Posted: February 12, 2011, 2 a.m. EST
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An oil painting of Sharp, Queen Victoria’s favorite dog, by artist Charles Burton Barber. |
Bonhams auction house is going to the dogs – make that dog paintings and memorabilia – Feb. 16 in honor of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
The venerable New York City auction house’s “Dogs in Show & Field” on Feb. 16 – Westminster is on Feb. 14 and 15 – will include an oil painting of Sharp, Queen Victoria’s favorite dog, by British artist Charles Burton Barber that has fetched a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-$6,000. The painting was in the personal collection of Queen Victoria, and the reverse of the picture bears The Windsor Castle inventory stamp and a further stamp denoting the Queen’s property.
Sharp was a smooth-coated Border Collie who was Queen Victoria’s preferred companion after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. The dog lived at Windsor Castle and accompanied Victoria almost everywhere she went.
“This painting is a wonderful reflection of the bond that can exist between owner and dog,” says Laura Turnbull of Bonhams’ 19th century pictures department. “At a time when the Queen needed companionship the most, Sharp was her trusted and closest friend and the fact that his tomb sits to this day in the Queen’s personal and private garden is tantamount to his importance in her life.”
Other items for sale include an enamel brooch featuring a Bloodhound by W. B. Ford that’s expected to fetch between $800-$1,200 and paintings priced from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
For more information on “Dogs in Show & Field,” click here.