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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. — International fine arts auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields will offer “Dogs in Art,” a traditional annual auction for pet-lovers and collectors, on Tuesday, January 25. The New Year’s installment will comprise 120 lots, predominately paintings, with one bronze and some medals relating to the Pekingese breed.

Among the highlights is a beautiful example of the work of William Henry Hamilton Trood, ($15/20,000). While only 12 by 16 inches, it shows a black terrier keeping watch over a bundle of sleeping puppies. According to specialists, this is not only an excellent example of the artist’s work, but also illustrates the best in this genre. Perhaps destined to be Best in Show is a large canvas showing a springer spaniel with her puppies, entitled “Maternal Affection” ($30/40,000).

Foxhounds are always popular with collectors and the sale includes an oil sketch on paper of the head of a hound by John Frederick Herring Sr. These beautifully worked sketches by Herring, dating from the early 1850s, are highly sought after as they combine a lightness of touch with a brilliant observation of the animal ($6/9,000).

Another popular artist in these auctions is John Emms and the January sale features two good examples: one work depicts a group of foxhounds around the base of tree in which a fox hides ($12/15,000), and the other is an oil on canvas of a fox terrier bitch suckling her litter ($8/12,000).

Collectors will also be familiar with the work of Arthur Wardle of Rhode Island. This exceptional artist was largely self-taught, but is now regarded as one of the finest animal painters of his generation. The sale’s catalog will include five Wardle works, ranging in value from $1,500 to as much as $20,000, the best of which are two wonderfully crafted paintings of King Charles spaniels and dachshunds.

Continental buyers will be pleased to see several paintings of interest, in particular two pictures by Danish artists. The auction’s Lot 78, by Ejnar Vindfeldt, depicts a spaniel with puppies in a sun-drenched yard ($20/30,000) and a charming composition by Simon Simonsen that depicts a pile of dachshund puppies ($12,000/15,000).

One of the finest paintings in the sale is by William Frank Calderon. “Orphans” shows the artist’s own Irish wolfhound, Patrick, lying in an interior with one paw resting over two terrier puppies. Calderon’s work rarely appears at auction and this exceptional picture is estimated to realize $35,000 to $45,000.

Many breeds are represented in the auction — from the aristocratic borzoi to the mischievous terrier — with wonderful works depicting gun dogs, pointers, setters, spaniels and Pekingese — the auctioneers assure, “There should be something for every dog lover.”

Prices include the buyer’s premium charged. For more information about future auctions, 415-861-7500 or visit www.Bonhams.com.