brand
Revere Auctions
Live Auction

January Day 1: Around the World in 365 Lots

Tue, Jan 24, 2023 11:00AM EST
Lot 362

Louis Agassiz Fuertes "Warblers" Watercolor

Estimate: $3,000 - $6,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $25
$300 $50
$1,000 $100
$3,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
$500,000 $25,000
$1,000,000 $50,000
$10,000,000 $100,000
Louis Agassiz Fuertes (American, 1874-1927). Watercolor on paper painting depicting two Nashville warblers perched atop a flowering branch, 1899. Signed along the lower center; with an inscription along the lower right. Further inscribed along the lower left and dated May 1, 1899. Provenance information inscribed along the verso.

Provenance: Directly from the artist to Prof. Chas Babcock; gift to Prof. Frederick M. Smith; gift to Ann B. Sampson; Private Collection, Minnesota.

Lot Essay:
Louis Agassiz Fuertes was an ornithologist, illustrator, and artist and is considered one of the most prolific American bird artists, second only to John James Audubon. Born and raised in New York, he fostered a fascination with birds from a young age. At the age of 17 he became the youngest member ever named when he was inducted as an Associate Member of the American Ornithologists' Union.

After studing at the Institute of Keller in Zurich for a year he returned to America to study architecture at Cornell University. However, he lacked a passion for the study of mathematics and geometry and was still fascinated by birds. One apocryphal story tells of him climbing out a window during a college lecture to sit in a tree, completey still, to study a strange bird call. Finally, in 1895, he exhibited fifty of his works at the congress of the American Ornitholgists' Union at Washington and received the first of many commisions for illustrating birds before he graduated.

After graduating he studied with Abbott H. Thayer and traveled throughout the United States to study birds. He collaborated with Frank Chapman, the curator of the American Museum of Natural History, on many assignments and even discovered a new species of oriiole with him while in Mexico. His fame led to him returning to Cornell University to lecture on ornithology beginning in 1923. He was killed prematurely by an a train at a crossing near his hometown of Unadilla, New York, when the train was obscured by a load of hay. The paintings in his car extraordinarily survived undamaged.

Sight; height: 14 1/2 in x width: 8 1/4 in. Framed; height: 21 in x width: 13 1/2 in.

Condition

The painting is in good condition overall with no visible tears, creases, or losses. The paper is toned and browned. There is a visible mat burn from the previous mat. There are pencil inscriptions along the margins; see the listing image. When inspected under UV light, there is a network of white spots throughout the image, possibly from treatment. The painting is framed under glass. Not inspected out of frame. Wear to the frame.
Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email condition@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.

Available payment options

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Amex
  • Diners
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • Union Pay
PayPal
Payment & Shipping PAYMENT Revere Auctions accepts wire transfers, checks (personal or business check in US dollars certified by a US bank, a cashier’s/banker’s check drawn on a US bank or US money order), cash (US currency not to exceed $10,000 in a single or multiple related payments). Visa, Discover, American Express or MasterCard may be used and are subject to a 3.0% convenience fee and are limited to purchases of $5,000.00 (total). Credit Card payments for jewelry and gold are NOT accepted. The purchaser’s obligation to pay immediately the full purchase price is absolute and unconditional and is not subject to any defenses, setoffs or counterclaims of any kind whatsoever. Revere Auctions is not obligated to release a lot to the purchaser until title to the lot has passed. The purchaser agrees to pay Revere Auctions handling charge of $30 for any check dishonored by the drawee. SHIPPING Revere Auctions does NOT offer in-house shipping. As a convenience to the Buyer, Revere Auctions will make a referral for packing and shipping. This is at the request, expense, and risk of the Buyer, and Revere Auctions assumes no responsibility for the items or the timing of delivery. Insurance for in transit items is the responsibility of the buyer. The buyer must reach out to a shipping company to arrange shipping. The buyer must fill out and return the Shipping Release Form to info@revereauctions.com in order for their items to be released. This is to ensure that the won item(s) are given to the proper shipping company and reach their final destination safely. This form can be found here: https://www.revereauctions.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ShippingRelease_Fillable2022.pdf Here is a list of our preferred shippers: UPS Store #2105 Contact: Ryan Wilson Email: store2105@theupsstore.com Phone: 651-642-5972 UPS Store #2158 Contact: Randy Email: store2158@theupsstore.com phone: 651-635-0636 UPS Store #5396 Contact: Ivory Email: store5396@theupsstore.com Phone: 612-332-4117 Museum Services Inc For shipping estimate please complete the following link: http://museumservices.org/revere For our full list of shipping referrals and information please see our shipping information page with more details: https://www.revereauctions.com/shipping-information/