These two oils by Leon Kroll, one consigned on the last day possible to meet the Barridoff auction catalog deadline and the other consigned still later and, therefore, is an addition to the auction, illustrated on an insert to the catalog.

The former is a nude from 1912 very much in need of a surface cleaning. This lot is almost certainly the painting illustrated as plate 80, present whereabouts unknown, in A Spoken Memoir by Leon Kroll, edited by Nancy Hale and Fredson Bowers. Its whereabouts have remained unknown until now. For whatever reason — Kroll was criticized for the homoeroticism in his work  —  the artist removed the nude figure on the left and finished the painting with a matching drape to the one on the right, not present in the painting illustrated in the book. With suggestions remaining of the second figure, Kroll may well have been responding to his critics with a more mysterious and suggestive image. In this light, it is interesting to note that plate 80 is dated “ca. 1910” and the painting itself is dated 1912. It is estimated at $9,000 to $12,000.

Not listed or illustrated in any book we could find and very possibly unknown and unlisted, “The Letter” by Kroll is a stunning image of a woman on the steps of the family home reading a letter with her daughter clinging to her, son petting the family dog, and baby in her arms. Its era, probably the 1930s, possibly early 40s, and its style might solve the mystery to what the letter contains. The prominence of the post office box and the darkening cloud are other hints, to be sure. The location is certainly New England with the ocean in the far background. Kroll spent a great deal of time in Maine, often working with his friend George Bellows, and on Cape Cod. The current owner of this important lot, who lives in Ohio, bought it the year he was married in 1971 with no knowledge until this year about who had painted it. The signature, small especially on such a large canvas, is hardly noticeable. It has been untouched since. It has a heavy old varnish, some bubbles between the canvas and its current wood backing, and a few minor bruises. Happily, according to Anthony Moore, restorer extraordinaire, it's all there and its problems are reversible. The painting is of museum quality and, at 40" × 30", museum size. The estimate is $40,000 to $60,000.