Vermont Pieces Please at Duane Merrill Auction

Williston, Vt.

:A fine day in early Vermont gave great prizes to the bidders at Duane Merrill's auction April 19 featuring fine early American furniture and household accessories with emphasis on the Vermont heritage of many pieces.

The sale began with an assortment of objects, a warm-up for the nearly 500 lots to be offered that day. A charming antique cameo broach was the first item, selling for $116. That was followed by an ambrotype of a blacksmith with tools reaching $550; than came a birch stand believed to have been either Vermont or New Hampshire that went out at $358. Selling at a quick pace Merrill was soon at some of the more important items of the day's sale.

A pair of Galt silver reticulated plates from Alexandria, Va., went for $1,210; from the Northeast, a Hepplewhite mahogany bow front card table hammered down at $1,210; from Whiting & Co., there was a 15-piece sterling silver cake set, including serving slice and serving fork with 12 forks for $3,025; and a Pairpoint reverse painted table lamp shade at $1,760.

A piece Merrill was especially pleased to offer was from Shoreham, Vt., a Sheraton style and period chest of drawers, bird's-eye maple with inlays and rope turned columns, that sold for $3,575. The next item in the sale was an oil on canvas by Vermonter Charles Heyde, (1822–1894), a listed artist of high repute. The subject was Saxton's River in Vermont and the final price was $4,125.

Other art offerings included Charles Sebree's oil, "Ruth and Naomi" going for $6,325. Signed Fern Coppedge, a winter landscape was $2,200. Titled "Mt Mansfield from Pleasant Valley," an oil on board by Mary Spencer noted as "First prize, 1941," reached $1,430.

An assortment of elephant folio engravings were offered. There was an Audubon titled "White Headed Eagle," engraving by R. Havell in 1828, that sold for $11,000; a Bowen engraving of Audubon's "Artic Fox," 1847 was $1,870; and the "Canada Otter" also by Audubon engraved by Bowen was $1,760.

Furniture was selling well with strong competition throughout the day. From Pennsylvania, a faux grain painted blanket chest with two drawers achieved $1,430; from New England, a Queen Anne-style slant front desk in tiger maple and an old surface was $2,310; and a set of six plank seat chairs in paint decoration was $495.

Another Pennsylvania piece, a tilt top tea table with reeded vase column was $385, and one of the surprises was $220 for a Queen Anne snake foot tilt top candlestand with a very early, possibly original wrought iron spider on the underside of the three legs, in native New England cherry.

Rugs were sold throughout the day as well. A 12-by-23-foot Sarouk, in very good condition, was $2,475; an early Kazak, about 5 by 11 feet, was $330; and another Sarouk, 9 by 12 feet, was $880.

All prices reported include the ten percent buyer's premium. Duane Merrill & Company's auction gallery is at 137 James Brown Road. For more information, www.merrillsauction.com or 802-878-2625. Its next major auction is a part-charity affair May 24–25.