William H. Buck Paintings & Artwork for Sale | William H. Buck Art Value Price Guide

Oct. 20, 2024
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Cows Resting Under Spanish Moss-Draped Live Oak Tree"
Est: $60,000 - $90,000
† William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Cows Resting Under Spanish Moss-Draped Live Oak Tree" oil on panel signed lower right, a "W.E. Seebold, Stationer, Engraver & Fine Art Dealer, New Orleans" label en verso. Framed.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Jul. 30, 2023
William Henry Buck, (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Sunrise Over Bayou St. John", oil on canvas, 18" x 30", framed 27" x 38-3/4"
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Sunrise Over Bayou St. John" oil on canvas signed lower right. Period frame with artist and title plaque. 18" x 30", framed 27" x 38-3/4" Provenance: Purchased from the artist; thence by descent in the family; to be sold for the benefit of Griffith Homeplace Museum, Terrell, Texas. Notes: The Norwegian-born painter William Henry Buck arrived in New Orleans in 1869, and studied with prominent artists of the day including Richard Clague and Andres Molinary. Buck became an active member of the city's emerging art community of the late 19th century and achieved recognition for his plein-air paintings of the Louisiana landscape. In 1708, Native American Indians shared with Jean-Baptiste Bienville that Bayou St. John, which they called Bayouk Choupic, was a natural portage to the Mississippi River. Because it offered a route from the lake to the river, Bayou St. John played an essential role in the founding of New Orleans. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the Carondelet Canal was dug which connected the back of the city with the Bayou St. John. In the mid-19th century, Marie Laveau was known to perform voodoo ceremonies including inviting the public to St. John's Eve ritual on Bayou St. John. In the painting "Sunrise Over Bayou St. John", Buck captures the break of day, as the sun rises over the bayou filled with Spanish moss-draped live oak trees.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
May. 21, 2023
Attributed to William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Stick in the Mud"
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Attributed to William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Stick in the Mud, 3 Days before Grace" oil on canvas titled lower left and unsigned. Framed. 14" x 24", framed 18-3/4" x 28-3/4"
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Apr. 21, 2023
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840)
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Jackson Square, New Orleans", oil on board, signed and inscribed "Sketch by Buck. N.O." lower right, 9 in. x 12 in., framed, overall 13 in. x 15 7/8 in. x 2 1/4 in. Note: William Henry Buck emigrated from Norway to the United State around 1865. He arrived in New Orleans circa 1870 where he worked as a clerk for a cotton factory. During the late 1870s and early 1880s, Buck studied with Richard Clague and was one of his closest followers. By 1880, Buck had opened his own studio at 26 Carondelet Street in New Orleans, where he was instrumental in defining the easel-sized painting market. Buck created the most expansive known body of work in the nineteenth century portraying the rivers, lakes, bayous and environs of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. His passion for capturing the Louisiana landscape is evident in the exquisite and subtle luminosity and carefully composed compositions of his works. While his rural bayou landscapes are perhaps his best known, a handful of urban scenes of New Orleans also appear in the artist’s oeuvre though very rarely do they surface at auction. This recently discovered work is the only known painting by Buck of New Orleans’ most famous landmark setting. Buck’s take on the iconic scene is a charming, light-filled composition with a slightly skewed perspective and hints of the famous bayou painter’s classic style. The blue sky with puffy clouds, the delicate brushwork of the foliage and the detail of the architecture present a scene as detailed as it is timeless. The path in the garden invites the viewer into the square, where the statue of Andrew Jackson, erected in 1856 and silhouetted against the backdrop of St. Louis Cathedral, takes center stage in place of the artist’s characteristic moss-draped oak. As beautiful as it is historic, this painting places Buck at the very heart of not only the Louisiana bayou but also the ever-changing city he called home, portraying a unique glimpse of life in New Orleans during an exciting period of growth and transformation. Ref.: Lewis, Richard Anthony. “William Henry Buck.” 64 Parishes. www.64parishes.org. Accessed Mar. 9, 2023; Wiesendanger, Martin and Margaret. 19th Century Louisiana Paintings from the Collection of W.E. Groves. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 1971.
Neal Auction Company
Mar. 26, 2023
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Sharecropper's Cabin"
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Sharecropper's Cabin, Farm Along the Bayou" oil on canvas signed lower right, a "Taylor Clark, Fine Prints, Paintings & Framing, Baton Rouge" label en verso. Framed. 14" x 22", framed 19-1/2" x 27-1/2" Provenance: Dr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Dugas, Jr., New Orleans, Louisiana. Notes: The demand for portraiture waned after the Civil War, giving way to the emergence of the Louisiana Landscape School led by Richard Clague, an academically trained artist working in the French Barbizon style. The establishment of art galleries and associations provided the artists opportunities to exhibit their paintings and earn a living. Among Clague's most talented students was William Henry Buck. A native of Norway, Buck emigrated to the northeast around 1865 and studied with landscape artist Ernest Ciceri. Arriving in New Orleans in 1870, Buck worked in a cotton merchant's office and studied with Clague. To accurately represent and experience the unique topography and waterways of southern Louisiana, Clague took his students on "plein air" painting expeditions. During the late 19th century, sharecropping emerged as the primary form of farming in Louisiana. The newly freed but landless African American workers and the planters who lacked capital and credit entered a compromise. The formerly enslaved people farmed the land in return for housing and a share of the crop. In the painting "Sharecropper's Cabin, Farm Along the Bayou", Buck depicted the daily life of sharecroppers. Set among the Spanish-moss-draped live oak and cypress trees, the sharecropper's cabin was situated next to the fields and included hanging laundry, cistern for collecting rainwater, and pirogue for transportation in the bayou.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Mar. 25, 2023
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), after Hugh Collins (Scottish, ca. 1834-1896), "Grain Harvest, Lowlands"
Est: $5,000 - $8,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), after Hugh Collins (Scottish, ca. 1834-1896) "Grain Harvest, Lowlands", 1864 oil on canvas signed and dated "W. H. Buck, after Collins, 1864" lower right. Framed. 30" x 42", framed 38" x 50" Provenance: Dr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Dugas, Jr., New Orleans, Louisiana. Notes: Apparently, the Norwegian-born William Henry Buck was aware of the work of then-popular Scottish painter Hugh Collins. Collins exhibited at the Royal Academy and earned acclaim for his portraits, landscapes and genre scenes. It is thought that Buck did not emigrate to America until 1865; consequently, Buck's copy after Collins' painting "Grain Harvest, Lowlands" was painted while he was still in Europe. Interestingly, Buck painted another version of the painting in New Orleans dated 1878.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Jan. 21, 2023
AMERICAN NORWEGIAN-WILLIAM HENRY BUCK 1840-88 OIL ON CANVAS LANDSCAPE PAINTING SIGNED VERSO
Est: $10,000 - $20,000
American Norwegian-William Henry Buck 1840-88 Oil On Canvas Landscape Painting Signed Verso. From A Georgia Estate. Frame Measure 42" X 30", Sight 37 3/4" X 25 3/4". Please carefully read our terms of sale, shipping information, and request any condition reports or photos prior to placing a bid. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. RBFineArts CFL INC. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Please email for a condition report and photos, if desired. Emails should be received at least 48 hours in advance of the date of the auction. Please make sure you have read the Terms and Conditions* before you bid. ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS!. Any registration and/or bid placed by you guaranteed RBFineArts CFL Inc. you have read and will abide by the following Terms and Conditions of the sale. Transportation of buyer's items: For a charge of 15.00 per invoice, RBFineArts Shipping Inc. will pick up and transport your item's from the offices of RBFineArts CFL Inc. All OTHER transport to any other third party shipper there will be a 25.00 transport fee, there will be no exceptions for this condition. The buyer is responsible for paying for shipping, packing, and transport, etc. RBFineArts CFL Inc. is not responsible for packing, shipping, or transport of any items from buyer's invoice. *Please see terms and conditions for additional information on payment and shipping options. Please note shipping is NOT included in the sale, you will have to pay for shipping. If you are not satisfied with our shipping options, please arrange shipping for your item and contact us about the shipping details. SHIPPING AND PACKING & INSURANCE: RBFineArts uses a 3rd Party Preferred shipping and packing company. Arrangements and costs are the sole responsibility of the buyer. YOU MUST EMAIL INFO@RBFINEARTS.NET TO ADVISE OUR OFFICES OF THE COMPANY YOU WOULD PREFER TO PACK AND SHIP YOUR ITEM/S. No property will be released until payment is made in full and we have been advised of your preferred shipper. Please note that a shipping charge is not included in the sale price. Any costs associated with the shipping, packing, and transport of an item are the responsibility of the buyer. RBFineArts CFL Inc. is not responsible for packing, shipping, or transport of any items from buyer’s invoice. Items must be shipped within fourteen (14) days of payment. Items remaining at RBFineArts CFL Inc.'s offices at the expiration of fourteen (14) days past payment will be subject to storage fees of $10 per day per item. All storage fees must be paid before item/s will be released to a shipper. Any items remaining forty-five (45) calendar days following the date when the buyer completed payment on an invoice will be considered Abandoned Property of items on that invoice and will be subject to resale or disposal with no refund. Transportation of buyer's items: For a charge of 15.00 per invoice, RBFineArts Shipping Inc. will pick up and transport your items from the offices of RBFineArts CFL Inc. ALL OTHER transport to any other third-party shipper there will be a 25.00 transport fee, there will be no exceptions for this condition. Your item/s will be transported one time per week only. RBFineArts CFL Inc. is not responsible for any denied claims or damages from the shipping offices the buyer chooses. Any issues with shipping or insurance are between the shipping company and the buyer. Please note local packers and shippers in our area, RBFineArts CFL Inc. is not making any warranty, guarantee, or promise as to the performance of any shipper selected from the list.US Pak N Ship 252 W. Ardice Ave. Eustis, FL 32726 352-483-0405 or sales@uspaknship.com ($25.00 fee charge for the delivery)RBFineArts Shipping 375 E Burleigh Blvd., Tavares, Fl 32778 shipping@rbfinearts.net or 877-660-3243. ($15.00 fee charge for pick up).If you are not satisfied with our shipping options, please make other arrangements to ship your item and contact us about those shipping details. RBFineArts CFL Inc. (online auction) and RBFineArts Shipping Inc. (packing and shipping) are two separate companies and should NOT be assumed to be the same business.
RB Fine Arts
Nov. 19, 2022
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840)
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) , "Expansive View of a Sun-Dappled Louisiana Vista with Bayou Farmstead and French Creole Cottage surrounding a Moss-Draped Oak", oil on canvas, signed lower right, "Sotheby's New York" label attached on reverse of frame, 26 in. x 40 in., period frame. Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, Mar. 11, 1999, lot 32.
Neal Auction Company
Oct. 09, 2022
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Boys Fishing on a Pier"
Est: $125,000 - $250,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Boys Fishing on a Pier, Louisiana Bayou", 1881 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right. Framed. 18" x 30", framed 28" x 40" Provenance: Hanagriff family, Centerville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana; Doris Supple, ca. 1970; Doris Supple Estate; Peter Patout Antiques, New Orleans, 1990.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
May. 22, 2022
William Henry Buck, (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Cabins along the Bayou", 1884, oil on canvas, 18" x 30", framed 24" x 36"
Est: $150,000 - $300,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Cabins along the Bayou", 1884 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right. Framed. 18" x 30", framed 24" x 36" Notes: The Norwegian-born William Henry Buck studied art in Boston before settling in New Orleans in 1860, where he worked in the cotton commission merchant's office. Buck continued to pursue his artistic inclinations by apprenticing under the French-born painter Richard Clague. Claque was credited with bringing the Barbizon School of landscape painting to Louisiana. By painting outside "plein air", Claque adapted the tenants of Barbizon School to the Louisiana landscape reflecting the unique topography, culture and sense of place. Around 1880, Buck left the cotton business to focus full time as artist, opened a studio in New Orleans and traveled to south Louisiana, capturing the beauty of the bayous, swamps and the majestic live oak trees. In the painting "Cabins in the Bayou", Buck focused on a row of Acadian cabins nestled along the waterway. A herd of cattle graze under a live oak tree and a sugar mill was revealed in the background. Since the commercial granulation of sugar developed by Etienne de Bore, sugarcane was and remains a principal crop of South Louisiana. An active member of the burgeoning art community of the late 19th century, Buck shared studios with fellow artist Andres Molinary, Paul Poincy and Achille Perelli and exhibited his landscape paintings at the local galleries of W. E. Seebold, Wagener's and Lilienthal's. His work was included at the 1884 World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition held in Audubon Park, and with Southern Art Union and Artists' Association of New Orleans.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Nov. 20, 2021
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888) , "Stately Home under the Live Oaks along a New Orleans Avenue", oil on canvas, unsigned, 12 1/4 in. x 20 1/8 in., framed Provenance: Acquired from the artist in New Orleans, Henry Harrison Bankston (1820-1902), first mayor of Amite City, LA; his daughter, Mary Ann Bankston Watson (1855-1940); her daughter, Syrena Watson Sanders (1889-1981); her son, Kenneth Ivan Sanders (1923-2004); thence by descent. Note: By 1880 William Henry Buck had opened his own studio at 26 Carondelet Street in New Orleans, where he was instrumental in defining the easel-sized painting market. Buck created the most expansive known body of work in the 19th century portraying the rivers, lakes, bayous and environs of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. His passion for capturing the Louisiana landscape is evident in the exquisite and subtle luminosity and carefully composed compositions of his works. While his rural bayou landscapes are perhaps his best known, rare urban scenes of New Orleans and its suburbs also appear in the artists oeuvre, portraying a unique glimpse into life in the city during an exciting period of growth and transformation. In the work offered here, Buck depicts a stately home under his iconic moss-draped trees, with the composition built around a strong diagonal of white fence lines a technique noted in many of his canvases. The roadway in the forefront of the canvas hints at what are likely streetcar tracks. In 1860, New Orleans was home to the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad Company, which ran horse or mule-drawn streetcars along four routes throughout the area in the American Quarter above Canal Street. Between 1861 and 1873, the number of New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad Company street railways increased from four lines to nine lines; over one hundred street cars ran along these tracks. By the early 1870s, experimentation with steam power had begun in order to provide an even faster streetcar that did not rely upon horses and mules for power, and in 1890, the last remaining mule car line was shut down as the electrification of the streetcar lines began. Likely completed sometime in the 1880s, this canvas was acquired by Henry Harrison Bankston, first mayor of Amite City, LA. Of Swedish roots, Bankston was active in the Scandinavian community of New Orleans, where he perhaps would have encountered Buck, who was born in Norway and immigrated to the United States around 1865. While the exact location of the structure depicted here remains a mystery, the elegant architecture with colonnade, red roof and expansive grounds is reminiscent even today of New Orleans grand avenues. Ref.: Wiesendanger, Martin and Margaret. 19th Century Louisiana Paintings from the Collection of W.E. Groves. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 1971
Neal Auction Company
Jul. 17, 2021
†Attributed to William Buck (1840-1888, Louisiana / Norway), "Covington Scene," 19th c., oil on canvas laid to board, presented in a...
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Attributed to William Buck (1840-1888, Louisiana / Norway), "Covington Scene," 19th c., oil on canvas laid to board, presented in a gilt frame, H.- 19 1/2 in., W.- 29 1/4 in. NOTE: The scene in this painting was identified by local historian as the town of Covington in background, along the banks of Tchefuncte River. The building in the distance of the painting has also been identified as St. Peters Church, which is still standing today. The painting was originally restored by Phyllis Hudson. Old restoration laid on board. Originally from an Old Metairie family.
Crescent City Auction Gallery
Apr. 17, 2021
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888) , "Cows Resting under a Louisiana Live Oak", oil on academy board, signed lower right, 9 in. x 12 in., period frame
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 21, 2020
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888) , "Two Cows under an Oak Tree", oil on academy board, signed lower right, 9 in. x 12 in., period frame
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 21, 2020
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $150,000 - $250,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888) , "Bayou Teche", 1885, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 28 in. x 20 in., framed . Provenance: Private Collection, LA; thence by descent. Note: Throughout his career William Henry Buck created the most expansive known body of work in the 19th century portraying the rivers, lakes and bayous of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Buck's passion for capturing the Louisiana landscape is evident in the significant work offered here through the exquisite and subtle luminosity and carefully composed composition. This rare vertical scene of exhibition size is dominated by cypress trees curving through the foreground and lining the bayou to the distant vanishing point. Cypress knees and stumps punctuate the water while Buck's attention to detail can be seen in the inclusion of a small figure in a pirogue mid-right and in the careful placement of the petite white egrets. Buck's distinctive use of lighting effects adds to the drama and evocative atmosphere of this commanding work depicting the legendary Bayou Teche, a remarkable masterwork by one of Louisiana's greatest landscape painters.
Neal Auction Company
Sep. 12, 2020
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Bayou with Live Oaks and Water Lilies at Dusk", oil on canvas, signed lower right, 13 1/4 in. x 18 in., framed
Neal Auction Company
Sep. 12, 2020
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Bayou with Live Oak and Fishermen in Boat", oil on panel, signed lower right, 11 5/8 in. x 19 1/2 in., framed.
Neal Auction Company
Jan. 26, 2020
WILLIAM H. BUCK | The Cabbage Cutter
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
oil on canvas
Sotheby's
Dec. 08, 2019
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "English Country Dairy Scene"
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "English Country Dairy Scene" oil on canvas signed "Wm. H. Buck, after E. Williams, Sr." lower right. Period gilt frame with erroneously titled plaque of "Bayou Teche Dairy Scene". 29-1/2" x 42-1/2", framed 37-1/2" x 50-1/2" Provenance: A New Orleans estate. Notes: The accomplished late-19th-century landscape painter William Henry Buck was widely recognized for his views of Bayou Teche country and southern Louisiana. Buck also did a series of paintings that were copies after established English painters, including John Constable and Hugh Collins. In this charming painting, Buck looks to work of the English Williams family of landscape painters, and is mostly likely a copy after his contemporary Edward Charles Williams (1807 - 1881).
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Jan. 26, 2019
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $5,000 - $8,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Live Oak with Moss", oil on academy board, pencil-signed "Sketch by Wm. H. Buck" and provenance inscriptions en verso, 9 1/4 in. x 12 1/4 in., framed. Provenance: Estate of Jane and Stewart Maunsell
Neal Auction Company
Jan. 26, 2019
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Plantation along Lake Pontchartrain", oil on canvas, unsigned, 10 in. x 16 in., framed. Provenance: Private Estate Collection, Birmingham, AL. Descended in the family of William Henry Buck; Neal Auction Company, April 16, 2001, lot 365. Note: A student of Richard Clague, William Henry Buck developed his skills on plein air sketching excursions with his mentor and artists such as Andres Molinary and Marshall Joseph Smith, Jr. These trips, many along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, were undoubtedly influential on the development of Buck's distinctive use of lighting effects and evocative atmosphere, as seen in the charming work offered here. Buck achieved a recognizable and engaging compositional style which makes his work clearly discernable from that of his contemporaries. This scene of Louisiana plantation life along Lake Pontchartrain was almost certainly inspired by his sketching trips and is an excellent example of Bucks talent at depicting minute detail. The viewer gazes on the backland of a plantation with various pursuits on display. Cattle graze along the shore near a schooner anchored in the lake. Two figures sit in a pirogue on the bayou while others cross the bridge. In addition to the cabin in the foreground, other buildings related to the workings of the plantation are grouped together in the background. The stretcher bars of this painting indicate the size by paint script number inscriptions in an identical hand as the Buck painting sold from the same family collection at Neal Auction Company on Feb. 12, 2011 as lot 309.
Neal Auction Company
Dec. 09, 2018
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Moored Schooner, Possibly North Shore, Lake Pontchartrain", 1878, oil on canv...
Est: $60,000 - $90,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Moored Schooner, Possibly North Shore, Lake Pontchartrain", 1878 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right, "Morton's Auction" labels en verso. Period gilt and stenciled framed with cornstalk motif. 12" x 20", framed 19" x 27" Notes: The demand for portraiture waned after the Civil War, giving way to the emergence of the Louisiana Landscape School led by Richard Clague, an academically trained artist working in the French Barbizon style. The establishment of art galleries and associations provided the landscape artists opportunities to exhibit their paintings to the public and earn a living. Among Clague's most talented students was William Henry Buck. A native of Norway, Buck emigrated to the northeast in 1865 and studied with landscape artist Ernest Ciceri. Arriving in New Orleans around 1870, Buck worked in a cotton merchant's office and furthered his studies with Clague. To accurately represent and experience the unique topography and waterways of southern Louisiana, Clague led his students on "plein air" painting expeditions. By 1880, Buck opened his own studio on Carondelet Street specializing in Louisiana landscape paintings. Continuing to make forays into southern Louisiana, Buck became familiar with life in the rural and isolated communities. In this engaging painting, Buck provided a glimpse of life along the north shore in the late 19th century. Surrounded by Spanish-moss-draped live oak trees, lumber has been stacked up by the shore, while a moored sailing boat readies to transport the wood to a mill.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Nov. 17, 2018
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1905)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Live Oak on a Louisiana Bayou", 1880, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, "W.E. Seebold" label on reverse of frame, 10 in. x 14 in., framed with artist plaque
Neal Auction Company
Sep. 15, 2018
William Henry Buck (American/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
William Henry Buck (American/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Bayou Settlement", 1880, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 9 1/4 in. x 12 3/4 in., period frame with artist plaque. Provenance: Morris Newman; Jay P. Altmayer Collection, Mobile, AL, c. 1960; Christie's, New York, Jan. 19, 2017, lot 34. Note: In 1880, William Henry Buck opened his own studio at 26 Carondelet Street in New Orleans, where he was instrumental in defining the easel-sized landscape market. Dating from the same year, the delightful canvas offered here depicts a picturesque settlement with house and pasture along a Louisiana bayou. The scene includes the artist's characteristic low horizon line, fluffy white clouds, oak trees and glistening water. The inclusion of the cows and chickens resting peacefully in the field is relatively rare within Buck's oeuvre, although he clearly shows skill in their depiction. Perhaps at his best when working in an intimate scale, Buck's brushwork is exceptionally well-rendered and captures the most minute details of the foliage, house and animals. Once included in the collection of the renowned Jay P. Altmayer at Palmetto Hall in Mobile, Alabama, this gem is among Buck's finest work. Ref.: Wiesendanger, Martin and Margaret. 19th Century Louisiana Paintings from the Collection of W.E. Groves. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 1971.
Neal Auction Company
Jul. 14, 2018
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1895)
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Live Oak with Moss", oil on academy board, pencil-signed "Sketch by Wm. H. Buck" and provenance inscriptions en verso, 9 1/4 in. x 12 1/4 in., framed. Provenance: Estate of Jane and Stewart Maunsell
Neal Auction Company
Jan. 27, 2018
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840)
Est: $80,000 - $120,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888, act. New Orleans, 1869-1888), "Settlement along a Louisiana Bayou", 1878, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 11 7/8 in. x 24 in., period giltwood frame. Provenance: Estate of Harry T. Howard III, New Orleans, LA. Note: Throughout his career William Henry Buck created the most expansive known body of work in the 19th century portraying the rivers, lakes, and bayous of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Buck's masterful skill in painting landscapes is quite evident in the work offered here in the exquisite and subtle luminosity, the effects of light and shadow, and the carefully composed composition. The scene is dominated by a live oak tree - a hallmark of Bucks landscapes; the sky is also given special attention with shades of cerulean blue and scattered clouds. Bucks use of fine brushwork and careful attention to detail is especially successful for his rendering of a settlement along the horizon line. The painting exemplifies Bucks skill as a colorist and painter creating an enchanting vision of a Louisiana bayou.
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 19, 2017
THE START and THE RUN (two works) by William Henry Buck (American, 1840–1888)
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
Oil on canvas, 23 ¾ ” x 34 ¼” “Th e Start” signed Wm. H. Buck 1881 “Th e Run” signed Wm. H. Buck N.O.81. Provenance: Descended in the family of the New Orleans subjects of these works. Exhibited: Kentucky Governor’s Mansion, April–September 2011, The Race Is On: The Kentucky Equine Exhibition These scenes derived from John Frederick Herring Sr.’s paintings The Start and The Run, which were printed in London earlier in the century. William Henry Buck evidently accepted a commission from New Orleans residents Samuel Henry Buck and his wife, Ann Fleming Buck, to use their likenesses riding the two prominent horses in both paintings. Samuel Buck was born in Versailles, Kentucky. After service in the Confederate Army, he became a successful cotton merchant in New Orleans.
The Sporting Art Auction
Nov. 18, 2017
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840)
Est: $125,000 - $175,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Pastoral with Wooden Bridge", 1883, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left, 18 in. x 30 in., period frame. Provenance: Acquired from the artist by Mr. and Mrs. Aristide Hopkins, New Orleans and Biloxi; thence by descent in the family. Note: Aristide Hopkins (1839-1925) and his wife, Mary McNeil Hopkins (1847-1908), were avid collectors and patrons of the arts. As close friends of William Aiken Walker, the couple was introduced to a variety of portrait, landscape, and genre scene painters, and their house on Esplanade Avenue (now the Fisk-Hopkins-Schwartz Home at 730 Esplanade) was filled with works by Louisiana artists such as William Henry Buck, Richard Clague, George Louis Viavant, and Achille Perelli. Aristide Hopkins worked at Merchants Mutual Insurance Company on Canal Street; he was an agent for Baroness Pontalba and managed properties within the city. During the Civil War, Hopkins served as a Lieutenant in the Louisiana Cavalry (New Orleans Light Horse) and after the war, he and Mrs. Hopkins maintained homes in both New Orleans and Biloxi. Collected by the Hopkins' amongst other important landscapes and nature mortes, the lovely scene in the current lot displays Bucks characteristic skill with Louisiana flora and fauna, including majestic oak, pine, and cypress trees laden with Spanish moss. A student of Clague, Buck developed his skills on plein air sketching excursions with his mentor and artists such as Andres Molinary and Marshall Joseph Smith, Jr. These trips, many along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, were undoubtedly influential on the development of Buck's use of lighting effects and evocative atmosphere. The arrangement of the landscape offered here, on the edge of a lake with a curving wooden bridge, is a rare example of an asymmetrical configuration that beautifully guides the viewer's eye around the canvas. The composition, with the inclusion of a picket fence on the left, a farmer and his dog crossing the bridge, and cattle grazing in the background, suggests a farm just beyond the trees and hints at a bucolic narrative. The reflective surface of the water adds an additional element of light and highlights the natural bend in the geography. The painting also includes hints of the Barbizon tradition in the luminous sky, and the loose brushwork that forms the reeds and bushes in the foreground, combining overall into a classic naturalistic view of the Louisiana landscape dating from the height of Bucks career. Ref.: Trovaioli, August P. and Roulhac B. Toledano. William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1972.
Neal Auction Company
Oct. 15, 2017
Attributed to William Henry Buck, (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Italian Domestics Gathering Water from a Roman Fountain Amid a...
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
Attributed to William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Italian Domestics Gathering Water from a Roman Fountain Amid a Ruin" oil on millboard unsigned. Presented in a W. E. Seebold's frame with brass artist plaque and partial label en verso. 7-1/2" x 10-1/4" Provenance: Collection of the Honorable Robert E. Brumby (1884-1966), Franklin, Louisiana; thence by descent. Notes: William Henry Buck left Scandinavia seeking exploration and fortune in the new world and tried his hand at many styles as he made his way down the eastern seaboard and Mississippi. Even after he established himself as a landscape painter in Louisiana in the mid-to-late 1870s, he still executed rogue portraits, seascapes, hunt and daily life scenes, even Classical-style hand-cut silhouettes. W. E. Seebold('s) was one of the first major fine art and antiques galleries, framers, and art supply retailers in the city that showcased the newest and finest fashions and inventions. In a lengthy 1877 review of Seebold's in the Times-Picayune, the "art note" columnist first commends two landscapes on exhibit by Buck and then boasts that Mr. Seebold has recently introduced the photogravure "novelty" to the city of New Orleans, which was "first employed by Messrs. Goupil in Paris to transfer the compositions of the Salon to the volumes of engravings, which they annually exhibited." Much of the Salon rage was for the Realist movement, which often married Grand Tour landscapes with Italian genre scenes, creating a great demand for Italian peasants (washwomen in particularly) before Classical ruins, redolent of the scene pictured here. Hubert Robert, a French academician, was one of the leading painters of this style, exhibiting widely at the Salon. So popular were these images that etchings, through the new photogravure process, were made after them. It is through Seebold's that Buck encountered these works, and likely painted this piece after a photogravure etching. The Seebold's frame and millboard are also indicative of Buck. Aside from canvas, Buck mainly painted on millboard (pressed mill waste and paste). In the 19th century, millboards and nascent academy boards were the preferred medium for plein-air landscape artists, as they were cheap, lightweight and did not damage easily in transit. Seebold's retailed millboards; the ones Buck used (likely from Seebold's) were primed in gray to prevent the board surface from becoming frayed and abraded. Reference: "Art Notes". Times-Picayune. Sept. 29, 1877. p. 4.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Oct. 15, 2017
William Henry Buck, (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Bayou Settlement with Cattle, Probably Bayou Teche, Oaklawn Plantat...
Est: $75,000 - $150,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/Louisiana, 1840-1888) "Louisiana Bayou Settlement with Cattle, Probably Bayou Teche, Oaklawn Plantation, now Oaklawn Manor, Franklin, Louisiana", 1878 oil on canvas laid on board with stretcher supports signed and dated lower right. Framed. 18-1/4" x 30" Provenance: Private collection, New Orleans, Louisiana. Notes: On the Louisiana live oak… "All alone stood it and the moss hung down from the branches, Without any contemplation it grew there uttering joyous leaves of dark green" --Walt Whitman According to the "Art Notes" column of the Times-Picayune and the Daily Democrat reviews from 1877-1878, William Henry Buck was an upcoming landscape artist, regularly exhibiting landscapes of Bayou Teche and the Atchafalaya River at W. E. Seebold's gallery on Canal Street in New Orleans. Critics often compared his handling of the live oak to Walt Whitman's poetic metaphor of it for the sublime - for spiritual contemplation on the nature of isolation, and the art columnist aptly portended that through Buck's deft handling of majestic oaks "he is perfecting his manner of tropical scenes…that he will win a lasting reputation we have no doubt." Two of the reviews locate his paintings of these environs at Oak Lawn Plantation (now Oaklawn Manor, Franklin, Louisiana), while another two describe the plantation geography through the position of the Bayou and River in proximity to Grand Lake. According to a lengthy 1888 real estate advertisement, the plantation "is situated on both sides of Bayou Teche, an affluent [sic] of Atchafalaya river, and has a frontage of three miles on Grand Lake"; the property is on the Morgan's Louisiana/Texas Railway with a direct steamboat line from New Orleans (the Southern Pacific-Oak Lawn) "that lands at its very doors." The advertisement further states that Oak Lawn is "one of the most widely known and extensive plantations in Louisiana" with the "most superb private park in the United States…aided by art." As indicated by the plantation name, the live oaks are its arboreal marvel: "…The smaller growth, in its wealth of coloring contrasted with countless magnificent live oaks, many of the branches measuring 150 feet…, present a picture never to be forgotten, as nowhere else can it be seen." As the art reviews suggest, the young Buck was clearly taken with the scenery and the ease with which the Plantation could be accessed by rail and boat, and by all accounts, he frequented the area between the fall of 1877 and the summer of 1878, painting the immense oaks along the banks of Bayou Teche several times. Another landscape of the Bayou exhibited at Seebold's in the summer of 1878, the same year this painting was executed, bears notable compositional similarity, as does another painting of the Bayou, sold in these rooms on January 20, 2001, as lot 1125. All three exude the finest of Buck's style - the majestic oaks (framed against hazy golden skies) are the centerpiece of the painting. Ethereally lit from behind, they dwarf terrains with cattle bisected by bayous in a harmony of tertiary blues and green. References: "Art Notes". Times-Picayune. September 29, 1877. p. 4; Ibid. July 24, 1878. p. 2; Ibid. November 19, 1877. p. 2; "Beautiful Oak Lawn". Times-Picayune. February 4, 1888. p. 4; "W. E. Seebold." Daily Democrat. November 24, 1878. p. 7; Pennington, Estill Curtis. Downriver: Currents of Style in Louisiana Painting, 1800-1950. Gretna: Pelican Publishing, 1991. pp. 84-85.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Jul. 08, 2017
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Louisiana Bayou with Live Oak Trees and Egret", oil on academy board, signed "Sketch by Buck" lower right, 8 in. x 12 in., framed. Provenance: D. Benjamin Kleinpeter, Sr. Collection, Baton Rouge
Neal Auction Company
Jan. 19, 2017
William Henry Buck (1840-1888) Cows in a pasture oil on canvas 9 ¼ x 12 ¾ in. (23.5 x 32.4 cm.)
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
WILLIAM HENRY BUCK (1840-1888) Cows in a pasture signed and dated ‘Wm. H Buck 1880’ (lower right) oil on canvas 9.25 x 12.75in. (23.5 x 32.4 cm.) Painted in 1880.
Christie's
Jan. 19, 2017
William Henry Buck (1840-1888) Louisiana Bayou with Deer oil on canvas 18 x 30 in. (45.7 x 76.2 cm.)
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
WILLIAM HENRY BUCK (1840-1888) Louisiana Bayou with Deer signed and dated ‘Wm H. Buck. 1881.’ (lower right) oil on canvas 18 x 30 in. (45.7 x 76.2 cm.) Painted in 1881.
Christie's
Jan. 19, 2017
William Henry Buck (1840-1888) Lookout Fishing Club oil on canvas 12 x 20 in. (30.5 x 50.8 cm.)
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
WILLIAM HENRY BUCK (1840-1888) Lookout Fishing Club signed and dated ‘Wm H. Buck./1880.’ (lower right) oil on canvas 12 x 20 in. (30.5 x 50.8 cm.) Painted in 1880.
Christie's
Jan. 19, 2017
William Henry Buck (1840-1888) Bay St. Louis Plantation Scene oil on canvas laid down on board 22 ¼ x 36 in. (56.5 x 91.4 cm.)
Est: $70,000 - $100,000
WILLIAM HENRY BUCK (1840-1888) Bay St. Louis Plantation Scene signed indistinctly ‘Wm H Buck’ (lower right) oil on canvas laid down on board 22.25 x 36 in. (56.5 x 91.4 cm.)
Christie's
Jan. 19, 2017
William Henry Buck (1840-1888) Camp on a Bayou oil on canvas 15 x 20 in. (38.1 x 50.8 cm.)
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
WILLIAM HENRY BUCK (1840-1888) Camp on a Bayou oil on canvas 15 x 20 in. (38.1 x 50.8 cm.)
Christie's
Dec. 04, 2016
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans)
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Grain Harvest, Lowlands", 1878, after Hugh Collins (British, c. 1834-1896), oil on canvas, signed, dated and inscribed "W.H. Buck after Collins" lower right, 30 in. x 42 in., period gilt frame. Provenance: Purchased from the artist, descended in the Airey family of New Orleans. According to the family, this painting was commissioned by Thomas Lyon Airey (1837-1894), a New Orleans cotton broker in the late 19th and early 20th century. Airey held several prominent positions in the cotton industry at both the local and the national level; he was a partner in the cotton firm of T.L. Airey & Co. and served as Vice-President of the Louisiana National Bank, twice as President of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, and as President of the National Cotton Exchange of America, among others. His son, Joseph A. Airey, Sr. (1872-1949) was also a New Orleans cotton broker and lived at 555 Audubon Street. Thomas L. Airey's daughter, Cecile (1868-1945), married John Milliken Parker (1863-1939), who served as the 37th Governor of Louisiana from 1920-1924. Note: William Henry Buck exhibited his work at the William Seebold Gallery on Canal Street in New Orleans. Seebold, a native of Germany, was active as an art dealer in New Orleans from c. 1865 to 1920. He was one of the foremost art connoisseurs in the city, exhibiting works by local artists as well as many of the top European artists of the day. From 1879 to 1916, almost every notable artist who visited New Orleans dined at his home on Prytania Street. His gallery was a meeting place for Clague, Buck, E.B. Julio and others. Seebold's gallery and home were the nexus of the art world in late 19th century New Orleans. Buck and his contemporaries certainly benefited from the opportunity to see the many European paintings that Seebold had on offer at his gallery as well as installed in his gracious mansion. Ref.: Encyclopaedia of New Orleans Artists 1718-1918, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1987.
Neal Auction Company
Dec. 02, 2016
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Christ on the Mount", hand-cut silhouette, signed mid-right, "Gaspar Cusachs Collection" label with title en verso, sight 21 1/2 in. x 21 1/2 in., period frame. Provenance: Gaspar Cusachs, entrepreneur, historian and collector, (1855-1929); The Gaspar Cusachs Collection, loaned to the Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, LA (c. 1909-2016).
Neal Auction Company
Mar. 13, 2016
William Henry Buck (New Orleans, 1840-1888)
Est: $175,000 - $250,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Bayou Scene: Probably the Footbridge at Indian Bayou in the Atchafalaya River Basin", 1880, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 18" x 30". Presented in a period giltwood frame. Provenance: Estate of A. Hays Town, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On April 22, 1883 The Times-Democrat published a four-page article "appealing to those living in the city of New Orleans of the beauty and charm of Attakapas or Acadian lands" - a favored destination of William Henry Buck. In the opening page, the article boasts that with a short train ride or two-hour gallop on horseback, one can arrive in a sublime glade redolent of the Buck offered here: "Near to the bank on the river over-shadowed by oaks, from whose branches garlands of Spanish moss and of mystic mistletoe flaunted". The article, which largely romanticizes the Attakapas herdsmen as Western novel cowboys, concludes with a poignant description of Indian Bayou in Vermilion Parish as a body of water that opens up into an expansive waterway in the direction of the Gulf fifty yards out from its center. The enticing description, written for the allure of city folk mesmerized by the promise of virgin frontiers, is a visual treasure map for discerning the landscape in this painting. From this viewpoint, the bayou, lined with iconic cypress trees laden in Spanish moss, expands just past a wooden plank footbridge into a vast estuary with a schooner in the distance. Similarly, Indian Bayou is situated in the Morganza Floodway system of the Atchafalaya basin shortly before it converges with the Gulf of Mexico. In 1884, a few months after the Times-Democrat published its ode to Acadia, Buck painted a landscape of Indian Bayou at the mouth of the river basin, which was sold in these rooms on September 22, 2001, as lot 1225. Painted from the opposite side and to the right of the center foreground in the landscape offered here, Buck's 1884 painting of Indian Bayou depicts the same hydrography, and the same flora, notably the two cypress trees along an arched plank footbridge. Though wooden footbridges commonly appear in Buck's landscapes, they are typically level, not arched architrave single-suspension ones. Only one other known suspension bridge, which is a two-part one is known in his extant oeuvre ("Bayou Farm", 1884). Whether the Times-Democrat's review was influenced by Buck's quiescent landscape of Acadia, ethereally lit from behind in the plein-air-style of the Barbizon School, or the painterly review influenced Buck to travel there by rail car will never be known.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Nov. 22, 2015
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "A Romantic Night Landscape, possibly after John Constable", 1878, pastel on paperboard, signed, dated and inscribed "Hanna from Buck" lower left, pencil-inscription en verso of backing board, 10 1/2 in. x 16 3/8 in., original frame. Provenance: Gift of the artist; thence by descent in a Louisiana and New England family
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 21, 2015
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $125,000 - $175,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Cattle Grazing beside a Cabin among Live Oak Trees", oil on canvas, signed and inscribed "Wm. H. Buck, N.O." lower right, 18 in. x 30 in., framed Note: William Henry Buck created the most expansive known body of work depicting the Louisiana landscape in the 19th century. There is a masterful quality to the best paintings: their subtle luminosity, exquisite brushwork, and keen attention to detail of place and landscape. The work offered here is one such example. An accomplished depiction of a rural Louisiana landscape, the composition is unusual for Buck with its use of a diagonal perspective where the road leads to a building barely perceptible on the horizon line. A dense and fulsome tree line of moss-laden live oaks dominates the composition. An Acadian cabin sits in the center of the painting with an African-American figure seated in the doorway, overseeing the cows grazing in the idyllic pasture.
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 22, 2014
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $125,000 - $175,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888, active New Orleans, 1869-1888), "Settlement along a Louisiana Bayou", 1878, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 11 7/8 in. x 24 in., period giltwood frame. Provenance: Estate of Harry T. Howard III, New Orleans, LA
Neal Auction Company
Jul. 27, 2014
William Henry Buck (US/New Orleans, 1840-1888)
Est: $150,000 - $300,000
William Henry Buck (American/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "Lookout Fishing Club on L & N Railroad, New Orleans", 1883, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, a "Kennedy Galleries, Inc./N.Y." label en verso, numerous old handwritten inscriptions verso stretcher, 18" x 30". Presented in the original giltwood frame. Provenance: Estate of A. Hays Town, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. One of the most acclaimed landscape artists of 19th-century Louisiana, William Henry Buck skillfully merges the Barbizon School plein air techniques he learned from his teacher Richard Clague with a personal appreciation of the romantic quality of his adopted homeland. The work presented here, with its color palette of intense greens, deep umbers and dashes of oranges and reds, is a moody representation of an identifiable locale. Buck adeptly combines the lush, verdant landscape with elements of the industrial, evidenced here by the barely visible train track that appears to merge seamlessly with the grass, plants and trees. The end result is a work which adroitly represents the still and humid landscape of the Louisiana waterways.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Nov. 23, 2013
William Henry Buck (Norway/New Orleans 1840-1888)
Est: $125,000 - $175,000
William Henry Buck (Norway/New Orleans, 1840-1888, active New Orleans, 1869-1888), "Bayou Scene", 1881, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 12 in. x 20 in., period giltwood and gesso frame. Provenance: Estate of Harry T. Howard III, New Orleans, LA
Neal Auction Company
Feb. 23, 2013
William Henry Buck (American/LA, 1840-1888)
Est: $75,000 - $125,000
William Henry Buck (American/Louisiana, 1840-1888), "Moss Trees Along the Mississippi River", oil on canvas, signed lower right, 18 in. x 30 in., framed with artist and title plaque Start Price: USD 50000
Neal Auction Company
Nov. 17, 2012
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans)
Est: $250,000 - $350,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888, active New Orleans, 1869-1888), "Three Cabins Along Shoreline", oil on canvas, signed lower right, 18 in. x 30 in., period giltwood frame Provenance: Dr. George Crozat, Houmas House Plantation; to Dr. Anita Crozat, Bocage Plantation, Burnside, Louisiana. Sold as lot 334 Neal Auction Company, September 30, 2006; Estate of Harry T. Howard III, New Orleans, Louisiana. Note: The painting offered here is one of a pendant pair, probably executed for exhibition by Buck. The companion to this lot was sold in these sales rooms as lot 701, October 2nd, 2004. "Three Cabins Along the Shore" is a wonderful example of the William Henry Buck work at the height of his abilities as a painter. Buck's intimate knowledge of the local indigenous plant life and topography is evident. The cabins, each in a different variation of the Acadian Creolecabin, were built on stilts above the water. On the side of the most rustic cabin are palmetto fronds laid out to dry. Despite the remoteness of the terrain, there is a sailing boat in the distance, a sign of encroachment... Starting Bid: $170000
Neal Auction Company
Jun. 30, 2012
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840)
Est: $50,000 - $80,000
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1880), "Louisiana Bayou: Live Oaks and Water Lilies at Dusk", oil on canvas, signed lower right, 13 in. x 17 3/4 in., period frame Provenance: Estate of a St. Louis, Missouri collector. Note: William Henry Buck's romantic and atmospheric depictions of the Louisiana landscape are noted for his moss-laden live oak trees and views of bayous. He achieved a recognizable compositional style which makes his work discernible from that of his contemporaries. As shown in the work offered here, Buck often paints a large live oak tree placed prominently within the picture creating an anchor for the scene. The landscape here is depicted just after the sun has set with dark trees starkly contrasted against a fiery sky. Lily pads in bloom illuminate the foreground setting the bayou ablaze with the reflection of the sunset. Please Note: Start Price USD $30000
Neal Auction Company
Apr. 21, 2012
William Henry Buck (American/New Orleans,
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
William Henry Buck (American/New Orleans, 1840-1888), "A Coastal Inlet, in Main$E", 1887, oil on board, signed and dated lower right, "E.F. French's Artist Board, N.Y." label en verso, 12 in. x 20 in., period frame. Provenance: Private estate collection, Birmingham, Alabama. Descended in the family of William Henry Buck. Note : The almost certain pendant to this painting is an oil on board, ""Loading Ice, Bangor, Main$E"", signed by Buck and sold as lot 804 by Neal Auction Company on December 4, 2005 In 1883, a Daily States newspaper article noted Buck's New Orleans studio contained ""...several fine canvases representing the Penobscot River, Maine and Canada"". The descent of this painting to the artist's daughter, Wilhelmina (Mina) Buck (1870-c. 1930), makes this landscape a reference for the view in the 1883 newspaper article. Reference: H. Parrott Bacot, Louisiana Art from the Roger Houston Ogden Collection. exhibition catalogue, 1992, p. 27."
Neal Auction Company