as you grow older, you will have to abandon some of them, the more you have, the less you will miss those you have to give up.”

Image Courtesy of Wikicomons

In 1893 Arents purchased a pamphlet entitled “A Pinch of Snuff” for $2.25 while perusing an antique bookshop. This was the start of what would become a lifelong passion - as well as the largest and most important collection of tobacciana in the world. Perhaps the most noteworthy item in his tobacco collection is the vary rare 1507 volume of Cosmographiae Introductio by Martin Waldesmuller. As the first printed reference to tobacco, it cites an account of explorer Amerigo Vespucci having observed Native Americans chewing a certain green plant. Arents continued to collect books, images, and other paraphernalia that referenced tobacco. By 1952, five illustrated volumes were published on the collection: Tobacco, its History Illustrated by Books, Manuscripts, and Engravings in the Library of George Arents, Jr.

Rosa Macrocarpa
from Redoute's Les Roses

Arents’ other great contribution, The George Arents Collection of Books in Parts, contains over 1,200 items dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries and is one of the most important collections assembled on the subject. In the words of Sarah Augusta Dickson, the first curator of the George Arents Collection: “Books in parts may be defined as works by an author or authors which are published piecemeal over a period of time, each unit having its separate cover, usually paper or boards, and in many cases with the title-page and other preliminary matter for the volume or volumes at the end of the last part.” These items were acquired with a keen eye intent on collecting only the best copies of these publications with an emphasis on original condition and original wrapping. Several titles in bindings were added to the collection including Redouté's Les Roses and Audubon's Birds of America (the octavo edition of 1840-1844).

Californian Partridge
from Birds of America
John  James Audubon

George Arents, Jr.’s other interests included auto-racing, music, books, and sports. In 1904 he participated in his first and last international road race, the Vanderbilt Cup; unfortunately, Arents flipped his car during the race injuring himself and killing his mechanic. Always appreciative of fine music, Argents family donated a 21-bell carillon to St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Fifth Avenue. George Arents, Jr.’s social activities included the Century Association, The Racquet and Tennis Club, the Friends of Yale Library, the Huguenot and St. Nicholas Societies, the Grolier Club, and the American Society of the French Legion of Honor.

George Arents, Jr. died in December 1960 at the age of 85. The George Arents, Jr. Collection, now in New York Public Library on 5th Avenue, is in two Georgian-style, pine-paneled rooms.

Arader Galleries is proud to offer its services in helping you find your passion and collectables. Our skilled professionals are happy to help clients begin their own collections with artwork that stuns and only gets better with age. Sample works include the finest prints of Audubon, Redouté, maps, architecturals, Americana, furniture and globes, and rare books. Below are just a few examples of what we would be delighted to show you. Further offerings may be viewed at our website: http://aradersf.com/

Bayard Taylor Illustrated Library of Travel, Exploration and Adventure, Wonders of the Yellowstone

Scribner, Armstrong & Co: New York, 1875. 

Homann Heirs

Planiglobii Terrestris Mappemonde

Nuremberg: 1746

Hand-colored copperplate engraving

Andreas Cellarius (1656-1702)

Typus Selenographicus Lunaephases et Sectus Varios ad Umbrans

From Atlas Coelestis seu Harmonia Macrocosmica

Amsterdam: Schenk and Valk, 1708

Hand-colored copperplate engraving

Please contact Arader Galleries for further information. 

Arader Galleries at Audubon Richardson Bay Center and Sanctuary

Arader Galleries would like to thank would like to thank the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary, along with all attendees of the Audubon exhibition for making this event a success. A spectacular collection of hand-colored engravings from John James Audubon's Birds of America was on display at the Lyford House, a historic landmark on the edge of the San Francisco Bay, throughout this past weekend. The Lyford House, one of the oldest houses surviving from the ranching era in Marin County, was the perfect setting for extraordinary collection of Audubon engravings. We were happy to see the enthusiastic reactions to the collection of Audubon as well as artwork by the naturalists Mark Catesby (1682-1749) and John Gould (1804-1881) also on display.

If you would like to inquire about any of the artwork on display, please call contact Arader Galleries at 415.788.5115.

For more information about the Richardson Bay Center and Sanctuary, visit www.tiburon.org.

Calling All Audubon Aficionados

Hooping Crane by John James Audubon

For those of you already familiar with Arader Galleries, John James Audubon needs no introduction. But for those not entirely acquainted with the greatest bird illustrator of all time, the current issue of Art and Antiques Magazine features on article on the notorious artist titled: Call of the Wild: Documenting America’s Birds was the Lifetime Obsession of John James Audubon.

The article begins by tracing Audubon’s extraordinary trials and tribulations. Beginning with his financial struggles and his inability to secure a publisher for The Birds of America, the article underscores Audubon’s commitment of staying true to his goal. Indeed, Audubon persevered, finding a different reception abroad. Eventually, the English engravers Robert Havell Sr. and Robert Havell Jr. agreed to publish the drawings, and The Birds of America was released to subscribers from 1827 to 1838. Ultimately, The Birds of America comprised of 435 color plates, published in the massive double elephant folio format. Yet the article mainly aims to present Audubon aficionados to an exhibit and book that reveal new research regarding what motivated this extraordinary individual.

The article highlights New York Historical Society’s exhibit, Some Things Old, Some Things Borrowed, But Most Things New, which traces Audubon’s ingenuity with respect to his predecessors and contemporaries. The book, Audubon: Early Drawings (published in September of 2008 by Harvard University Press) features Audubon’s work until 1821, illustrating how Audubon’s skill developed overtime. Lastly, but certainly not least, the article quotes W. Graham Arader III himself on what makes Audubon’s birds so iconic.

The article nicely traces the production history of The Birds of America and introduces new developments about what inspired this infamous artist. For anyone who appreciates the majesty of Audubon’s Birds of America we invite you to stop by Arader Galleries to view our exceptional collection of Audubon’s hand-colored aquatint engravings from Birds of America. Also, should you find yourself in New York City from February 13 to April 5 we strongly encourage you to catch the Audubon exhibit at the New York Historical Society.

We also have an excellent selection of Audubon's hand-colored engravings available for purchase at Arader Galleries. Please visit www.aradersf.com or call 415-788-5115 for more information.

John Gould Artist Proofs

John Gould (1804-1881)
Artist proofs for The Birds of Europe
"Spoonbill" (top image)
"Marsh Sandpiper" (center image)
“Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper” (bottom image)
London: 1832-37
Lithographs with hand-written notations

John Gould was without question the most prolific natural history artist of the 19th century, and the only one to rival John James Audubon in ambition and quality. The 19th century was a time of intense fascination with discoveries in natural history, especially regarding knowledge of the wildlife of exotic lands. Gould shared the romantic enthusiasm of his time for such subjects, as well as the popular impulse to catalogue exotic wildlife. He combined his passion for natural history with outstanding scientific, artistic, and entrepreneurial talents. Drawing on these abilities, he embarked on a series of projects that would eventually make him the leading publisher of ornithological illustrations in Victorian Britain. Gould’s unparalleled career spanned five decades, and he produced a monumental series of books of birds throughout the world.

From the time he took up taxidermy in his early teens, Gould was devoted to recording bird life, either as he observed it personally or as it was reported to him by other ornithologists. He procured the scientific information through extensive correspondence, travel, and field research. The preparatory drawings that he produced were passed on for completion to skilled illustrators, most notably his wife, Elizabeth, and Edward Lear. The plates which resulted from such partnerships were a splendid fusion of art and science, with a scope than remains unsurpassed. Stunning and at the same time highly accurate, Gould’s illustrations linked beauty to science, and science to beauty, in and an unprecedented manner.

One of the most accomplished and engaging natural history works of the 19th century, The Birds of Europe was also the first of Gould’s works to feature plates by Edward Lear. A total of sixty-eight images bear Lear’s name, and they are among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made. Lear endowed his illustrations with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, and his style is at once fluidly spontaneous and realistically precise. In this way, the images of The Birds of Europe are amazingly distinctive, while also highly realistic.

Gould undertook this work partly in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. In his preface he stated his mission: “the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, most
interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.” Gould portrayed birds native to Europe in a manner that had only been thought appropriate for the colorful species of distant places. In this way he managed to draw much popular interest back to native birds, which were suddenly considered equally beautiful to exotic species. These proofs, which have notations by the Goulds, were part of the the final preparation stages for this publication.

These artist proofs (show above and at www.aradersf.com) are currently available for purchase at Arader Galleries. For more information, please call 415.788.5115.

Arader Galleries at Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary

Arader Galleries recently hosted a reception at the Lyford House at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Tiburon for both Audubon California members and Audubon collectors on May 8, 2008. A spectacular collection of hand-colored engravings from John James Audubon's Birds of America was on display at the Lyford House, a historic landmark on the edge of the San Francisco Bay. The Lyford House, one of the oldest houses surviving from the ranching era in Marin County, was the perfect setting for extraordinary collection of Audubon engravings. We thank everyone at Audubon California, and all attendees of the event, for their interest in Audubon and the collection of Arader Galleries. For more information about the Richardson Bay Center and Sanctuary, please visit their web site: http://www.tiburonaudubon.org//