A Washington woman had never thought much of a painting in her possession. Before passing down to the said woman, the painting had always belonged to her grandmother.
The painting hung on the grandmother’s wall for many years without anyone paying particular attention. However, the family later learned that the painting was the work of a renowned artist from the American West.
The Hunt for a Historic Texas Painting
For several years on end, art connoisseurs have been trying to track down ‘A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio, 1921,’ a painting by world-renowned Julian Onderdonk.
Onderdonk’s paintings are known for a signature feature that often refers to the painter’s hometown, Texas. He had a habit of including bluebonnet flowers in his paintings.
Grandma’s Favorite Painting Actually Pulls Some Weight
So, one of Onderdonk’s most famous paintings, which reminds people of his Texan origins, hung casually on the wall of an Illinois grandmother.
An extended family member of this grandmother sent the painting to commemorate her birth in 1922, and it has remained in her family since then. Of course, it had sentimental value to the woman, but she never thought it would be worth something tangible at an auction.
The Artist Obsessed With the Beauty of Bluebonnets
As the painting’s name implies, it depicts a densely packed field of bluebonnets with a slight touch of falling haze, all on canvas.
Despite staying in a family for a generation and becoming an heirloom, there was a time when this expensive painting was almost given away as a gift. Imagine how dejected the family would have been if they had only discovered how valuable the Onderdonk painting is after giving it away.
Don’t Give Away that Painting, It’s Too Pretty!
Relatives tell the story of the elderly owner requesting that the painting be retained. The older woman’s children were trying to decide which of her things to give away, and she asked that the painting be brought along to the retirement home.
So, the painting remained with the family matriarch for the rest of her life before passing down to one of her children.
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However, the daughter who inherited the Onderdonk painting also hung it in the dining room of her Washington home.
Interestingly, the grandson of the now-passed grandmother was instrumental in successfully tracing the painting’s original source and six-figure value. Connoisseurs later discovered the painting was inconspicuously signed “Julian Onderdonk.”
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Onderdonk’s Painting Goes to the Auctions
Towards the end of June, the family of the painting’s original owner put it up for auction with Heritage Auctions. By June 29, the Dallas auction house had accumulated about 107 different items to pawn to the highest bidder.
Speaking at the auction, the grandson of the painting’s original owner tried explaining the family’s motive for sending their prized possession to an auction.
Why Some Art Owners Put Pieces Up for Auction
Speaking at the auction event, the original owner’s grandson said, “It was a family heirloom all these years, but it was decoration. We hadn’t considered researching it. And now, it should go to someone who will genuinely appreciate it.”
This means the original owners of the Onderdonk painting think you would do some other people more good than just sitting unfulfilled on their dining wall.
The Three Bluebonnets Musketeers
Two other paintings by Onderdonk accompanied A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio, to the auctions. The first is another bluebonnet-themed piece from 1916, titled Bluebonnets on Grey Day, North of San Antonio, Texas. This piece sold for $106,250 at the June auction.
The second accompanying Onderdonk painting, A Golden Evening, Southwest Texas, also sold for $93,750.
How to Sell a Painting for Six Figures
Meanwhile, the spotlight Onderdonk painting, the family heirloom originally belonging to the deceased grandmother, sold for an eye-popping $112,500. The auctioneer started off its auctioning at $30,000.
A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio 1921, was the spotlight painting during the June 29 auction. We can imagine the bidding process made the night of the original owners of the 1921 Onderdonk painting.
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Art Connoisseurs Have a Nose for Quality Pieces
Atlee Phillips is the Director of the Texas Art Department at Heritage Auctions. In an interview, she mentioned that she was not surprised that one of the Onderdonk paintings sold for six figures.
According to Phillips, smaller Onderdonk paintings have conveniently fetched six-figure prices at the Heritage Auctions.
The Skill of Getting an Art Piece Sold for What It’s Worth
Phillips chipped in that they often try to keep expectations low at Heritage Auctions. That way, art collectors are encouraged to make bids without the accompanying fear that the piece is already in the press, on everyone’s lips, and out of their financial reach.
Regarding the Onderdonk painting, which was an heirloom, Phillips suggested this was her first instance of experiencing a very valuable painting that was almost given away as a goodwill gift.
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