British Desk Surprises At Brunk Auction

Asheville, N.C.

:The word "auction" was synonymous with "surprise" on March 1 when a signed Gillow burlwood desk sold at Brunk Auctions for ten times its presale estimate. A phone bidder bought the desk for $126,500.

The kidney-shaped desk with rich brown color, green tooled leather writing surface and a Brahma lock in the central drawer was crafted by famed Lancaster and London furniture maker Gillow and Company (active 1728–1961). The company was an early exporter to the colonies through the West Indies, a source for the mahogany used as a secondary wood in this 28½-by-51¾-by-27½-inch desk.

Surprises continued when "Quiet Hours," a circa 1890 oil on plywood painting by the "Father of American Landscape Painting," George Inness (1825–1894) sold for $26,450. The dark, moody, 18-by-24-inch Tonalist painting of three trees at dusk more than doubled its high estimate. Accompanying the painting was a 1905 receipt for $320, its selling price 11 years after Inness's death. An Internet bidder bought the Inness painting.

The marketplace settled an old dispute between purists and customizers of vintage American automobiles. Two 1936 Ford Phaeton convertible sedans — one stock, the other customized — went headlight-to-headlight early in the one-day sale. Each was valued at $20/40,000, but the customized Ford revved up to $41,400, while the stock Ford came in second at $33,350. The customized Phaeton was nicely "decked" — 1950s parlance for removing ornamental metal from the trunk lid. Under the hood is a 350-cubic-inch Chevrolet engine. Powered accessories include the steering, brakes, windows and door locks. The customized Phaeton and the stock Phaeton sold to in-house bidders.

During his lifetime, William L. Montague Jr of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., commissioned a number of works by Tennessee watercolorist Hubert Shuptrine (1936–2006). Three were in the sale and two dramatically exceeded presale estimates. A 163/8-by-18¾-inch portrait of Thomas Jefferson from 2002 sold for $23,000. "Blackberry Branch," a 1979 illustration from Shuptrine's book Home to Jerico , hit a surprising $12,650 on a $1/2,000 estimate. The Montague estate also consigned selections from his candlestick collection. The family was pleasantly surprised when a pair of 9-inch petal base brass candlesticks from the early to mid-Eighteenth Century sold for $2,990 on a $400/800 estimate.

A finely woven Moteshem Kashan rug (7 feet 6 inches by 10 feet 3 inches) proved again that worn Oriental rugs retain their value. Of the 44 Orientals in the sale, the Moteshem topped all at $16,100. The pale salmon rug with ivory and blue highlights lacked much of its pile, but was neither threadbare nor reduced.

The top silver lot was consigned by Charlotte, N.C., benefactor Wylle Guterman. Her George III tureen bordered with gadroons, acanthus leaves and shells sold for $17,250. The oval lid has an interlocking snake handle and a finely etched bow and arrow mark. A family crest was engraved on the base midway between the paw feet. Marks are for Joseph Craddock and William Reid, London, 1817.

Prices reported include the buyer's premium. For information, www.brunkauctions.com or 828-254-6846.