NEW YORK, NY -- Paddles will be wagging at Doyle's popular auction of Dogs in Art® and Sporting Art on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 10am. Scheduled to coincide with the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the auction will showcase a wide range of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, Jewelry and other objects devoted to dogs, horses and sporting art. Highlights include works by Richard Barret Davis, Percival Leonard Rosseau, Alexander Pope Jr., Charles Olivier de Penne, Arthur Wardle, Maud Earl, Alfred Morris and John Emms.

Meet of the Royal Buckhounds at Ascot Heath by Richard Barrett Davis (British, 1782-1854) from the Estate of Percy Rivington and Evelyn Sloane Pyne, was one of many pictures by the artist that portrays a Royal hunt. His father was huntsman to the Royal harriers of George III, and his brother Charles, pictured astride a favorite grey, was the Queen’s huntsman. Davis studied under Sir William Beechey, R.A. and at the Royal Academy, and in 1831 was appointed animal painter to William IV and later Queen Victoria (est. $30,000-40,000).

Percival Leonard Rosseau (1859-1937) was born of French descent in Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana. In 1894, he traveled to Paris to study art at the Academie Julian. A painting of his wife with two Irish wolfhounds exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1904 was so well received by the critics that he began specialize in painting dogs. Rosseau returned to the United States in 1915, joined the art colony at Old Lyme, Connecticut, and pursued his specialty of painting scenes of sporting dogs. Setters on the Scent was executed in 1910 while he was still living in France (est. $15,000-25,000).

French artist Charles-Olivier de Penne (1831-1897) studied art in Paris under Léon Cogniet and Charles-Emile Jacque. He initially specialized in historical paintings, winning the Prix de Rome for his depiction of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, before focusing on sporting paintings, which were highly sought-after by collectors during his lifetime. Hounds at Rest, (French Hounds) is a marvelous example of the work for which he is best known (est. $10,000-15,000).

One of the most widely known dog painters, Arthur Wardle (British, 1860–1949) was just 16 when he first exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, eventually showing 100 paintings there during his life. He is particularly known for his depictions of terriers, such as Patience (est. $8,000-12,000).

Born into a family of sporting painters, British-American artist Maud Earl (1864-1943) learned animal anatomy at a young age from her father, artist George Earl. She exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Paris Salon, during an era with few women artists among her peers. A Close Call (Field Spaniel) (est. $6,000-8,000) exhibits her mastery of canine anatomy.

The public is invited to the exhibition on view from Saturday, February 8 through Monday, February 10. Doyle is located at 175 East 87th Street in Manhattan. The catalogue is available online at Doyle.com