$830
Ernest Ludvig Ipsen (American, 1869-1951) Portrait of Milton H. Bird with his Champion Irish Terrier "Kelvin Colleen" , 1943. Signed and dated "E.L. Ipsen/1943" l.l., identified on a handwritten label and note affixed to the reverse. Oil on Masonite, 42 x 32 3/4 in. (106.5 x 83.5 cm), framed. Condition: Paint losses and flaking, surface grime. The unsigned note on the back, presumably taken from a letter written by Milton Bird, describes his sitting for this portrait in Coconut Grove, Florida. As he describes it, the artist originally painted in a complex background of vines and flowers; then, after receiving some negative criticism from a fellow artist, he returned to the composition to simplify the background. In the interim, he painted a second portrait of Milton Bird, whereabouts unknown, which was awarded a prize. The artist gave the first, reworked, portrait to the sitter.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2011-05-20
