Henderson Collection Highlights $7.9 Million Northeast Auction

Portsmouth, N.H.

:"Welles liked to tell the story of acquiring his first maritime object — a souvenir anchor sold to support the 1927 refit of the USS Constitution . He was seven years old," wrote Daniel Fenamore, the Russell W. Knight curator of maritime art and history at the Peabody Essex Museum, in regard to J. Welles Henderson. A consummate collector who passed away last year, Henderson's collection became part of a $7.9 million auction over the weekend of August 15–17 conducted by Ron Bourgeault's Northeast Auctions.

Friday

The auction began with 500 lots of merchandise from a variety of collections and consignments and the afternoon session included items ranging from Audubon prints and marine paintings to nautical instruments and English ceramics.

It was not long after Bourgeault took to the podium that the John James Audubon and Robert Havell Jr items were offered. The first of the lots consisted of seven leather-bound volumes of The Birds of America, From Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories produced between 1840 and 1844. The first octavo edition published in New York by Audubon and in Philadelphia by J.B. Chevalier, and printed by E.G. Dorsey, the set sold at $70,200.

An extremely rare pen and ink, watercolor and gouache, later reproduced as a lithograph, plate 27, in Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America , circa 1841–1845, was cataloged as having been "Purchased from a Boston bookseller in the 1930s; found in the bookseller's street stalls." The lot, depicting the "long haired squirrel" in a climbing pose positioned on a limb and also in a foraging pose with a nut in its paws, carried a presale estimate of $80/120,000.

One of a few images in private hands, keen interest was expressed in the lot, with active bidding coming from the telephones and the gallery. When the dust had settled, the quadruped rendering had nearly quadrupled estimates as it hammered down at $458,000, the top lot of the auction.

Oil paintings by Robert Havell also did well, with an image of a red-tailed hawk that had just scooped a large fish from the ocean defending itself and its catch from an osprey. The painting sold at the low end of estimates, bringing $23,400. A view of Niagara Falls by Havell sold at $21,060.

A small collection of small globes did well, with a pocket terrestrial globe measuring 3 inches in diameter, housed in a shagreen case and made by Richard Cushee, London, 1731, selling at $21,060, while a pair of celestial and terrestrial table globes measuring 10 inches in diameter and made by Gilman Joslin, Boston 1840, brought $28,080.

A rare Chinese Export covered sugar bowl decorated with the emblem of the Society of Cincinnati that once belonged to Captain Samuel Shaw soared past the $3,5/5,500 estimates as it sold for $22,230. Another lot to put the estimates to shame was a lifesaving medal in gold presented to John W. Marshall, chief engineer of the US steamship San Francisco that was lost in the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1853. The $10/15,000 estimate fell by the wayside as bidders pushed the lot to a $42,120 selling price.

A rare Henry Clay and Frelinghuysen political campaign flag also surpassed estimates as it hammered down at $21,060.

A sleeper in the Friday session was an unassuming lot of six small light green carved jade bowls, jars and vases. Surrounded by other jade and Orientalia lots that sold as low as a couple hundred dollars, the six piece jade lot soared to $32,760.

Saturday — Henderson

As several fully rigged tall ships sailed into Portsmouth Harbor on Saturday prior to the second session of the three-day sale, Bourgeault called his auction crew to their stations and the large crowd of maritime collectors plotted their course for successful bidding. And as the crowds streamed through town on their way to watch the tugs and fireboats, with their water-spraying salute to the tall ships, a large crowd of serious maritime enthusiasts settled into their seats to salute departed fellow collector J. Welles Henderson.

Henderson's collection, presented in a single-owner daylong session with its own separate catalog, was stunning to say the least. A founder of Philadelphia's Maritime Museum, Henderson curated his first exhibition in 1957 at the Peabody Museum of Salem, now Peabody Essex, with the showing of art related to Philadelphia's port. The collection, much of it documented in a book written by Henderson and Rodney Carlisle titled Jack Tar: A Sailor's Life 1750–1910, represented a rare opportunity to acquire pieces that had been off the market for six decades or more.

Prior to starting the auction, Bourgeault asked Henderson's wife, Hannah, to say a word or two to the crowd. "It was all about the chase," related Hannah in regard to Henderson's pursuit of the items he acquired for his collection. "Sometimes Welles would wait years to get the opportunity to purchase a particular piece," she said.

There were certainly those in the crowd that had been waiting for equal lengths of time, if not longer, to have a crack at some of the choice pieces from the collection.

It was apparent right from the start that bidding would be highly competitive, with a Liverpool transfer jug with a fully rigged ship flying the American flag selling at $9,360. The other side was decorated with a portrait of George Washington and encircled with the names of the states. The American eagle was pictured under the spout.

Henderson reveled in the sailor's life, yearning to live it through the artifacts he collected, related Bourgeault. Sailor's art was a prized possession and two cut paper maritime pieces attracted the attention of numerous collectors and brought substantial prices. A cut paper and watercolor record of ships and storms by Captain Frederick Williams, Portsmouth, Va., executed in 1828 carried a presale estimate of $8/12,00, yet when bidders finally finished, the lot was hammered down at $32,760, selling to a buyer in the center of the hall. The lot was followed by an elaborate cut paper watercolor silhouette of "The Ship John Paul Jones of Boston arriving at Sandy Hook from Canton, January 7, 1845." Executed by Charles Francis and illustrated in Jack Tar , the rare piece soared past estimates to sell at $46,800.

A sailor's white linen ditty bag elaborately embroidered with flags, banners and the American eagle, a depiction of the Washington Memorial in Baltimore and other patriotic themes was another special object for Henderson. Also illustrated in his book, the bag represented an undying dedication to the sailor's country with mottos such as, "We have met the enemy and they are ours" and "E Pluribus Unum." The lot sold at $42,120 against an $8/12,000 estimate.

The namesake for Henderson's book and emblazoned across the cover, the carved and painted figure of "Jack Tar" sold just below estimates and proved to be somewhat of a disappointment for the auction house as Bourgeault had higher hopes. Estimated at $300/500,000, the figure, attributed to Jeremiah Dodge, circa 1845, had been on view at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City as part of the Frederick Fried collection. It had also been illustrated in the books Five-Star Folk Art — One Hundred American Masterpieces and The Shipcarver's Art: Figureheads and Cigar Store Indians in Nineteenth Century America. Bidding on the lot was tepid, with it going out at near the low estimate at $337,000.

With a provenance of the collection of Nina and Bertram Little, a carved stone statue of Captain J.H. Dawes in a long-waisted suit and with a spyglass under his arm did well. The figure of the Boston sea captain measured 17 inches tall and carried a presale estimate of $2,5/3,500. Bidding on the lot was brisk, with it selling at $46,800.

Paintings were the highlight of the Henderson collection and one of the most hotly competed lots of the sale was a pair of primitive paintings of the Nantucket whaleship Spermo. With title bars across the bottoms of the oils, one of the paintings was titled " Spermo Trying With Boats Among Whales On California" and the other "Cutting In Whales On Japan." Both of the paintings were signed D. Fisher and each was illustrated in Henderson's book. Estimated at $40/60,000, the paintings were aggressively bid by several, with them selling to the Nantucket Historical Association for $370,000.

A pair of China Trade views of the hongs at Cantons waterfront, circa 1835, by Lam Qua depicted the views from different directions showing the French, American, British and Dutch hongs. The paintings easily exceeded estimates, hammering down at $139,000.

Two ship portrait paintings attributed to Joseph Smith, "The Americana Bark Azelia Passing Cape May" and "The American Bark Union Approaching Philadelphia," did well. Prices of $76,050 and $67,275, respectively, were achieved against estimates of $10/15,000 each.

A portrait of Captain Thompson in a top hat with his spyglass and sextant, circa 1820, by an anonymous artist was another lot to soar past estimates, bringing $64,350.

One of the items from the Henderson collection to attract a great deal of attention was the diary of British sailor George Hodge, illustrated with watercolors and a daily record of life on the seas. News articles with color images of the diary and equally colorful descriptions appeared in two London newspapers the day before the auction. Important as a historical document due to the self portraits, the English also longed for the historical aspect of his writings that dated back to a "day when the Brits ruled the waves," as one newspaper claimed. Several in the crowd and a host of telephone bidders competed for the lot, with it selling at double the presale estimates at $128,000.

Sunday

Returning to the various owners session on Sunday, the auction resumed its quick pace and prices stayed their course for the remainder of the sale. The first lot to capture the interest of serious collectors was Nineteenth Century carved sternboard eagle with banner that measured 82 inches in length. A well executed example, it sold for $183,000.

A rare and unusual China Trade reverse painting on glass titled "The Landing of Our Forefathers," circa 1810, was after an engraving by Samuel Hill used for an invitation for the first dinner given by the "Sons of the Pilgrims" on December 2, 1800. Retaining the original frame, the painting listed a provenance of brought back from China by trader Benjamin Wheeler and descending in that family. Interest in the lot came from a host of bidders in the gallery, with it selling at $93,600, more than doubling its low estimate.

Several China Trade ship's portraits and views of the hongs in Hong Kong, Canton and Shanghai were offered toward the end of the auction, with prices ranging from $8,190 to $70,200; however, one pair of paintings by Sunqua depicting the hongs at Canton and the Praya Grande at Macao went out at $216,000.

Several scrimshawed whales teeth were sold, with a scrimshawed whale tooth depicting the "Residence of John Adams [bounty mutineer Alexander Smith], Pitcairn Island" hammered down at more than triple the high estimate at $144,500. The tooth depicted the dwellings of Adams and others and included a depiction of himself in a stovetop hat with other figures. The tooth was acquired by Harold Raymond in 1904 in exchange for his labors and had remained in the family since.

Another tooth to do well was the scrimshawed example known as "Neptune." Attributed to Caleb Albro, the front of the tooth was decorated with crossed polychromed American "Revenue" and "Pentagon" flags over a cannon. Decoration continued around the side depicting a sun over working whaleships off the coast of New Zealand and an elaborate banner with the word "longitude" inside it positioned just below a detailed sextant. The elaborately carved tooth, estimated at $40/60,000, hammered down for $100,260

A scrimshawed and polychromed tooth depicting the War of 1812 victory of the USS Constitution over the HMS Guerriere on the front and the blockade of the Bonne Citoyenne by USS Hornet on the reverse realized $99,450.

A painting that seemed somewhat out of place in the tail end of the auction was an Impressionistic scene of Gloucester harbor with a tug and working fishing vessels at a jumbled dockside by Edward Holslag. The painting, dated 1919, had a provenance of the Aurora (Ill.) Art Club, and sold at $70,200, far exceeding its $8/12,000 estimate.

The top lot of the Liverpool pieces offered was a large creamware jug with printed transfer decoration that had come from the extensive collection of Robert Teitelman. Decorated on one side with a colored enamel view of a sailing vessel with an American flag flying, and the Seal of Virginia on the other side, the rare pitcher listed a provenance of Kenneth Snow and sold at $21,060. A creamware bowl with a portrait of Thomas Jefferson within a border of 14 states on the interior, and George Washington, sailing vessels and other patriotic motif on the exterior, sold at $17,550, while an 11-inch jug decorated with a sailing ship and the tomb of Washington with inscription "Sacred To The Memory of Washington" realized $16,380

Prices include the buyer's premium charged. For further information, 603-433-8400 or www.northeastauctions.com .