Tylee Abbott of William Abbott Fine Art was kind enough to point out this Thomas Moran watercolor that had been in the same family since it was acquired directly from the artist at the end of the 19th Century. Brunk Auctions in North Carolina did spectacularly well when it sold the work for $1.7m in March:

Between 1883 and 1895, [Cliffs of Green River – Wyoming Territory] was likely exhibited and sold. In 1895, the watercolor was photographed in the dining room of the consigner’s family residence and also appears in a 1910 family appraisal as “matted and in a 6″ ornamental gold frame”. It remained in the family, having moved to the current consigner’s residence in 1937. This watercolor will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s works being compiled by Stephen L. Good and Phyllis Braff.

Brunk Auctions Lot 0515 (March 10-11, 2012)