Discovery and exploration are prevalent themes of Hudson River School artists and at Freeman’s auction on Sunday, December 2, of fine American and European paintings and sculpture, the top lot, Asher B. Durand’s (1796‱886) painting simply titled “Landscape,” generated significant interest.

The Durand piece was chased by bidders on the phone and in the room, before settling in at its final price of $386,500, an auction record for Durand.

“Today’s results demonstrate that the demise of the Nineteenth Century American art market has been greatly exaggerated,” said Freeman’s vice chairman and auctioneer Alasdair Nichol. “The combination of quality and fresh to the market works are in high demand. This Durand has been in a private collection of a prominent New York family for decades and they are thrilled with the results.”

Works by American painters Edwin Lord Weeks, George William Sotter and Edmund William Greacen also performed well.

Another painting of discovery and exploration is the stately “Grizzly Bear” by Carl Rungius (1869‱959), which achieved a solid $230,500. The 166 works offered in the auction attracted bidders and buyers from around the world and the sale realized $1,843,937.

A full report on the sale will appear in a future edition.