MILFORD, Conn. – Quality consignments are still being accepted for what is already an exciting spring auction in the making for Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers. It’s scheduled for Thursday, April 28th, in the firm’s gallery located at 354 Woodmont Road in Milford. Consignments will be accepted through March 10th. Already, many important artworks are set to come under the gavel.

The auction, which will get underway promptly at 6 p.m. Eastern time, will feature American and European paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures. For those unable to attend in person, online bidding will be provided by Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken.

An expected top lot of the auction is a luminist work by Louis Remy Mignot (N.Y./S.C., 1831-1870), best known for his tropical-seasonal landscape paintings and who made a pair of journeys to South America with the renowned Frederic Edwin Church (Am./Mex., 1826-1900). The museum-quality Mignot, 24 inches by 39 inches, is expected to sell for $100,000-$150,000.

The painting, monogrammed and dated 1964, was just recently rediscovered and is being offered now for the first time. The landscape rendering was identified as Ecuadorian by Mignot expert John Coffey. The inclusion of Bedouins and camels – a previously unknown motif for the artist – illustrates his sense of imagination and desire for exploration, perceived in his other landscapes.

Another early highlight of the sale promises to be a sculpture by Cyrus Dallin (Am./Fr., 1861-1944), after his famous monumental sculpture, Appeal to the Great Spirit. The evocative sculpture, depicting a Sioux Indian chief engaged in prayer after his defeat by the U.S. Army, is model #73 of the 107 castings authorized by Dallin to be made by Gorham.

After winning the gold medal at the Paris Salon of 1909, Dallin’s full-scale sculpture came to the MFA Boston, where it still stands today. It was an immediate hit, and the Gorham castings are now in several museum collections around the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the White House Art Collection. The casting is expected to command $40,000-$60,000.

Additional offerings will include a Washington Square Snow Scene by Paul Cornoyer (Am./Fr., 1864-1923), assigned a pre-sale estimate of $30,000-$50,000; a work titled Young Girl with Fishbowl by Mabel May Woodward (Am., 1877-1945), expected to fetch $12,000-$18,000; and a rare still life by Paul Lecroix (Am./Fr., 1827-1869), estimated to gavel for $20,000-$30,000.

Paul Cornoyer studied at the Academie Julien in Paris and today is best known for his popularly reproduced paintings in an Impressionist, often pointillist style. Mabel May Woodward lived her entire life in Rhode Island and was well-known for her seascapes, genre and portrait painting. Paul LaCroix was active in New York, New Jersey and France, and carved out a nice niche as a painter of opulent still lifes, landscapes and miniature paintings. All three are highly collectible.

A fall landscape titled October Afternoon, 1908 by John Francis (J.F.) Murphy (N.Y./Ill., 1853-1921), an artist known for atmospheric, tonalist seasonal landscape paintings, should top out at $10,000-$15,000; while a bright pastoral landscape titled Oaks on the Genesee by David Johnson (N.Y., 1827-1908), the noted Hudson River School painter, should hit $15,000-$25,000.

A superb winter landscape titled Winter Work, Connecticut by Edward Charles Volkert (Am., 1871-1935), an impressionist artist who earned the nickname “America’s cattle painter,” should reach $12,000-$18,000; and a multi-figured oil painting titled Confab by Walt Kuhn (Am., 1877-1949), best known for his circus and clown depictions, should hammer for $7,000-$10,000.

A three-dimensional canvas titled Dresogeny by the abstract minimalist artist Charles Hinman (N.Y., b. 1932), best known for his shaped-canvas sculptures, is estimated to sell for $12,000-$18,000. Also, three major works by David Burliuk (Am./Russ., 1882-1967), the artist, poet and a central figure in the history of the Russian avant-garde movement, will also come up for bid.

A fine selection of European works will be led by a linocut by the iconic master Pablo Picasso (Sp./Fr., 1881-1973), titled Tete de Femme (Woman’s Head). It’s estimated to change hands for $50,000-$75,000; and an oil on canvas by Frederick Hendrik Kaemmerer (Neth./Fr., 1839-1902), best known for his historical works and portraits, titled At the Zoo, should hit $25,000-$35,000.

Previews will be held daily, starting on Monday, April 18th, and continue through to auction day (closed Sundays). Preview hours are 11-6, except April 28th, when the preview will end at 5 p.m.

Historically, Shannon’s has specialized in American and European art executed between 1840 and 1940. In recent years the firm has expanded more into post-war Modern and Pop Art. Shannon’s produces an extensive, 180-page color catalog, which is available for sale on their website (shannons.com). A large eight-page color brochure will 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 an entire collection, you may call them at (203) 877-1711; or, you can e-mail them at info@shannons.com. To learn more about Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers and the April 28th auction, visit www.shannons.com. Updates are posted often.

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