19th-Century British Dog Portrait
Appraised Value:
$12,000 - $18,000
IMAGE: 1 of 1
Appraisal Video:
Appraised By:
Colleene Fesko
Paintings & Drawings
Vice President & Director, American and European Paintings and Prints
Skinner, Inc.
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: She was kept at Captain's Head, which was a farm in Scotland. She came down through my grandfather's side through my mother. There is a reference to her, 1789, in a manuscript. Her name was Bottoms, which I believe meant "stamina" in Old English. I'm not 100% certain on that. She never lost a race. Um, other than that, and the fact that she's against an Italian background, I believe, that's all I know about her.
APPRAISER: It is a wonderful portrait. And as I'm sure you know, British art history has a great tradition of portraits. And that came to include their animals as well-- their dogs, their horses and other livestock. Unfortunately, the piece is not signed. But I would date it to around 1830. And it's in the tradition of the great animal artists such as George Stubbs, and continuing through artists such as Gilpin. I don't believe the frame is original to the piece. I suspect that it would have been in a much more elegant frame than this later 19th century frame. In terms of the value of the piece, even though it's unsigned, I think it's a great example of English animal portraiture and I would estimate it at auction between $12,000 and $18,000. Good heavens.
GUEST: Unbelievable.
APPRAISER: She's come up a winner again.
GUEST: Yes, she has indeed. Bless her heart.
