: As usual, Russ Carlsen had turned up some pretty notable things
for his mid-summer antiques auction. Carlsen Gallery is located
in the pretty and quite off-the-beaten-track town of Freehold,
about 40 minutes from Albany, N.Y., in the Catskill Mountains.
For this sale, Carlsen was offering a Federal sofa, attributed to
Duncan Phyfe. Apparently, many of the customers at the sale - and
four phone bidders - agreed. The carving was simply beautiful,
with gilded paw feet and relief carved crest. After a rousing
round of bidding, the sofa flew off the floor for a solid $25,875
to a buyer on the phone. Connecticut antiques dealer John Spencer
was the underbidder.
This was an impressive sale, with lots of quality things offered
from many different categories. Oriental rugs were notable. A
room-size Oushak, which came out of a home in North Chatham,
N.Y., sold for $7,032. A room-size Heriz drew the attention of
three phone bidders, and ultimately sold for $3,375.
It is always worth a trip to Carlsen's. The auction hall was full
of great material, many really good paintings, both American and
European, and one could pick from period furniture in American
country, formal and high country.
A New York City snow scene fo the Third Avenue El by John Sloan
sold to the floor for $12,938.
A set of Sheraton fancy chairs in highly figured maple and
dating from around 1830 sold for $3,656. An American Nineteenth
Century tiger maple side table with one drawer was sold for $1,125.
It was a great day for lovers of tiger maple. A period tester bed,
with beautiful turnings, and "tiger that growls at you" drew some
serious interest and went off the block for $3,150. A tiger maple
server from the James Fennimore Cooper estate brought $2,250.
A rare form of English Georgian card table with column legs and
Chinese Chippendale frieze drew the interest of several
enthusiastic phone bidders, as well as from the floor. The table
saw lots of action before going off the block for $10,406 to a
buyer at the sale. A Nineteenth Century cherry collection cabinet
with one glass door and one dovetailed drawer sold to antiques
dealer Jonathan Trace for just $1,181. Trace also bid on - but
did not win - the silver sugar caster by Jacob Hurd, Boston,
1750. Trace had sold the caster in 1992 - the item in fact was
accompanied by the original receipt from him. After a rapid round
of bidding, the caster sold to another bidder for $2,700.
A wonderfully evocative New York City snow scene - a gouache and
pastel - which depicted the Third Avenue El, was signed by John
Sloan. After some enthusiastic bidding from the floor and the
phone, a dealer at the sale won the painting for $12,938.
American country furniture included a Nineteenth or late
Eighteenth Century chair table in original paint, which sold to a
buyer at the sale for $1,800. A period step back cupboard in
original red paint with open top and raised panel doors brought
$2,813.
A 1750 silver sugar caster by Jacob Hurd, Boston, fetched
$2,700.
There were some good maps. An Eighteenth Century Hudson
Valley map, on which the major cities do not appear, sold to a
phone buyer for $2,588.
A sideboard that was inlaid with shells and had some veneer
missing brought $2,475 from the phone. Among the guns that were
sold was an Eighteenth Century flintlock with figured walnut,
probably from Kentucky. It opened at $500 and sold to the phone
for $1,800.
Late in the sale, a good looking English period chest-on-chest
sold to a dealer for $3,656. A tiger maple tall chest with a
bracket base sold for $1,575.
This well-run and -attended auction was strong throughout, and
prices in all categories were solid. There were still dealers and
retail customers standing on the perimeter late in the day; there
was just so much to look at and buy.
All prices quoted include 121/2 percent buyer's premium.
