George Lawlor’s ‘Women At Tea’ Sets Record $36,800 At Rose Hill

Englewood, N.J.

:A full house was in attendance for Rose Hill Gallery's recent 400-lot sale of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century art and antiques. The first 200 lots consisted of early paintings and prints, beginning with an individual collection of 60 Eighteenth–Nineteenth Century engravings by and after artists such as Callot, Holbein and Durer. This was followed by classic Eighteenth/Nineteenth Century genre oils, such as Arturo Orselli's charming interior with figures and cats, which sold for $5,175.

Another single-owner group of paintings by the illustrator C. Bosseron Chambers (1883–1941), was among the most hotly contested works in the sale. His symbolic and mythological paintings surpassed expectations, with "The Nude Reclining On a Log Being Serenaded by Satyrs" going well over its $500/700 estimate to reach $8,625, while an Orientalist scene of a "Woman in a Moorish Arched Balcony" soared to $12,650.

The most excitement, however, was reserved for the consignment of 16 never-before-seen paintings by the Boston post-Impressionist George Lawlor (1878–1937), which were consigned by his granddaughter. Fierce bidding resulted in the sun-drenched interior of "Women At Tea" flying way past its estimate of $5/8,000 to hit $36,800, an auction record for this artist.

Another record-breaking price was achieved for the ethereal portrait of a young woman with flowers in her hair by the French artist Jules-Joseph Lefebvre (1836–1911), who also studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The 55-by-34-inch oil far exceeded its estimate of $15/20,000 to be hammered down at $51,750.

The second half of the sale was devoted to antiques, highlighted by Nineteenth Century bronzes, porcelain, silver and chandeliers from two private estates. A 26-inch Royal Vienna vase with an oval portrait of Queen Louise hit $13,225, while a pair of Sevres cobalt palace urns with hand painted landscape and genre scenes grossed $63,250. A bronze Christofle centerpiece with figural mermaid supports sold for $2,990. A pair of French doré bronze candelabra with cherubs went well past its $2,500 estimate to top off at $6,900. Another Nineteenth Century doré bronze figural group of a lady with cherubs signed A. Carrier reached $6,325.

Among the many decorative clocks in the sale, a Clodion bronze three-piece garniture set with bronze figures went to $4,312, while a signed Edouard Drouot French bronze and marble winged "Propatria" realized $6,900. A figural bronze and slate clock by Jean Gregoire of two women reading letters brought $3,737 (in spite of missing two panels).

One of the finest lots in the sale was a pair of Minton tiles illustrating ravishing pre-Raphaelite women in a garden, which sold for $4,312.

All prices given include the 15 percent buyer's premium. Rose Hill is at 35 South Van Brunt in Englewood. For information, www.rosehillauctiongallery.com, 201-816-1940 or fax 201-816 9189.