MILFORD, Conn. – What was originally planned to be a tidy, 250-lot auction of fine artworks at Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers on October 23rd has grown to 315 lots, thanks to some fabulous late-breaking consignments that were just too good not to be included in the lineup. The sale will be held in Shannon’s Milford gallery, at 354 Woodmont Road, and online, via Invaluable.com.

“This promises to be a standout auction event for the fall auction season, with over $3 million in paintings and sculptures set to come under the gavel,” said Gene Shannon of Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, which holds two fine art auctions per year. “Almost all the art is fresh to the market, coming from prominent estates and private collectors.”

Offered will be wonderful examples from the Hudson River School, many European paintings (and works from Latin America and Asia), Modern paintings, American Impressionism, African-American artworks, regional paintings and some special offerings, to include a dozen works by woodblock print maker Blanche Lazzell and three paintings from the photorealist Richard Estes.

Two paintings carry identical pre-sale estimates of $150,000-$250,000. One is an original work by the renowned American Impressionist Irving Ramsey Wiles (N.Y., 1861-1948), titled The Loiterers. Wiles studied at the Art Students League under James Carroll Beckwith and was a primary student of the master Impressionist William Merritt Chase. He was also a fine violinist.

The other artwork is a painting by the British-born Hudson River School artist Edward Moran (1829-1901). Moran arranged a sale of his paintings in 1871 at a show called "Land and Sea". One of the larger paintings on exhibit was a work titled Evening at Cape Ann, measuring 18 inches by 36" inches. The work was pictured in the exhibition catalog, as a lithograph after the painting.

Remarkably, it is a near twin of the painting Lighthouse at Cape Ann, also 18 inches by 36 inches. That work was recently discovered in a New Hampshire collection and is being offered here for the first time. Executed in 1872, it may be one of Moran's first great luminist works and shows the influence of the great luminist masters with whom he associated in the previous year.

Other Hudson River School artists in the auction will include William Louis Sonntag (Oh./N.Y., 1822-1900); the famous German-born Western landscape artist Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902); Hermann Herzog (Pa./Calif./Germ., 1832-1932); and Alfred Thompson Bricher (N.Y./N.H., 1837-1908), whose major work in the auction carries a pre-sale estimate of $50,000-$75,000.

Returning to the American Impressionists, one work expected to generate keen bidder interest is a recently discovered work by Theodore Robinson (1852-1896), who was born in Vermont and became a pioneer of Impressionism in America. His rendering of a young girl in a pink dress sitting beneath a tree, from the estate of one of his students, should command $40,000-$60,000.

A painting by Charles Courtney Curran (N.Y., 1861-1942) should hit $60,000-$80,000, while a work by John Leslie Breck (Mass., 1860-1899), titled The Dragon in Winter, is expected to bring $25,000-$35,000. Other American Impressionists will include Paul Cornoyer (Mo./Mass. 1864-1923), Walter Launt Palmer (N.Y., 1854-1932), and Jane Peterson (Mass./N.Y., 1876-1965).

Moving on to artists worldwide, a bronze work by Francisco Zuniga (Mex., 1912-1998), titled Evelia en Una Silla, should hit $50,000-$75,000, while an oil painting by German artist Johann Wilhelm Preyer (1803-1889), titled Still Life With Champagne Flute and Oysters, should realize $30,000-$50,000. Interior by Eugenio Zampighi (It., 1859-1944) should bring $25,000-$35,000.

A painting by the well-traveled Russian/American artist Grigory Gluckmann (1898-1973), titled The Emerald Toe Shoes, one of four works by the artist, is expected to garner $30,000-$50,000.

Also from artists worldwide, a painting by Martin Rico y Ortega (Sp./It./Fr., 1833-1908) carries a pre-sale estimate of $25,000-$35,000; a newly discovered work by Philippine artist Ferdinand Amorsolo (1892-1972) is expected to sell for $20,000-$30,000; and four drawings done in 1926 by the Polish-born Modern artist Tamara De Limpicka (1898-1980) are all expected to do well.

The three paintings by American photorealist Richard Estes (b. 1932), include one simply titled Brooklyn Bridge that’s expected to fetch $40,000-$60,000. Estes is the preeminent photorealist painter in America.  His paintings capture the urban landscape, but with an eerie stillness.  The energy of human activity is missing, creating a quiet mood often seen in the paintings of Edward Hopper. His work is held by the Whitney Museum of America and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. In 2013, Estes installed a larger version of Brooklyn Bridge in his Maine studio.

Modern paintings and drawings will be represented with works by Jean-Michel Basquiat (N.Y., 1960-1988); Pierre Alechinksy (Belg./Fr., b. 1927); Alex Katz (N.Y., b. 1927); Wolf Kahn (N.Y./Vt./Germ., b. 1927); Gerald Laing (N.Y./Calif./Gr. Br., 1936-2011); Michael Goldberg (N.Y., 1924-2007); Tom Wesselman (N.Y./Oh., 1931-2004); Sam Francis (Calif./Jap./Fr., 1923-1994); and others.

Also from the Modernism category is the cache of art by the woodblock printmaker Blanche Lazzell (Am., 1878-1956). These were descended in the artist’s family to the present and include four actual carved woodblocks from which the artist printed her works.

African-American artworks will feature examples by Hughie Lee-Smith (1915-1999); Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872); Beauford Delaney (1901-1979); and David Driskell (born in 1931).

A selection of regional paintings will also be offered, by Paul Sawyier (Kentucky, 1865-1917); Frank Shapleigh (Florida, 1842-1906); Alberta McCloskey (California, 1863-1911); Will Sparks (California, 1862-1937); John Marshall Gamble (California); and other artists.

Previews will be held daily starting Monday, Oct. 13th, and continue through auction day, Oct. 23rd (except on Sundays, when Shannon Fine Art Auctioneers is closed). Preview hours are 11-6 (EST), except Oct. 23rd, when the preview will end at 5 p.m., an hour before the auction’s start time. In addition to live and online bidding, telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Shannon’s produces an extensive 180-page, color catalog, which is available for sale on their website (shannons.com). A large, 8-page color brochure will also be mailed to 18,000 clients.

Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece of artwork, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (203) 877-1711; or, e-mail them at info@shannons.com. To learn more about Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers and the Thursday, October 23 auction, please visit www.shannons.com. Updates are posted frequently.