:The star of the show at Nadeau's Americana auction this past
Saturday, October 22, was a rare and stylish Wethersfield
bonnet-top Queen Anne highboy that established a high-water mark
for a price realized at the auction gallery. Consigned from a
local home, the piece had been collected by a Hartford architect
during the 1920s.
In an old and possibly original finish, the highboy possessed
what many called the most graceful and sensuous legs seen on any
similar case piece. With a pin-wheel carved plinth supporting the
upper urn finial, and upper and lower fan carved drawers, one of
the only downsides of the piece was the replaced brasses and two
drop finials. Nadeau estimated the lot at $100/150,000 and asked
for a $100,000 opening bid from the gallery.
No one in the gallery budged; however, one of the six active
phone lines hit the lot. It was off and running with bids coming
the telephones exclusively, despite several serious clients being
seated in the room. Bidding came quickly on the lot all the way
to a selling price of $195,500 with it going to a private
collector of Connecticut material.
A complete review of the auction will appear in a future issue.
-DSS
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