Alexander Pope Jr - One of America"s Leading Sporting Artists
Alexander Pope Jr.
(1849-1924) was one of the leading sporting artists of his day, known for his exquisite paintings of hunting dogs and his realistically rendered still lifes.
His trompe l'oeil technique became a visual calling card, and helped to popularize the style in the late 19th century.
Having trained briefly with William Rimmer and William Copley, Pope was a celebrated member of the Copley Society of Boston, the oldest art association in America.
Pope's work was acquired by such high-profile collectors as Czar Alexander III of Russia and is found today in museums like the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the Brooklyn Museum.
A favorite portrait artist among high-society circles, Pope completed "Dogs in a Kennel" around the turn of the 20th century, most likely on commission by high-profile horse breeder and New York hotelier David S.
Hammond (1840-1900).
The work shows three pure-breed dogs peering out from a wooden crate.
Pope's trompe l'oeil technique gives the painting a three-dimensional feel.
"Hammond was part owner of the famed Murray Hill Hotel, where he lived among such notable residents as Mark Twain, Grover Cleveland, and J.
P.
Morgan," says Kirsty Buchanan, consignment director for fine art at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.
"The realistically painted shipping label on the wooden crate clearly identifies the two black spaniels and the bulldog as belonging to Hammond.
" "The painting was so lifelike that we actually thought the big boxer was real and was waiting to jump out of that crate when we weren't looking," says Kimberly Pope Lampman, who recalls childhood visits to her grandfather's home where the painting hung.
It's not known if Hammond ever received "Dogs in a Kennel", as the painting remained in the artist's personal collection.
"According to a New York Times obituary published on April 11, 1900, Hammond died of heart failure in his Murray Hill Hotel, possibly before this piece was finished," Buchanan says.
"Mysteriously, the painting remained in the artist's possession.
" "Dogs in a Kennel" was eventually gifted by Pope to his cousin, William Carroll Pope.
It has been carefully passed down through five generations of that family.
Now, the 36-by-47.
5 inch oil on canvas is being auctioned, part of Heritage's American & European Art auction scheduled for May 27, 2010, in Dallas.
It's expected to fetch up to $120,000.
"This is the first time this important and beautiful work by Alexander Pope Jr.
has ever been presented at public auction," Buchanan says.
(1849-1924) was one of the leading sporting artists of his day, known for his exquisite paintings of hunting dogs and his realistically rendered still lifes.
His trompe l'oeil technique became a visual calling card, and helped to popularize the style in the late 19th century.
Having trained briefly with William Rimmer and William Copley, Pope was a celebrated member of the Copley Society of Boston, the oldest art association in America.
Pope's work was acquired by such high-profile collectors as Czar Alexander III of Russia and is found today in museums like the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the Brooklyn Museum.
A favorite portrait artist among high-society circles, Pope completed "Dogs in a Kennel" around the turn of the 20th century, most likely on commission by high-profile horse breeder and New York hotelier David S.
Hammond (1840-1900).
The work shows three pure-breed dogs peering out from a wooden crate.
Pope's trompe l'oeil technique gives the painting a three-dimensional feel.
"Hammond was part owner of the famed Murray Hill Hotel, where he lived among such notable residents as Mark Twain, Grover Cleveland, and J.
P.
Morgan," says Kirsty Buchanan, consignment director for fine art at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.
"The realistically painted shipping label on the wooden crate clearly identifies the two black spaniels and the bulldog as belonging to Hammond.
" "The painting was so lifelike that we actually thought the big boxer was real and was waiting to jump out of that crate when we weren't looking," says Kimberly Pope Lampman, who recalls childhood visits to her grandfather's home where the painting hung.
It's not known if Hammond ever received "Dogs in a Kennel", as the painting remained in the artist's personal collection.
"According to a New York Times obituary published on April 11, 1900, Hammond died of heart failure in his Murray Hill Hotel, possibly before this piece was finished," Buchanan says.
"Mysteriously, the painting remained in the artist's possession.
" "Dogs in a Kennel" was eventually gifted by Pope to his cousin, William Carroll Pope.
It has been carefully passed down through five generations of that family.
Now, the 36-by-47.
5 inch oil on canvas is being auctioned, part of Heritage's American & European Art auction scheduled for May 27, 2010, in Dallas.
It's expected to fetch up to $120,000.
"This is the first time this important and beautiful work by Alexander Pope Jr.
has ever been presented at public auction," Buchanan says.
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