George Frederick Bensell Sold at Auction Prices

GEORGE F. BENSELL (American, 1837-1879) TROPICAL

TRAVELS. This large vibrant oil on canvas depicts two Indians with a wooden canoe next to a body of water in a somewhat tropical landscape possibly Florida? The painting signed in the lower left corner "G. F. Bensell" and framed in a later gold gilt frame. SIZE: overall 30 1/2" x 45 1/2", sight 23" h x 38" w. CONDITION: excellent with overall craquelure. PROVENANCE: Martin Lane Historic & Western Americana Lifetime Collection. (02-21727/JJ). $800-1,200.

George Bensell Signed Landscaped O/B Painting

A George Bensell (American, 1837-1879) landscape oil on board painting depicting a Pennsylvanian coastal scene. Signed in the lower right corner. Presented in a ornate, gesso wood frame. Sight: 11.5" x 18"

George Bensell Oil, Closing In

BENSELL, George Frederick (1837-1879). Closing In. Oil on board. Circa 1855. 29 3/4" x 36" board; 35" x 41 1/2" framed. Provenance: Edward Eberstadt & Sons, New York; Mr. William B. Ruger. The American West was a captivating subject for artists of the nineteenth-century. The American War of Independence had inspired a national need for an identity divorced from that of Britain and American artists found this in the majestic landscape and people of the American West. Their paintings answered such critics as the Reverend Sydney Smith, who in his 1820 article for the Edinburgh Review, asked: "In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? Or goes to an American play? Or looks at an American picture or statue?" Moreover, they responded to the call of their fellow countrymen who greatly desired images of their newly founded nation. In an 1816 address delivered at the opening ceremonies of the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the governor of New York state, De Witt Clinton, exalted both the American wilderness and the American cultural landscape as appropriate subjects for native arts, questioning: "And can there be a country in the world better calculated than ours to exercise and to exalt the imagination - to call into activity the creative powers of the mind, and to afford just views of the beautiful, the wonderful, and the sublime?" George Frederick Bensell's painting, Closing In, shows a direct response to such desires. Born in Philadelphia, he trained with John Lambdin and quickly became a skilled painter of historical subjects, genre and portraits. He exhibited annually at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts between 1856 and 1868 and was a founder and active member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club. In this exceptional painting, Bensell captures the essence of frontier life as the hunter draws his gun fearful of a confrontation with the Native Americans he has glimpsed through the trees. Frontier life was a popular genre for American painters and such subject matter was commonly depicted by the famous publishing firm of Currier and Ives. Indeed Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait's American Frontier Life, was produced as a lithograph from 1862 to 1863, by Currier and Ives, and shares a similar theme to that of Bensell's Closing In. Like Tait, Bensell's Indians are of the Eastern frontier and the scene is most probably a product of his imagination. The considerable skill displayed in both his painting technique and compositional arrangement make Closing in an exceptional example of George Frederick Bensell's work. His paintings are highly regarded but difficult to acquire due to the artist's untimely death at the age of 42, cutting short his accomplished career.

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (PA, 1837-1879)

Native American Warrior Brandishing a Scalp, oil on canvas, signed lower left, dated 1873, in later fatigued walnut stained oak molded frame with linen liner, OS: 39" x 59", SS: 29 1/2" x 49 1/2", fine craquelure, cleaned and relined, tiny flakes.

George Frederick Bensell 19th C. Oil Painting

George Frederick Bensell (American 1837-1879) 19th Century Oil on Canvas Painting of Farmhouse Landscape. Signed lower left "Geo. F. Bensell" and dated. In detailed period carved frame. 28 inches x 39 inches

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879), Mountain Landscape with a Lake and Figures in a Boat

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879) Mountain Landscape with a Lake and Figures in a Boat oil on canvas signed "G. Bensell " (lower left) 29 3/4 x 49 3/4 inches (sight) 34 3/4 x 54 3/4 inches (frame)

George Frederick Bensell 19th C. Oil Painting

George Frederick Bensell (American 1837-1879) 19th Century Oil on Canvas Painting of Farmhouse Landscape. Signed lower left "Geo. F. Bensell" and dated. In detailed period carved frame. 28 inches x 39 inches

George Bensell Oil on Canvas People in Landscape

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879). Oil on canvas people in landscape. Signed lower right G. Bensell. 13 3/4" x 17 1/2" (overall 21" x 25"). Extensive repairs throughout, losses to frame.

George Frederick Bensell 19th C. Oil Painting

George Frederick Bensell (American 1837-1879) 19th Century Oil on Canvas Painting of Farmhouse Landscape. Signed lower left "Geo. F. Bensell" and dated. In detailed period carved frame. 28 inches x 39 inches

George Frederick Bensell 19th C. Oil Painting

George Frederick Bensell (American 1837-1879) 19th Century Oil on Canvas Painting of Farmhouse Landscape. Signed lower left "Geo. F. Bensell" and dated. In detailed period carved frame. 28 inches x 39 inches

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (AMERICAN 1837-1879)

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (AMERICAN 1837-1879); OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING DEPICTING MOHICAN WARRIOR HOLDING SCALP; SIGNED LOWER LEFT AND DATED 1873; 30"H X 50"W IMAGE, 39"H X 59"W

GEORGE BENSELL (AMERICAN, 1837-1879).

Pencil on paper. "Man Holding a Pipe". Inscribed upper left and center. Label affixed verso. From a Yonkers, NY collection.

Oil on Canvas, Christ Child, George F. Bensell

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879) bears signature l.l. "GF Bensell." 37"h x 27"w

LANDSCAPE WITH NATIVE AMERICAN BY GEORGE BENSELL (PENNSYLVANIA, 1837-1879).

LANDSCAPE WITH NATIVE AMERICAN BY GEORGE BENSELL (PENNSYLVANIA, 1837-1879). Oil on canvas, signed lower right. River scene with man beaching a canoe. Patched repairs. 20"h. 36"w., framed, 25"h. 41.5"w.

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879)

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879), "Portrait of a Child", oil on canvas, signed lower right, 20 in. x 16 in., framed

Bensell Western Oil Painting

Closing In. George Frederick Bensell (1837-1879). Oil on Board. C. 1865-1875. Signed l.l."G. Bensell." 29 3/4 x 36 inches, 35 x 41 inches framed. Provenance: Edward Eberstadt & Sons, New York; Mr. William B. Ruger. A Captivating Depiction of Frontier Life Guidance: Christie’s, 2002 - $29,875

George F. Bensell O/c signed, 'Ambush', 19th c., 57"

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879), oil on canvas titled 'Ambush,' possibly depicting Robinson Crusoe and his guide, artist signed 'G.F. Bensell' at lower left, 30"h x 50"w, overall dimensions including frame 37"h x 57"w x 1"d.

GEORGE BENSELL (1837-1879) OIL ON CANVAS

A 19th century American landscape with figure bringing ashore a birch bark canoe, faint signature lower right. The canvas measures 20 x 36 and the frame is 26 x 41.75 inches. Provenance: Acquired through Henry Ruth Fine Arts, Kansas City.

GEORGE BENSELL (American, 1837-1879) WATERFALL, COLORADO ROCKIES.

Oil on canvas. Housed in a contemporary giltwood frame. Signed and dated lower left "Geo F. Bensell/April 8, 1878" SIZE: 50" x 40". Overall: 58" x 48" CONDITION: Good, restored condition. Lined, large craquelure along top with restoration and flake losses. Heavy varnish over old and new restoration scattered throughout. 50265-28

George Frederick Bensell (PA, 1837-1879), Autumn Landscape

oil on canvas, inscribed with the artist's information on the stretcher, unsigned, presented in a later gilt frame. DOA 35.5 x 55.75 in. Born in Philadelphia, Bensell studied with John Lambdin and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. A respected painter and illustrator, Bensell later taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was a founding member and the first president of the Philadelphia Sketch Club.

George Frederick Bensell, Closing In

BENSELL, George Frederick (1837 - 1879). Closing In. ca. 1865 - 1875. Oil on board. Signed "G. Bensell" l.l. Board size: 29 3/4 x 36 inches; framed size: 35 x 41 1/2 inches. Provenance: Edward Eberstadt & Sons, New York; Mr. William B. Ruger. The American West was a captivating subject for artists of the nineteenth-century. The American War of Independence had inspired a national need for an identity divorced from that of Britain and American artists found this in the majestic landscape and people of the American West. Their paintings answered such critics as the Reverend Sydney Smith, who in his 1820 article for the Edinburgh Review, asked: "In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? Or goes to an American play? Or looks at an American picture or statue?" Moreover, they responded to the call of their fellow countrymen who greatly desired images of their newly founded nation. In an 1816 address delivered at the opening ceremonies of the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the governor of New York state, De Witt Clinton, exalted both the American wilderness and the American cultural landscape as appropriate subjects for native arts, questioning: "And can there be a country in the world better calculated than ours to exercise and to exalt the imagination - to call into activity the creative powers of the mind, and to afford just views of the beautiful, the wonderful, and the sublime?" George Frederick Bensell's painting, Closing In, shows a direct response to such desires. Born in Philadelphia, he trained with John Lambdin and quickly became a skilled painter of historical subjects, genre and portraits. He exhibited annually at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts between 1856 and 1868 and was a founder and active member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club. In this exceptional painting, Bensell captures the essence of frontier life as the hunter draws his gun fearful of a confrontation with the Native Americans he has glimpsed through the trees. Frontier life was a popular genre for American painters and such subject matter was commonly depicted by the famous publishing firm of Currier and Ives. Indeed Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait's American Frontier Life, was produced as a lithograph from 1862 to 1863, by Currier and Ives, and shares a similar theme to that of Bensell?s Closing In. Like Tait, Bensell's Indians are of the Eastern frontier and the scene is most probably a product of his imagination. The considerable skill displayed in both his painting technique and compositional arrangement make Closing in an exceptional example of George Frederick Bensell's work. His paintings are highly regarded but difficult to acquire due to the artist's untimely death at the age of 42, cutting short his accomplished career.

George Frederick Bensell

George Frederick Bensell (Pennsylvania, 1837-1879) THE KNIGHT oil on canvas, period frame, signed lower right H50" W30" Provenance: Columbia, South Carolina private collection

* George Frederick Bensell, (American, 1837-1879), Ambush

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879) Ambush oil on canvas signed G.F. Bensell (lower left) 29 x 49 inches.

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL, American, 1837-1879, "Winter in the Country"., Oil on canvas, 12" x 20¼". Framed.

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL American, 1837-1879 "Winter in the Country". Signed lower left "G. Bensell". Titled on gallery label. Provenance: Vose Galleries, Boston. Private Collection, Massachusetts. Oil on canvas, 12" x 20 1/4". Framed.

George Frederick Bensell (PA, 1837-1879), The Hunt

George Frederick Bensell (PA, 1837-1879), The Hunt oil on canvas (lined), signed at lower left "G. Bensell," mountain landscape with lone hunter, presented in a contemporary period appropriate gilt wood frame with gallery plaque. SS 11.25 x 17.75 in.; DOA 18 x 24.5 in. From the Bankruptcy Estate of Allen Mead and Mary Rutherfoord Ferguson, Richmond, VA Gallery Mayo, Richmond, VA Schwarz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (Illustrated in Philadelphia Collection LIV, November 1993) Frank S. Schwarz & Son, Philadelphia, PA (Illustrated in Philadelphia Collection XLVIII, February 1992) Professionally cleaned; scattered minor touch-ups to sky visible under black light inspection.

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879), First Frost in the Delaware Valley

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879) FIRST FROST IN THE DELAWARE VALLEY Signed lower right "G.F. Bensell" Oil on canvas 16 x 25 1/2 in. Provenance: purchased at Pennsylvania Art Conservatory in December 2007

George Frederick Bensell, (American, 1837-1879), "The Future", Pencil, 5 7/8" high, 4 3/4" wide, oval

George Frederick Bensell (American, 1837-1879) "The Future" Pencil Portrait of young woman, signed Geo. F. Bensell and dated 1859. Bensell was the first president and founding member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club. Period gilt frame. 5 7/8" high, 4 3/4" wide, oval

George Frederick Bensell

"King Lear", oil on canvas, 50" x 40", SLL "Geo. F. Bensell". Artist: American, 1837 - 1879. Estimate: $2,000-3,000

GEORGE F. BENSELL INDIANS IN YOSEMITE PAINTING

BENSELL, George F., (American, 1837-1879): Indians in a Yosemite Landscape with Waterfall, OIL/Canvas, 27 1/2'' x 49 1/2'', signed 2 times with altered/partially obliterated signature, dated 1867, framed, 35 1/2'' x 58''.

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL, (AMERICAN 1837-1879), WALKING THE PENNSYLVANIA HILLS

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (american 1837-1879) WALKING THE PENNSYLVANIA HILLS Signed bottom right, oil on canvas 40 x 60 in. provenance: Property from the Estate of Dr. and Mrs. Meyer Naide, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (AMERICAN 1837-1879)

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (american 1837-1879) WALKING THE PENNSYLVANIA HILLS Signed bottom right, oil on canvas 40 x 60 in. provenance: Property from the Estate of Dr. and Mrs. Meyer Naide, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Half portrait, possibly John W. Booth, signed

Half portrait, possibly John W. Booth, signed lower right "Geo. F Bensell" (George Frederick Bensell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1837-1879), said to be John Wilkes Booth with copy of a letter from President Bill Patterson of the Philadelphia sketch club discussing artist and sitter; Bensell was a personal friend of Booth, oil on canvas, unframed, oval 24 x 19-3/4 in. Original stretcher, deteriorating tacking edge, three holes, abrasions, flaking primarily at edges, crackle, cupping, flaking. Provenance: Private Collection.

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL

GEORGE FREDERICK BENSELL (1837-1879 Philadelphia PA) Gypsy woman looking right, on steps with fallen tambourine. oil on canvas laid on board, signed lower left Geo. F. Bensell 1863. Contained in period arched top gilt slip frame. Condition: extensive repairs and restoration. Dimensions: 59'' X 37'', frame 66'' X 44''.

George F. Bensell (American, 1837-1879) seascape, oil on canvas, 13" x 25", signed

George Frederick Bensell

Portrait of a boy with a dog, oil on canvas, 50" x 40", SLR, "G.F. Bensell". Artist: b. 1837, d. 1879, Pennsylvania. Condition: craquelure, extensive in-painting, hole in bottom center.

George Frederick Bensell (1837-1879)

Closing In signed 'G. Bensell' (lower left) oil on board 293/4 x 36 in. (75.6 x 91.4 cm.) PROVENANCE Edward Eberstadt & Sons, New York. Acquired by the present owner from the above. EXHIBITION New York, Edward Eberstadt & Sons, A Distinguished Collection of Western Paintings, 1956, catalogue 139, no. 2, illustrated New York, Edward Eberstadt & Sons, 1908-1958: Our Golden Anniversary Catalogue of American Paintings, 1957, catalogue 146, no. 14, illustrated NOTES Executed circa 1855.