Alderfer Auction plans to offer an oil portrait it identifies as Alice Neel’s Dr. William Hanaway Jr. at its Dec. 10 fine art sale, with an auction-house estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
The Hatfield company announced the sale in its event listing on Patch. Alderfer says the painting came directly from the sitter’s family.
In an auction-house essay, senior fine art specialist Christian Answini writes that Neel gave the portrait to her friend Nell Prince Hanaway, the sitter’s mother, and that it remained with the family. Those provenance details are Alderfer’s account.
Hanaway’s academic career is independently documented by the University of Pennsylvania Almanac. Its 2019 obituary identifies William L. Hanaway Jr. as an emeritus professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. He began teaching Persian language and literature at Penn in 1971 and retired with emeritus status in 1995.
Neel also has a Lower Merion connection. The Smithsonian American Art Museum records that she was born in Merion Square in 1900 and graduated from the Philadelphia School of Design for Women in 1925. She died in 1984.
The portrait shows Hanaway in a straw hat and striped tie, with sailboats behind him. Alderfer suggests the maritime setting relates to his sailing background; that interpretation comes from the seller.
Previews and sale
Alderfer’s announced previews are at 501 Fairgrounds Road in Hatfield. An evening reception is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3, from 3–7 p.m.; public previews follow Dec. 7–9 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Private viewings are available by appointment.
The fine arts and mid-century modern auction is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 10, at 10 a.m., with online, telephone and absentee bidding options. Alderfer says online bidding opens in late November. Buyers can consult the auction calendar for catalog and bidding details.
Alderfer’s Wayne satellite office is at 303 West Lancaster Ave., Suite 2C. Its website lists Wednesday evaluations from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. The announced painting previews are at the Hatfield gallery.
