Nothing But a Hound Dog

I am sure there are people reading this who collect dog art, or just have an interest in the subject, and who have visited Crufts and stopped by Steve Ribbons’ booth.

In the days when the Crufts Art Auction was held and there were a number of specialist dealers in dog art and literature, Steve’s booth was an integral part. He always offered an eclectic selection and, buying on the Continent as he did, always had “treasures” that could not be found in Britain.

Four years ago, with the dog-art market in the U.K. getting more and more depressed and with true collectors and historians getting thinner on the ground, Steve decided to retire. Like most true specialists of their subject, Steve enjoyed the challenge of the research just as much as he did the challenge of the hunt. As the saying goes, “Once a dealer, always a dealer,” and if he sees an object that is crying out for some research, he can’t resist the temptation to buy it and find it a new home.

After spending some time living in France, but now domiciled back in England, Steve decided the time had come to sell the residue of his stock, plus a few items from his collection. Banfields Auctioneers were entrusted with putting “Nothing but a Hound Dog: The Steve Ribbons Collection of Dogs” together, and everything was offered without reserve or estimates, with donations from the proceeds going to various charities, including Ukrainian Dog Rescue, a cause that is in the minds of many dog lovers.

This was the first time in my memory that a dedicated single-owner sale of dog art in what would be described as the “affordable bracket” had been offered at auction. For instance, it contrasted greatly with the sale at Christie’s in London in 1996 that sold the dog-art collection of Count Alarico Palmieri, where most lots sold for thousands.

Reflecting on the sale, Steve hoped it may have helped revitalize the dog-art market and sparked an interest for collecting. There were certainly a lot of small-value items to encourage new collectors: three Royal Worcester models of Pekingese at £40, a Crown Devon model of Landseer’s “Distinguished Member” for £20 and a French gilt-bronze model of a Poodle, also for £20, being just three examples. All the 300-plus lots sold, and perhaps the final outcome could have suffered from a lack of presale publicity.

With such a wide selection of breeds on offer, it was interesting, from a U.K. perspective at least, to notice any trends in collecting. Anything Mastiff/Molosser did well, as has been the case for many years, but Pekingese, a once “hot” breed, did not perform well.

Steve’s journey in the world of this specialized subject began with books, and there were many interesting and authoritative works on offer, mostly in multiple lots put together by the auction house. One single-volume lot was Harding Cox’s “Dogs by Well Known Authorities” volume 1 “The Terriers,” which sold for a snip at £120 — check the prices of those offered on the internet.

Anyone thinking of forming their own canine library could have made a good start for little money. A lot of 28 volumes including Ash’s two-volume “Dogs Their History and Development,” Gordon’s “Dandie Dinmont Terrier Handbook,” Buchanan-Jardine’s “Hounds of the World” and Loudon’s “Domestic Pets” for just £150, and there were other similar examples.

Leading the sale at £240 each were an oil of a Great Dane in a stable by the little-known artist J.A. Ashton that was crying out for considerable restoration and a 19th-Century carved head of a Molosser-type dog.

One of the better performers among the pictures at £120 was a 19th-Century oil of a white-and-black Newfoundland beside a lake holding a gentleman’s walking cane, typical of many such Newfoundland pictures of the time. 

The dog has always been a very popular subject with pottery and porcelain manufacturers throughout Europe, both large and small. The Ribbons’ collection featured many examples, including models by most of the better-known ones like Nymphenburg, Meissen, Rosenthal and Royal Copenhagen. One of the higher-priced ones was a rare West Highland White Terrier by Nymphenburg that realized £130.

One of the lots that oozed quality was a 19th-Century French porcelain group of two Toy Spaniels lying on a tasselled cushion that sold for £220. Another quality lot was a circa 1860 Copeland parian group of three terriers titled “Rabbit Hunt,” which sold for £110. It was after the original bronze group by French animalier Pierre-Jules Méne, created circa 1853.

Staffordshire pottery jugs from the 18th Century decorated with sporting scenes always have a following, and a large one dated to circa 1830, naively decorated with bull-baiting scenes, was one of the sale’s achievers at £150.

The sale offered a number of good-quality bronzes, two being from the 20th Century. A French gilt model circa 1920 of a Greyhound standing on a naturalistic base sold for £170, and a circa 1930 Continental School recumbent Borzoi on a rock-shaped base signed Sucek, about whom nothing is known but he was obviously talented, sold for £200.

Evocative of grand drawing rooms in the 19th Century was a pair of French cast-iron chenets, cast with Poodles on shaped rectangular pedestals applied with gilt metal foliate scrolls, dated to circa 1860, which sold for £160.

Finally, something practical: a circa 1930 art-deco-style German clock with a sitting French Bulldog atop that found a new mantelpiece to stand on at £110.