THE RICHARD HARRIS COLLECTION

Richard Harris (1938–2022) was a visionary collector whose lifelong dedication to exploring the theme of death has left an enduring impact on the art world. His vast and meticulously curated collection—spanning over 3,000 works and artifacts from 2000 B.C. to today—serves as a profound visual dialogue on mortality, touching on universal themes of loss, remembrance, and the resilience of life.

Inviting us to confront and embrace our shared human experience with death, Richard’s collection stands as an immortal reflection of his passion, sparking conversations that transcend generations and celebrating a legacy as timeless as the subject itself.

For more information on specific pieces, including details on exhibition loans, please inquire below.

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Death of Venus
2010

Roger Reutimann (born 1961)

bronze and automotive paint
72 x 44 x 44 inches

Photo: Roger Reutimann

Skulls
2004

Mark Flood (born 1957)

bronze
9 1/2 by 10 by 7 inches
24.1 by 25.4 by 17.8 cm

Photo: Bonhams

Thesaurus Animalium Primus
1710

Frederick Ruysch (1638-1731)

7 parts bound in 1 volume, Johannes Wolters, Amsterdam

Two Skulls
1905

Julien Adolphe Duvocelle (1873-1961)

black chalk & brown wash on varnished light brown paper with "arched top"

Jori Finkel, Lovely Bones, Art + Auction, October 2008, illustrated in room photograph on p.108.

Young Death Playing the Violin
1635

Frans Franken Le Jeune (1581-1642)

oil on oak

Panel 6 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches

Allegory of War
Studio of Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678)

oil on copper
31 x 38 1/16 in
78.8 x 96.7 cm

Photo: Bonhams

Provenance
Private Collection, Belgium
Lempertz, Cologne, 16 November 2013, lot 1243 (as Jan Brueghel the Younger)

At the time of the last sale the present work was offered with a certificate by Klaus Ertz, dated Lingen 13.08.2003, in which he compares the present painting to an Allegory of War, dated to around 1647 (see: K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678), Freren, 1984, pp. 387-8, cat. no. 223).

The Vision of Ezekiel (Bartsch 69; Boorsch, Lewis & Lewis 15), 1554
After Giorgio Mantovano Ghisi (1520-1582)

Engraving on two sheets of laid paper, with watermark of an encircled fleur-de-lis, the sixth (final) state, with the address of the printer, Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi, Rome, trimmed just within the platemark.
16 1/8 x 26 5/8 inches
41.2 x 67.6cm

sheet 16 1/4 x 26 3/4 inches (41.5 x 68 cm)

Photo: Bonhams

In Ezekiel's dramatic vision of the Apocalypse, corpses and animated skeletons growing flesh emerge from tombs. The banderole carried by the winged putti reads
"Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live..."

Studies of Three Skeletons
Josef Garcia el Hidalgo (1650-1717)

From Principios para estudiar el nobilísimo y real arte de la pintura (Principles to Study the Most Noble and Royal Art of Painting) (Páez Rios I.401.848(121) ), 1693. Etching on laid paper, signed in the plate, with wide margins.
6 3/4 x 8 inches
17.2 x 20.4 cm

sheet 7 7/8 x 10 3/4 inches (19.6 x 27.4 cm)

Photo: Bonhams

An illustration from Hidalgo's indispensable 1691 publication showing complete skeletons of men and women, a first for the period.

Rare. An example is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Quis evadet? (Hollstein 110), 1594
Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617)

Engraving on laid paper with unidentified elaborate watermark, with narrow margins, framed.

plate 8 5/16 x 6 1/16 inches ( 21.1 x 15.4 cm)
sheet 8 7/16 x 6 3/16 inches (21.4 x 15.7 cm)

Photo: Bonhams

Death Taking the Young Mother
Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)

pen, brown and grey ink and watercolor over graphite
7 13/16 x 6 1/4 inches
19.8 x 15.9 cm

Photo: Bonhams

Memento Mori Carved White Marble Lintel
France, 16th century

The central skull beneath carved drapery and resting atop rocaille.
37 x 13 x 7 inches
33 x 93 x 12 cm

Photo: Bonhams

Bronze Model of a Skull
19th/20th century

realistically formed

6 x 6 x 7 1/2 inches
15 x 15 x 17 cm

Photo: Bonhams

The Triumph of Death
c. 1656

Maerten van Heemskerk (1498-1574)

pen and ink on paper

Skull Candle
2004

Liz Craft (American b. 1974)

red wax positive cast of a human skull with melted candle on top.

Approx. 10 x 6 x 8 inches

Photo: Potter & Potter Auctions

Gentleman on Green Table
1999-2000

June Leaf (American, 1929-2024)

tin and wire

Portrait of a man / A Skull in a Niche
c. 1535

Barthel Bruyn the Elder (1493-1555)

oil on panel

Double-sided image 12 x 9 inches

Scene Macabre
2010

Michel de Spiegelaere (Belgian, 20th/21st century)

resin composite materials

20 x 20 x 12 inches

Terminal
1987

Bruce Cratsley (American, 1944 - 1998)

silver gelatin print

Frame 27 1/2 x 25 inches
View 14 1/2 x 14 1/4 inches

Photo: Potter & Potter Auctions

Skull/Head (Inside/Outside)
1994

Katherine Du Tiel (American, b. 1961)

silver gelatin print

Frame 30 1/2 x 25 1/4 inches
View 23 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches

Photo: Potter & Potter Auctions

Untitled
2002

Ken Rosenthal (American, b. 1964)

split-toned silver print, untitled photograph from the series “Not Dark Yet”

Frame 19 1/4 x 19 1/4 inches
View 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches

Photo: Potter & Potter Auctions

Be Good To Your Organs
2005

Chris Roberts Antieau (American, b. 1951)

Mixed media fabric work with fine embroidery overall in a hand painted frame. Signed and dated verso on artist’s label.

45 1/2 x 35 1/2 inches

Photo: Potter & Potter Auctions

About Now
2004

China Marks (American, b. 1942)

Fabric patchwork on canvas, tapestry. Signed, titled, and dated by Marks on the verso.

42 x 70 1/2 inches

Allegories of Mortality
17th century

Follower of Juan de Valdes Léal (1622-1690)

a pair, oil on canvas (2)
38 3/8 x 74 7/16 in
97.5 x 189 cm

Photo: Bonhams

Provenance
Castello di Giove, Umbria, Italy
Sotheby's, London, 5 July 1989, lot 214
Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco, 16 May 2006, lot 3031, where purchased by the late owner