Description:

CLEMENTINE HUNTER (American 1887-1988) "Melrose Auction," 20TH CENTURY,
oil on canvas board, signed lower right with artist's monogram, "CH," and titled on reverse, "Auction."

  • Provenance: Collection of Mary Katherine Brown Lang, Richmond, Texas.

    An excerpt from the family diary pertaining to the Clementine Hunter paintings:

    My parents Cletus and Betty Showers Brown Jr owned property outside of Brookshire, TX, Mosseligh Farm. They raised and raced Thoroughbred race horses and Charolais cattle. In the early 1970s, my father bought about 150 acres located outside Wheeling,Winn Parish, Louisiana. This property was Mossleigh Farm of Louisiana. The purpose of this farm was to keep brood mares and several of his stallions there in order for new foals born in Louisiana would be eligible to race in the high paying stake races at the Louisiana race tracks located in New Orleans, Fairgrounds Race Track and Jefferson Downs and at Evangeline Downs located in Lafayette, Louisiana. My parents sold the Louisiana property in the late 1980s.

    They restored the 125 year old dogtrot house located on the property which we stayed at while there. Barns and paddocks were built for the horses. The Natchez Trace which is part of the El Camino Real Trail is the road that runs by the property. There is a famous graveyard close to the property where members of the West and Kimbrill Clan are buried. These families were known to be more brutal than the Jesse James gang. The West and Kimbrill Clan were involved in many killings after the Civil War. The Kisatchie National Forest is close by.

    Traveling from Wheeling to Natchitoches, Louisiana was about 20 minutes. Traveling from Wheeling to Melrose Plantation on the Cane River takes about 50 minutes. My parents made several trips to Melrose Plantation where they met with Clementine Hunter. I was with them on one of the trips to Melrose. The 4 paintings that I submitted to your gallery were bought directly from Clementine Hunter. I do not have sale receipts to show what the purchase price was. My father paid cash. As you know, my parents had a love for history which included art work, historical documents and artifacts. We traveled the state of Louisiana viewing numerous plantations and buying primitive furnishings for the restored dog trot house.
  • Dimensions: 18 x 24 in. (45.7 x 61 cm.)
  • Condition: Work is unframed. There is a slight crease on the bottom right corner with paint loss, and some wear to the bottom left corner.

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