Brunk Auctions
Live Auction

American & Southern | May 30, 2025

Fri, May 30, 2025 10:00AM EDT
  2025-05-30 10:00:00 2025-05-30 10:00:00 America/New_York Brunk Auctions Brunk Auctions : American & Southern | May 30, 2025 https://live.brunkauctions.com/auctions/brunk/american-southern-may-30-2025-17404
The month of May ends with our Premier Auction of American furniture, paintings, and decorative arts. Important artists include A.T. Bricher, Worthington Whittredge, Winfred Rembert, Andrew Melrose, Gunnar Widforss, and others. Of Southern interest is a museum exhibited W. A. Walker, a double sided panel by Key West folk artist Mario Sanchez, two works by Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Southern pottery from the Ackland Art Museum, and more. A Connecticut Queen Ann bonnet top high chest, Tiffany, Arts & Crafts and mixed metal silver, weathervanes, and many other categories round out the sale.
Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com
Lot 1184

William Aiken Walker

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
Starting Bid
$20,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $25
$100 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$3,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000

(American/South Carolina, 1835-1921)

Choppin' the Patch, signed lower right "WAWalker", oil on board, 12 x 20-1/4 in.; modern giltwood frame, 17-1/2 x 25-1/2 x 2 in

Provenance:

Note:

William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter by August Trovaioli and RoulhacToledano was published in 1972 by LSU Press. In conjunction with the publication of this book and in response to increased interest in the artist, the Louisiana State Museum organized the exhibition “The World of William Aiken Walker.” The impressive work offered here was illustrated in both the original and second printings of the monograph and served as a highlight of the Louisiana State Museum exhibition. The expansive scene encompasses nine figures working in a cotton field. The same figure with a striped hat lower right can be found in the Currier and Ives lithograph of Walker’s famous “Southern Cotton Plantation,” while the bonneted woman is painted after a known photograph taken by the artist. Walker’s artistic aptitude in capturing the individuality of each of the figures as well as the unique natural landscape is poignantly displayed. While Walker’s oeuvre is extensive, works at this scale and with this level of detail are very rare.

 

Exhibited: “The World of William Aiken Walker,” Louisiana State Museum, Presbytere, New Orleans, LA, Dec. 1972-Jan. 1973. (See labels on verso of painting.)

Provenance: Subsequent to the exhibition at the LSM it was sold by the noted antiquarian Don Didier of New Orleans to a prominent private collector in El Dorado, AR. It has been in their collection since 1973.

Illustrated: Trovaioli, August and Roulhac Toledano, William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter, Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1972, plate 13.

Trovaioli, August and Roulhac Toledano, William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter, Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 2008, p. 108, plate 27.

Available payment options

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Amex
  • Diners
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • Union Pay

Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction, or will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.

Note:

William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter by August Trovaioli and RoulhacToledano was published in 1972 by LSU Press. In conjunction with the publication of this book and in response to increased interest in the artist, the Louisiana State Museum organized the exhibition “The World of William Aiken Walker.” The impressive work offered here was illustrated in both the original and second printings of the monograph and served as a highlight of the Louisiana State Museum exhibition. The expansive scene encompasses nine figures working in a cotton field. The same figure with a striped hat lower right can be found in the Currier and Ives lithograph of Walker’s famous “Southern Cotton Plantation,” while the bonneted woman is painted after a known photograph taken by the artist. Walker’s artistic aptitude in capturing the individuality of each of the figures as well as the unique natural landscape is poignantly displayed. While Walker’s oeuvre is extensive, works at this scale and with this level of detail are very rare.

 

Exhibited: “The World of William Aiken Walker,” Louisiana State Museum, Presbytere, New Orleans, LA, Dec. 1972-Jan. 1973. (See labels on verso of painting.)

Provenance: Subsequent to the exhibition at the LSM it was sold by the noted antiquarian Don Didier of New Orleans to a prominent private collector in El Dorado, AR. It has been in their collection since 1973.

Illustrated: Trovaioli, August and Roulhac Toledano, William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter, Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1972, plate 13.

Trovaioli, August and Roulhac Toledano, William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter, Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 2008, p. 108, plate 27.

some minor re-touch in the sky, cleaned, lined and re-stretched by Trovaioli Painting Conservators, Grand Bay Alabama, Date 6/72; Frame with some light wear Note - Brunk Auctions makes every effort to offer accurate and thorough information, but encourages prospective bidders to inspect items in person whenever possible. Condition statements are provided as a courtesy for general guidance and should not be considered complete or definitive. They do not represent a warranty or assumption of liability by Brunk Auctions. Certain condition issues may not be specifically noted in the report but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which are considered part of the overall condition report. Please refer to our Terms of Sale for complete information and contact us for additional photos or information as needed.