Bertoia "Hanging Cloud" Goes Sky High At Alderfer's

HATFIELD, PENN.

:Eight phone bidders competed with a number of absentee and floor bidders for an abstract metal "Hanging Cloud" sculpture by Harry Bertoia, which ultimately sold to a phone bidder for $29,900 (all prices include 15 percent buyer's premium) at Alderfer Auction Company's September 14 and 15 sale. Alderfer's offered its bidders nearly 1,000 lots of fine merchandise including ephemera, coins, estate jewelry, sculpture and fine art, automotive items, decorative accessories, textiles, furniture and Oriental rugs. The firm hosted 727 in-house bidders and nearly 1,700 online bidders from18 countries, 42 states and the District of Columbia over the two days.

The modernist theme got off to a rollicking start with a 93/4- by-63/4-inch mixed media composition on paper by Charles Evans that far exceeded its presale estimate with a hammer price of $6,037. Other notable pieces in this genre included a colorful 32-by-24-inch Joseph Meierhans work on Masonite that sold for $5,175.

Other highlights of the fine art category included the cover lot, an early Antonio P. Martino work titled, "Along the Delaware." This oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches, depicting figures in rowboats and on the shore was painted near Boy Scout Treasure Island and was accompanied by a letter written by one of the subjects reminiscing about vacationing there with her family in 1926 and being painted by a group of three brothers. A collector purchased this lovely piece for $80,500.

Also, an 8-by-10-inch Ben Austrian portrayal of four chicks more than doubled its presale estimate by earning $19,550, an Impressionist landscape depicting Keyport, N.J., by William Langson Lathrop measuring 25 by 30 inches sold for $17,250 and Paulette Van Roekens' 12-by-14-inch "Circus Tents and Balloons," housed in a frame crafted by her husband, Arthur Meltzer, brought $10,925.

Mildred Gehman was a strong contender at this sale. Alderfer's offered a selection of eight of her works that clearly demonstrated her versatility as an artist, and they will be offering her life works over its next catalog auctions. A beautiful 25-by-30-inch rendering of a Boyertown street in winter sold for $6,612 and a charming miniature winter landscape with stream measuring 3 by 4 1/4 inches, earned $2,300.

Estate jewelry sales sparkled, with many fine pieces coming from the estate of H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell. One highlight was the sale of a diamond and ruby ring for $23,000. This platinum ring was set with a central three-carat emerald-cut diamond, flanked by two oval rubies totaling three carats. A fabulous diamond necklace with a total weight of 14.42 carats brought $9,775 and an 18K yellow gold coiled snake-form bangle bracelet with a diamond in its mouth and one ruby eye charmed its new owner out of $2,587.

Session Two started with a 1924 Ford Model T Touring Sedan. This beautifully maintained car was purchased for $12,650 by a local automobile dealership that was also established in 1924.

Decorative accessories featured an extensive grouping of sterling silver and silver-plated items from the Hallowell estate as well as several other large collections. By far the most exciting piece among these was a Georgian sterling silver epergne that elicited numerous presale inquiries. Eight phone bidders competed with strong absentee and floor bidding, and the piece ultimately sold to the phone for $16,100.

The furniture category featured many items from the Hallowell estate, including a large collection of clocks. The first clock offered was a Simon Willard weight-driven eight-day banjo clock, circa 1810, which sold for $41,400; a Simon Willard eight-day tall case clock, circa 1790, earned $25,300. An Eighteenth Century English walnut high chest with dovetailed case from the Hallowell estate sold for $11,500.

A Nakashima Studio Minguren-style lamp, a garage-sale find, caused a stir when it sold for $9,200 and was followed by a set of four signed Nakashima cherry armchairs that earned $5,462.

The sale included 52 Oriental rugs, the majority of which were a part of the Hallowell estate. Phone bidders were strong in this category, with four bidders connected for the majority of the lots. A beautiful 17 feet 10 inch by 12 feet 7 inch Lavar Kerman was found wrapped in paper in an attic closet at the Hallowell home. This piece was the subject of much preauction interest and eventually sold to a phone bidder for $21,850.

Alderfer's is now accepting consignments for its December fine arts cataloged auction, which will feature paintings by Walter Emerson Baum, Edward Willis Redfield, George Sotter and others. Alderfer's is also currently accepting consignments for the March catalog, which will feature Americana, toleware, pottery, fraktur etc. Alderfers is at 501 Fairgrounds Road. For information, call 215-393-3000, fax 215-368-9055, view www.alderferauction.com or email catalog@alderferauction.com.