Frederick Sproston Challener
(1869 - 1959) OSA, RCA
Previously Sold Works
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
A Singing Lesson
oil on canvas
signed and dated 1900 lower left; signed, titled and inscribed with the artist’s address on the reverse
20 x 18 ins ( 50.8 x 45.7 cms )
Auction Estimate: $4,000.00 - $6,000.00
Price Realized $9,000.00
Sale date: December 1st 2022
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Posing Dancer
oil on board
signed with initials lower right
10 x 7 ins ( 25.4 x 17.8 cms )
Auction Estimate: $600.00 - $800.00
Price Realized $575.00
Sale date: May 25th 2017
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Study for the Royal Alexandria Theatre Proscenium Arch, Venus Meeting Adonis
colour pastel on paper
signed and dated 1907 lower left
24 x 19 ins ( 61 x 48.3 cms )
Auction Estimate: $2,500.00 - $3,500.00
Price Realized $2,300.00
Sale date: June 14th 2017
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
A Rest From Work
oil on canvas
signed and dated 1893 lower right
20 x 30 ins ( 50.8 x 76.2 cms )
Auction Estimate: $3,000.00 - $4,000.00
Price Realized $3,910.00
Sale date: December 14th 2016
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Cannon at Fort York
oil on board
signed and dated 1891 lower left; inscribed “Fort York” and with details of past ownership on the reverse
8 x 10 ins ( 20.3 x 25.4 cms )
Auction Estimate: $1,500.00 - $2,000.00
Price Realized $2,640.00
Sale date: April 19th 2022
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Clippers at Sunset
oil on canvas
signed and dated 1937 lower right
22.5 x 28.25 ins ( 57.2 x 71.8 cms )
Auction Estimate: $800.00 - $1,200.00
Price Realized $2,040.00
Sale date: March 1st 2022
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Spring Time in the Woods
oil on board
signed lower left; titled on a label on the reverse
9 x 7.25 ins ( 22.9 x 18.4 cms )
Auction Estimate: $1,200.00 - $1,500.00
Price Realized $1,320.00
Sale date: April 18th 2023
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
A Little Hollander
oil on board
signed lower left; titled on a label on the reverse of the framing
6 x 6 ins ( 15.2 x 15.2 cms )
Auction Estimate: $600.00 - $800.00
Price Realized $1,020.00
Sale date: December 9th 2015
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Brown Eyed Beauty
oil on board
signed lower right; titled to a gallery label on the reverse
11.5 x 8.25 ins ( 29.2 x 21 cms )
Auction Estimate: $400.00 - $500.00
Price Realized $960.00
Sale date: December 15th 2020
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Portrait of a Gentleman
oil on canvas board
label on the reverse reading: “This is to certify that this painting was painted by my late husband, Mr. Frederick S. Challener (signed) Mrs. Ethel Challener”
11.75 x 9 ins ( 29.8 x 22.9 cms )
Auction Estimate: $600.00 - $800.00
Price Realized $708.00
Sale date: March 20th 2019
FREDERICK SPROSTON CHALLENER
Native of Damascus
oil on board
signed upper right
11.25 x 9.5 ins ( 28.6 x 24.1 cms )
Auction Estimate: $500.00 - $700.00
Price Realized $480.00
Sale date: March 26th 2014
Consignments
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F.S. Challener Biography
(1869 - 1959) OSA, RCA
Frederick Challener was born 1869 in Whetstone, England. After moving to Canada, Challener found a position in a Toronto stockbroker’s office. His mind was not focused on Stocks and Bonds, however, and he often sketched the crowds outside his office window. He spent his lunch hours in front of a nearby photography studio where Canadian artists regularly exhibited. On seeing his sketches, the owners of the studio sponsored him for enrolment in evening classes at the Ontario School of Art. Within months, teachers advised Challener that he was ready to work as an artist professionally. He got a job as an apprentice to a Toronto lithography company. Artist G.A. Reid, recognizing his talent, agreed to give him free instruction in the evenings.
By 1890, Challener had held his first solo show at the Royal Canadian Academy. During 1898-99 he traveled overseas to England, Italy, Egypt, Palestine and Syria. While there he was inspired by the variety of murals which were accessible to the public. Upon his return home he was strongly motivated to do mural work. A good friend of C. W. Jefferys, he worked with him on a number of murals, a collaboration which often resulted in both artists insisting that the other be given credit for the work. Challener made several paintings based on C. W. Jefferys’ drawings. A barn in Conestoga, Ontario, became a studio for his mural work. He completed murals in important buildings across the country such as the King Edward Hotel, Toronto (1900); the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto (1907); Royal Alexandra Hotel, Winnipeg. (1909-12); and the MacDonald Hotel, Edmonton (1914).
In addition to his mural work, he experienced success as an easel painter. He received a Bronze Medal at the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo for “The Workers of the Fields” which he deposited in the RCA diploma collection in the National Gallery of Canada. His work was generally realistic, romantic and often decorative. Most of his larger paintings were done in oils, while smaller works were often done in watercolour. He favoured wove paper for his drawings, using charcoal and pastel, black chalk or graphite. Several such drawings are housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada. In addition to his studio and mural work, Challener taught art at the Ontario College of Art from 1927 to 1952. He died in Toronto at the age of 90. His affiliations include the OSA from 1890, ARCA from 1891, and the RCA from 1899.
Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977