Tom Schwenke with the top lot of the sale, a rare Charles II japanned and chinoiserie decorated needlework mirror that sold for $23,400. —Antiques and The Arts Weekly photo, R. Scudder Smith.
:Opportunity was the central theme of Woodbury Auction LLC's opening event on May 30, at 50 Main Street North, Woodbury — a town often called "The Antiques Capital of Connecticut."
Offered at sale were more than 500 lots sent by consignors from seven states in anticipation of the launch of the new auction venue. Woodbury Auction owner Thomas Schwenke of Thomas Schwenke, Inc, long a leading expert in Federalist-era furniture, supervised the cataloging and orchestration of the broad range of inventory for Internet and onsite presentation.
An audience of dealers, private collectors, professional designers and novice auction goers attended from surrounding areas, as well as New York City, Boston and places beyond. Internet and phone bidders also competed, providing additional excitement to the event. Through Live Auctioneers and Woodbury Auction's own website catalog, the consigned items were showcased to the world, with items selling to buyers across the United States and also to France, China, Holland and Istanbul.
Another rare chinoiserie decorated item, an Eighteenth Century miniature two-part Georgian secretary with scroll top and fully fitted interior details, was claimed via phone bid by a Southern collector/designer for $17,550.
The top selling lot of the sale was a rare Charles II japanned and chinoiserie decorated needlework mirror, which attracted much presale interest and finally hammered out at $23,400 to a private collector bidding by telephone.
Another rare chinoiserie decorated item, an Eighteenth Century miniature two-part Georgian secretary with scroll top and fully fitted interior details, was claimed via phone bid by a Southern collector/designer for $17,550. A rare German 1930s lobby model truck with fully working parts was hammered down at $1,462, while a very fine Queen Anne mahogany dish top Philadelphia candlestand, consigned from a Greenwich, Conn., estate, was purchased by an absentee bidder from Washington D.C., for $2,340.
The Tiffany & Co. rare Art Nouveau sterling silver vase, consigned by a private collector from New England, sold to a left bid for $2,691. One of the most unique lots was an 1886 wedding dress, complete with shoes, train and groom's vests, which sold to a bidder in the room for $819. That rare ensemble, lotted together with late Nineteenth Century photos of the bride and groom, had been found in a Woodbury attic and brought to Woodbury Auction for evaluation just a few weeks before the sale.
The auction also provided attendees an opportunity to watch seasoned auctioneer and frequent PBS
Antiques Roadshow
judge, Sarah Shinn Pratt, in action as she called the sale.
A Tiffany & Co. rare Art Nouveau sterling silver vase, consigned by a private collector from New England, sold to a left bid for $2,691.
"Sarah's was a magnificent performance of balancing bids and counterbids from buyers in the room and those participating by telephone and via the Internet," said Schwenke. "We even had bids coming in from abroad, where interest in antiques remains strong in spite of the difficult economy."
The five-hour event was broken into two sessions, morning and afternoon, with the brilliant spring weather inviting attendees to stroll the auction house grounds or lunch at Woodbury's highly rated restaurants.
"Our intent was to host a day of access to the enormous variety of distinctive art, collectibles and period furniture, which we had made available at approachable prices," Schwenke explained. "This is the real meaning behind our 'opportunity' concept. But our antiques-loving attendees also appreciated the pleasant surroundings, ample parking and chance to visit historic Woodbury."
Future Woodbury Auction LLC events will be held on a regular basis, Schwenke added.
Sarah Shinn Pratt, a seasoned auctioneer and frequent appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow, called the auction. —Antiques and The Arts Weekly photo, R. Scudder Smith.
For now, the "Second Chance" follow-up auction running at Woodbury Auction's online site echoes the theme established by the May 30 event. "It's an opportunity for us to reprise lots that may have missed attention but that deserve a second showing," noted Schwenke. "And it offers the possibility for buyers to revisit an unsold piece that caught their eye during the live auction."
Prices include the buyer's premium. For information,
www.woodburyauction.com
or 203-266-0323.
