: A good selection of Americana was served up by Freeman's,
America's oldest auction house, on Saturday, November 20, with
solid prices realized throughout the auction. The sale was
attended by a large crowd who bid actively throughout the
afternoon. Phone action was heavy during the sale, yet the
majority of the lots seemed to have been claimed by those in
attendance.
Freeman's Americana specialist Lynda Cain commented that they
were very pleased with the overall outcome of the auction. "We
had some good fresh stuff that did quite well," she said, "Things
from the Muhlenberg family did very well." A couple surprises
during the auction included a group of ice cream molds that
soared past the $6/800 presale estimates, selling at $5,287, and
a lot of Halloween ephemera that eclipsed the $5/800 estimates,
bringing $4,406.
"I had no idea that there was that much interest in ice cream
molds," stated a pleasantly surprised Cain after the sale, "and
those crazy jack-o-lanterns. I had not been aware of the
tremendous interest in Halloween ephemera. It was fun, though,"
she said.
Leading the auction was one of several paintings featuring
political figures or historic events involving the nation's
Founding Fathers. George Washington was available in several
paintings; however, the top lot came as a likeness of the newly
popularized Alexander Hamilton was offered. Attributed to William
J. Weaver, the painting is one of ten known related examples by
Weaver, an itinerant painter who worked from 1794 to 1817
traveling between Nova Scotia and South Carolina. The painting
had an interesting provenance having descended in the Muhlenberg
family of Reading, Penn. The painting was thought to have
possibly been acquired directly from the artist by John Peter
Gabriel Muhlenberg who "served with Hamilton in a number of
significant Revolutionary War battles and at Valley Forge."
A paint -decorated Pennsylvania/German retangular box with
slide top shot past estimates at $25,850.
The rare painting, with the outlines possibly created by
Weaver on a polygraph duplicating machine and then finished by
hand, was boasted by the artist to be "comparable to the best
portraits painted anywhere in the United States." He invited
"acquaintances" of the late Hamilton to stop by his South Carolina
studio to view his work. Estimated at $15/25,000, the painting was
actively bid by several with it selling at $34,075.
Another painting that attracted a great deal of attention was a
lively American School painting of Washington entering the City
of New York on horseback amid cheering crowds. The painting was
signed "H. Kent," who, according to the catalog, was a button
manufacturer who was listed as a painter in the Philadelphia
directories in 1860. Bidding on this lot, estimated at $6/10,000
was also brisk with the lot selling at $27,025.
A prime piece of Pennsylvania/German folk art was offered as a
paint decorated rectangular box with slide top was offered. The
raised panel top was decorated with a stylized vase of flowers
and the inscription "Margared Alberd 1793." Provenance listed the
rare box as having descended in the Alberts family of Adams
County and Philadelphia until the last member of the family gave
it to a friend who shared the Pennsylvania/German heritage.
Estimated at $1,500/2,500, the rare and folky box brought more
than ten times the presale estimates selling at $25,850.
A pair of Lancaster County portraits by Jacob Eicholtz of
Benjamin and Maria Schaum, circa 1810, also did well. The
portraits, which also carried Muhlenberg provenance, sold between
estimates at $24,675.
Furniture included a nice Philadelphia Chippendale carved
mahogany card table with gadrooned skirt, cabriole legs with
carved knees and a well executed ball and claw foot. An
extra-shinny refinished surface hurt the otherwise attractive
table. It sold between estimates at $23,500.
Other furniture included a Pennsylvania Chippendale walnut lowboy
that hammered down at $18,800, a Massachusetts oxbow slant front
desk brought $4,700 and a Chippendale camelback sofa with reeded
legs and pierced stretchers realized $6,462. Although it was an
unusual item for Freeman's to be offering in an Americana sale,
the Boston mahogany and marble pier table was well received, as
were several other Classical furniture lots. The pier table,
estimated at $1,5/2,500, sold at $17,625. An Empire marble and
mahogany sofa table sold at $4,406, while a pair of Classical
armchairs, circa 1830, realized $3,818.
Rare pair of table globes by Wilson, $15,275.
A nice pair of table globes by Wilson, circa 1835, attracted
a great deal of attention. The rare pair, one terrestrial and the
other celestial, had been made Cyrus Lancaster, an employee of the
Wilson company, which he eventually took over. James Wilson is
listed as being the first manufacturer of globes in the United
States. Estimated at $6/8,000, the pair did well selling at
$15,275.
A collection of walking canes also saw some good prices posted.
Two rare cane display cabinets with glass globes were the first
items for the collection to cross the block and they sold at
$3,525, and $7,050. A walking stick with a robust carved head
handle of a black man was among the top lots selling at $2,350 to
Pennsylvania dealer Dianna Bittel. She also purchased the next
lot of canes, a group of five snake carved sticks, for $2,115.
Another cane to do well was an ivory bust handled cane with
lignum vitae shaft that sold at $2,585.
Prices include the 17.5 percent buyer's premium charged.
