Edmund Osthaus (1858-1928) On Point

Lot 44A

About Seller

65 Sharp Street
Hingham, MA 02043
United States

Copley Fine Art Auctions is the world's leading American sporting art auction company. Located in Hingham, MA, Copley specializes in antique decoys and 19th- and 20th-century American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Principal Stephen O'Brien Jr., a fourth-generation sportsman with a refined colle...Read more

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About Auction

The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 14, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-07-14 10:00:00 2022-07-14 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2022-day-1-9460 Lots 1-332 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

Edmund Osthaus (1858-1928)
On Point
signed "Edmund Osthaus" lower right
oil on canvas, 28 by 36 in.

Edmund Henry Osthaus was born in Hildesheim, Germany, in 1858, the son of a prosperous farmer who subsequently emigrated to Toledo, Ohio. Osthaus studied at the Royal Academy of the Arts in Dusseldorf from 1874 to 1882 with Andreas Muller, Peter Jansen, Eduard von Gebhardt, Ernst Deger, and wildlife and landscape painter Christian Kroner. In 1883, after studying painting for six years, Edmund Osthaus became an instructor at the Toledo Academy of Fine Arts. He served as director from 1886 to 1893, refining his painting technique and pursuing his dual passions of hunting and fishing.

In 1893 Osthaus dedicated his full attention to painting, shooting, and field trials. He was a charter member of the National Field Trial Association, established in Newton, North Carolina, in 1895. His artistic talent combined with his love of dogs enabled him to capture the essence of the focused working dog while depicting them in precise anatomical detail.

Toledo historian and author Jack Paquette writes, "As Edmund [Osthaus] became more prosperous, his lifestyle evolved into one that permitted him to enjoy all of his favorite pursuits simultaneously. Like a migrating waterfowl winging its way south for the winter, Edmund followed the field trials from Canada to Florida, judging dogs in some of the trials or merely painting his favorites in others, all the while hunting the local birds over his own dogs."

This newly discovered Osthaus work has descended in the same family for several generations. A quintessential Osthaus, it depicts a pointer and English setter with exquisite detail. The intimate painting draws the viewer into the landscape on the left with the pointer sharply backed by the setter on the right; the viewer's eye then completes the circle as both the dogs and viewer peer for the game bird hiding in wait.

This fresh-to-market work shows the artist at the top of his game and includes all the hallmarks of Edmund Osthaus at his best.

Provenance: Private Collection, Florida

Literature: Jack K. Paquette, "Painting was his life’s work, but dogs were his passion" in "Small Town Girl," Toledo, OH, 2013, pp. 123-129.

Condition

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