A copy of The Mysterious Rider by Zane Grey will accompany the lot.

Harper & Brothers commissioned this painting from the artist as a dust jacket illustration for The Mysterious Rider by Zane Grey. The work comes from the collection of William A. “Dollar Bill” Blakley (1898-1976), twice-appointed United States Senator from Texas, owner of the Rocker B Ranch in Irion County, and a principal owner of the Exchange Bank and Trust in Dallas.

Biographer Harold McCracken noted that Johnson’s artistic aims set him apart from Remington and Russell: “While Frank Tenney Johnson portrayed very much the same subjects as Remington and Russell, his purpose was to add a strong aesthetic beauty to the paintings he created, which carried his work considerably beyond that of the others. He also avoided violence, with only an occasional scene in which powder is burned and horses plunge.… There is a high note of romance, pathos, and poetry in this artist’s work. In the opinion of many qualified critics, he was a superb draftsman; portrayed the horse as well or better than any; and the nocturnes he put on canvas have never been equaled by any other American artist.”

PROVENANCE
The Exchange Bank and Trust Company, Dallas, Texas
William A. Blakley Collection, Dallas, Texas
Estate of Kendall E. Andrews, Jr., Fort Worth, Texas

LITERATURE
Zane Grey, The Mysterious Rider, Grosset & Dunlap, 1921, cover, illustrated

Additional Resources

• Absentee & Phone Bid Form
• Frank Tenney Johnson’s Past Results
• View Condition Report

Condition ReportSurface is in good condition. Canvas is lined. Spots of inpainting lower-left corner and upper-right corners. Spots of inpainting on lead horse. Spot of inpainting lower-right corner, below the signature.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders and reflect educated opinions, not facts. All painting frames are sold “as is.” The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions.