Dallas Auction Gallery to bang the gavel on Dallas man's lifetime bovine collection

Dallas Auction Gallery bangs the gavel next week on the lifetime bovine collection of Derrill Osborn. The fabled Neiman Marcus men's clothing director (now seven years retired) has become as celebrated for his objets vaches as for his keenly eccentric personal style. Of course, most of us would need multiple lifetimes to amass the bounty of more than 500 pieces that, until recently, filled every inch of his modestly sized Oak Lawn townhouse. His collection includes 19th- and 20th century bovine oil paintings, Black Forest carvings, Staffordshire figurines, 150-year-old majolica and even an Empire-style armchair clad in fabric given to Osborn by Gianni Versace. Each piece seems bathed in the aura of its famously stylish curator. Osborn, with his mustache, wide-brimmed hats and penchant for dressing in elaborate suits (even for the most mundane errands), has graced the pages of GQ, Esquire and Vogue Hommes. He was once in charge of assisting a young John Kennedy Jr. with his wardrobe. Even today, Osborn rarely leaves home without a fresh red rose or carnation boutonniere in his lapel. He was just a child when he acquired his first bovine object, a piece whittled by his rancher great-grandfather. "I remember as a boy watching cows, studying cows," says Osborn, a New Mexico native who spent his early childhood on the family ranch. He recalls marveling at the herds that roamed over their land and getting a front row seat at the brandings. Clearly, something stuck...read more