A 1948 original study, or preliminary work, done by Norman Rockwell leading up to one of his most famous paintings has been sold at an auction in Dallas, Texas for $1.6 million.
Heritage Auctions in Dallas was founded in 1976. It’s considered the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer (are you surprised? It’s in Texas!) as well as the largest auction house founded in America. In a report by NBC DFW, the auction house explained that the Rockwell painting sold on Sunday, August 20 to a buyer in who wished to remain anonymous.
Photo: Facebook/Heritage Auction Sports
The work was a rendering – the basis for his future painting of “Tough Call,” also known as “Bottom of the Sixth.” This Rockwell work depicts three umpires looking up to the sky, wondering whether or not to call a game due to rain. It’s arguably one of the most identifiable of his paintings in the baseball-theme, of which there are at least eight.
Photo: Facebook/Hank Ess
A family from the Texas Hill Country, Austin to be exact, placed the work up for auction after finding out through examination that it wasn’t just a print but an actual rendering completed by the man himself. Believing the gift to their family member, late baseball umpire “Beans” Reardon who is pictured in the center, to be merely a print, they were amazed to find out it was Rockwell’s own hand-painted study. The final painting that stemmed from it, “Tough Call,” now holds a place of honor at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
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