In December of 2005, this painting sold for over three times the low-end of the auction estimate. While not the most expense Osthaus painting sold that day, it garnered $96,000, making it an obvious favorite among collectors.
This painting is different from most of Osthaus’s work for the simple fact that it includes the dogs and their master. Most of his works feature only the dogs and while he did do a number of dog/owner portraits, this gentleman was the only human represented in the sale that day.
The huntsman, returning home from a successful day lets his next generation of dogs get a good smell of what they will be themselves hunting one day, while an older dog rests, presumably after participating in the day’s hunt. In a bit of irony, there’s a portrait of a pair of hunting dogs hanging on the wall behind the gentleman. This painting was almost like getting two for the price of one.
To learn more about the artist and view additional examples of this American painter’s work, please visit our Henry Edmund Osthaus biography.