68054: Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius (American, 1869-1959

Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius (American, 1869-1959) A Collection of Forty-Two Wildlife Scenes Etching and drypoint on paper, each 6-1/8 x 8-3/8 inches (15.6 x 21.3 cm) (smallest, image) 7-3/4 x 10-3/4 inches (19.7 x 27.3 cm) (largest, image) Each signed in pencil in lower margin Several inscribed in pencil in lower margin PROPERTY FROM THE L.D. "BRINK" BRINKMAN COLLECTION LITERATURE: D.E. Crouch, Carl Rungius: The Complete Prints, Missoula, Montana, 1989, pp. 90-152, 154-174, 177, pl. 1-31, 33-42, 44. Carl Rungius was born into a large family with a collective interest in art, nature and taxidermy. He entered the Berlin Art Academy at 1888 to study painting, and spent most of his time at the zoo sketching the animals he found there. To further his understanding of the animal physique, he frequented the local glue factory to study the animals more in-depth. The artist's subject matter changed when he visited Wyoming for the first time in 1894, a watershed moment in his career. He immediately became enamored with and inspired by the raw landscapes and untouched wildlife of the American West. Rungius immigrated to the United States in 1896 claiming that his "heart was in the West." Because of his earlier dedication to understanding the anatomy, Rungius was able to create many lifelike paintings of bear, elk and other big game animals in their natural habitat, seemingly untouched by humanity. Many conservationists commissioned Rungius for illustrations in magazines, books and other media. He moved away from illustrations in 1909 and focused on easel paintings and prints, which he continued until his death in October of 1959. Over the course of his long and highly successful career, Rungius earned a reputation as the most important big game painter and the first career wildlife artist in North America. Between 1925 and 1938, Rungius created a portfolio of forty-six etchings and drypoints devoted exclusively to the wildlife of the American West. Rarely does the complete portfolio appear at auction. Nearly complete, the present lot includes forty-two of the forty-six prints of this wildlife portfolio. The four missing works, printed in mostly his later releases, are: In the Fighting Mood, Over the Pass, Alaskan Moose, and Ex Libris. INCLUDES: The Challenge, March 1925, Ed. 100; Lord of the Canyon, March 1925, Ed. 100; An Old Fighter, March 1925, Ed. 100; The Answer from the Barren, March 1925, Ed. 100; Friends Again, March 1925, Ed. 100; Alarmed, March 1925, Ed. 100; Rams, November 1925, Ed. 76; Stampede, November 1925, Ed. 77; An Old Prospector, November 1925, Ed. 100; Osborne's Caribou, November 1925, Ed. 100; The Rivals, November 1925, Ed. 76; Morning Mist, November 1925, Ed. 100; Goats, March 1926, Ed. 86; The Stranger, March 1926, Ed. 75; Old Bull, March 1926, Ed. 35; Young Bull, March 1926, Ed. 35; Near Long Lake, March 1926, Ed. 100; Antelope, June 1926, Ed. 50; A Woodland Stag, June 1926, Ed. 50; Mule Deer, June 1927, Ed. 50; Dall Sheep, April 1928, Ed. 50; Cliff Dwellers, April 1928, Ed. 75; White Flag, April 1928, Ed. 50; Three Old Gentleman, April 1928, Ed. 50; Silvertip, April 1928, Ed. 50; Alaskan Wilderness, April 1928, Ed. 75; Siesta, April 1931, unknown edition size; Face-to-Face, April 1931, unknown edition size; Mountain Caribou, April 1931, unknown edition size; The Traveler, April 1931, unknown edition size; Ivan, April 1931, unknown edition size; Among the Crags, November 1935, unknown edition size; Old Baldface, November 1935, unknown edition size; The Wanderer, November 1935, unknown edition size; On the Skyline, November 1935, unknown edition size; Challenged, November 1935, unknown edition size; The Family, November 1935, unknown edition size; Out of the Canyon, November 1935, unknown edition size; Above the Timberline, November 1935, unknown edition size; Mates, November 1935, unknown edition size; Coming to the Call, November 1935, unknown edition size; Browsing, September 1938, unknown edition size. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Condition Report: Each framed; sizes varying.