March 9 saw a rare Paul Sawyier oil on canvas entitled The Kentucky Arsenal put in a strong performance at an Ohio auction. The piece brought $84,000 - a 12% increase on its $75,000 top estimate.
 Few Sawyier oil paintings exist – this rare example exceeded its $50,000-75,000 estimate |
A docile depiction of the winding Kentucky River, The Kentucky Arsenal is one of only a few extant works in oil by the esteemed American artist, who spent the latter part of his life living in New York.
Sawyier (1865-1917), one of the most prominent artists to hail from Kentucky, worked primarily in water colours, thus the atypical work's substantial estimate and subsequent sale price.
Paintings by prominent American artists have put in strong performances at auction of late: Gloucester Gill Netters, a traditional dockside scene by Frederick John Mulhaupt, sold in January for $50,000.
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