The Edward Allen bombe chest-on-chest.
:It was standing room only at Sotheby's sale of Important Americana Saturday afternoon, starting at 2. The sale grossed $6,183,500, including the buyer's premium, with $1,762,500 of that number for lot 174, the important Captain Edward Allen Chippendale carved and figured mahogany bombe chest-on-chest, probably from Salem, Mass., circa 1780. It carried a presale estimate of $800,000–$1.2 million and sold to C.L. Prickett Antiques of Yardley, Penn.
"We bought both the bombe pieces in the sale," Todd Prickett said, also referring to lot 247, a Chippendale figured mahogany bombe chest of drawers, Boston, circa 1770, that sold for $302,500 against a presale estimate of $300/600,000.
The most important piece of folk art in the sale was a large weathervane, full bodied of the fireman "Old Jake" that was made for the Union Fire Hall in Winchester, Va. It measures 72 inches tall, dates circa 1860 and carried a presale estimate of $3/5 million.
Prior to the sale, word in the trade was the estimate was too high, major collectors were not pleased with the old silver-gray painted surface, and that it probably would not sell. Auctioneer William Stahl Jr opened bidding at $1.5 million and it was passed at $2.1 million.
A complete review of this sale, and the property of Dr and Mrs Henry C. Landon III, sold Saturday morning, will appear in Antiques and The Arts Weekly shortly.
—R. Scudder Smith
