79. William Henry Hunt, A Sportsman or Gamekeeper with his Trophies. 1836

I had wanted this major watercolor by Hunt since it first appeared at auction in 1985. Unfortunately I decided not to bid on it because I thought that it had a very high estiatate for the time. Although it did not sell, I later learned from an English dealer that he had arranged for a post-auction sale to one of his American customers. I was pretty upset, and the watercolor remained his on my want list for the past 38 years.

When the painting finally re-appeared a few days ago at a Pennsyvania action, I was unhappy that the work was significantly more faded than it had been nearly 4 decades earlier. But it was estimated to sell for an extremely low price, so I decided to buy it despite the fading. Of course, it went for many times the estimate, but I just couldn't pass on it after waiting so long to finally acquire it.

The painting is rather large for a work by Hunt (21 X 25 in.), and a letter survives in which Hunt describes the work to a prospective buyer.