Viewings:

13 Feb 2009 10 - 5 New York
14 Feb 2009 10 - 5 New York
15 Feb 2009 10 - 5 New York

For lovers of dog pictures, Valentine's Day comes two days later than normal as Bonhams presents its annual sale of dog paintings and works of art on 16 February 2010. A must for all dog enthusiasts, Bonhams has conducted this popular sale for nearly thirty years and stands alone as the market leader in this genre.

The catalogue this year will be no exception in terms of quality and variety, with many paintings of well known breeds on offer, and featuring some of the best dog and sporting artists of the 19th and early 20th century.

Leading the pack is an exceptional painting of The Bitchpack of the Meath Foxhounds by John Emms. Estimated at $500,000-700,000, the picture comes from a private American collection and could rival the world record price achieved by Bonhams in February 2006 for a similar work.

Among the other highlights is a collection of over twenty original drawings by Lucy Dawson (aka 'Mac'), a number of which are original works for some of her books. From the late 18th century, there is a work attributed to George Stubbs ARA, showing a black spaniel in a landscape estimated at $25,000-35,000 and from the early 19th century an early work by Sir Edwin Landseer RA, depicting a spaniel and described as 'a Dog of the Marlborough breed', is expected to fetch $40,000-60,000. Other artists featured will be Maud Earl, John Sargent Noble and Arthur Wardle.

Collectors in the US will not be disappointed as the sale will also include works by two of the foremost American sporting painters. Two setters working by Edmund Henry Osthaus is estimated at $10,000-15,000 and a fine quality oil painting of a pointer and a setter entitled 'On Point' by Gustav Muss-Arnoldt carries a guide price of $20,000-30,000.