: A collection of 160 rare, antique American and European frames
explained the confluence of more than 100 art and frame dealers,
private collectors and designers on East 84th Street on May 11.
The spring sale was the eighth frame-only auction hosted by the
New York gallery and auction house Balfour & Wessels
Framefinders Inc, and achieved a new overall sales record for the
firm - $303,000, with 95 percent of lots sold.
The daylong preview afforded buyers their first glimpse of the
assortment of antique frames, many of which hailed from the
estate of a New York art dealer. The frames ranged from French,
Italian Dutch and Spanish pieces to American Hudson River School
and Arts and Crafts frames.
Once again, American frames commanded the highest prices.
Auctioneer Alasdair Nichol presided over two hours of intense
bidding between buyers from all over the country.
A Nineteenth Century Stanford White piece fetched $18,400, and a
rare Arts and Crafts example by renowned Pennsylvania framemaker
Frederick Harer achieved $13,800, a new auction record for this
artist. Two Nineteenth Century Hudson River School frames each
garnered $9,775. A metal gilded Arts nad Crafts frame by the
Newcomb-Macklin firm fetched $8,625, and a small, hand carved
Eighteenth Century Dutch frame sold for $6,900.
Hand-carved frame by Frederick Harer, $13,800.
Overall, the majority of frames sold within or above their
estimates to a full house and to a host of absentee and telephone
bidders. "This was by far the strongest Framefinders sale to date,"
Nichol commented after the auction.
Balfour & Wessels will be publishing an antique frame auction
price guide in early 2005 based on four years' worth of auction
results.
"The last eight auctions have established a solid market value
for these pieces," said Edward Balfour.
Prices reported include buyer's premium, which is 15 percent of
the hammer price on amounts exceeding $1,000, and 20 percent on
any amount under $1,000.
