Home / Arts and Entertainment / Near-Discarded Bluebonnet Art Fetches Six Figures
Near-Discarded Bluebonnet Art Fetches Six Figures
15 Nov
Summary
- A 100-year-old bluebonnet painting sold for $112,500 at auction.
- The artwork was nearly donated to Goodwill before being saved.
- It is an original piece by celebrated Texas painter Julian Onderdonk.
A forgotten family heirloom, a 100-year-old painting of Texas bluebonnets, has resurfaced and sold for an astonishing $112,500 at auction. The artwork, titled 'A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio,' was created by celebrated Texas painter Julian Onderdonk in 1921, just a year before his death. Initially a gift to Carlotta Preston in 1922, the painting was nearly lost when it was almost included with items destined for Goodwill during a family move.
Saved by a last-minute decision, the painting remained with the family, eventually hanging in a daughter's home near Tacoma, Washington. It wasn't until recent research that its true origin as an original Onderdonk was discovered. The painting was consigned to Heritage Auctions in Dallas, where it achieved its impressive sale price on June 29, 2024, alongside other works by the artist.
Julian Onderdonk, born in San Antonio in 1882, is celebrated for his impressionist landscapes deeply connected to the Texas environment, with bluebonnets being a signature subject. His works are preserved in major collections like the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. This painting's journey highlights how family heirlooms can possess significant unrecognized artistic and historical value.
