: Brisk bidding was witnessed for many of the 1,000 cataloged lots
at Ron Bourgeault's Northeast Auctions sale this past weekend,
March 6 and 7, with the auction house releasing a $3.4 million
total for the two days.
More than 350 lots, deaccessioned from Colonial Williamsburg did
well in the Sunday session, but it was the Saturday items that
caught the eye of dealers and collectors. Leading the Saturday
session was a rare Eastman Johnson oil on board, 165/8 by 141/2
inches entitled "Embers," that sold to one of the three active
telephone bidders competing for the lot at $239,000. This version
of "Embers," a popular and repeated subject of Johnson's, was
said by the auction house to have remained "largely unknown to
the art world" and was "an important rediscovery in Eastman
Johnson's body of work."
Other lots that did well included a New Hampshire Chippendale
carved and painted maple slant front desk signed by maker Samuel
Dunlap. The piece, with faux painted inlay and realistic grained
paint, featured an unusual step back interior with five shell
carved upper drawers. Estimated at $65/85,000, the rare desk more
than doubled estimates as three phone bidders pushed the price to
$195,000.
Also sold was a pair of oil on paper portraits of Mary Jarvis and
Captain Phinias Stone, circa 1796, which were attributed to an
unknown Massachusetts limner. The lot, estimated at $20/30,000,
opened for bidding at $19,000 with David Wheatcroft and
Rockingham, Vt., dealer Stephen Corrigan, Stephen Douglas
Antiques, going head to head until Corrigan claimed the lot at
$79,500.
A complete review will appear in a future issue.
