This abstract oil on canvas by Manierre Dawson was the highest-selling lot overall during the three-day sale at $13,200.
Review by Z.G. Burnett, Photos Courtesy of Schultz Auctioneers
CLARENCE, N.Y. — Schultz Auctioneers conducted a marathon three-day sale from March 9-11, offering almost 2,000 lots with a 97 percent sell-through rate, totaling $922,090. The listings were consigned from multiple estates, including more from the collection of antiques dealer Kenneth Dukoff. Schultz previously hosted a three-day auction of Dukoff’s collection in November 2022. Every category was well represented, from fine art to dollhouse furniture, and these were separated by day throughout the sale.
The highest price for a single lot was achieved on day one: an oil on canvas painting by American abstract artist Manierre Dawson (1887-1969) for $13,200 ($2/3,000). The painting was signed, but not dated. Dawson worked as a civil engineer in Chicago and Michigan throughout his life, and was inspired by a trip abroad in 1910 during which he met John Singer Sargent in Siena and Gertrude Stein in Paris. While working for the Chicago architectural firm Holabird and Roche, Dawson’s work was exhibited in two national traveling shows. His major paintings can be found in prominent collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The second day’s top seller was a tall case “grandfather” clock made by Eli Bentley (American, 1752-1822) of Taneytown, Md. Bentley was a silversmith and clockmaker, and he moved from the metropolitan, artisan-saturated area of Philadelphia to Taneytown in either 1778 or 1779. The move could have been prompted by the rising prosperity of the area as well as the encroaching skirmishes involved with General George Washington’s army. Either way, Bentley became a prominent figure in the area, buying and selling real estate up until his death. Best known for his tall case clocks, this example of Bentley’s work shows a handsome engraved brass face with a moon dial and some inlay on the case; it was bid to $9,000 ($500-$1,000).
This very rare mounted 1896 Sutro Baths poster (detail) was the first day’s second highest achieving lot at $12,600 ($4/6,000); it last sold at Swann Galleries in 2018.
Another distinctive lot in the second day’s sale was a Nineteenth Century carved wood donkey with original paint, manufactured by Limonaire Frères Paris (active circa 1839-1936). Described as a “possible carousel animal,” the donkey had a nodding head and retained its brass plaque. Organs and carousels from Limonaire are highly sought-after, and a few examples in working condition are preserved. This donkey found a new home for $3,900 ($400/600).
The third day’s sale was focused on ephemera, dolls, toys and military items. Dolls and doll furniture occupied most of the top lots, joined by stamps and folk art. The highest price of this sale was brought by a “very unusual French doll” with jointed porcelain limbs. Marked only “M3B” on the back of her neck, the doll’s face was hand-painted, and she seemed to be in overall good condition. The buyer agreed; after a lengthy exchange of bids, the doll was won for $11,400 ($300/500). A group lot of six bisque head dolls, some with bisque bodies, also surprised for $5,700 ($100/200) and were followed in price by another group lot of Victorian-era doll house furniture for $5,400 ($200/400).
Prices quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.schultzauctioneers.net or 716-759-8483.
