An oil on canvas portrait of a pensive young woman was unsigned and bore a metal tag reading “John Singer Sargent 1856-1925.” It rose from a $400/600 estimate to a final price of $10,000, leading the sale and going to a floor bidder. From a Clinton, Conn., estate, the framed portrait measured 19½ by 17½ inches.
Review by W.A. Demers, Photos Courtesy Kaminski Auction
BEVERLY, MASS. — Kaminski Auction’s first sale of the New Year was a three-day auction on January 6-8.
Day One featured the coin and stamp collection of the late Andrew S. Dorfman of Leonia, N.J., while the second day’s focus was an extensive collection of militaria and Asian porcelains. January 8 showcased a collection of oil paintings from a West Palm Beach, Fla., estate, antique Persian rugs and a collection of high-end custom draperies, window treatments and curtains from a Palm Beach, Fla., estate. Auctioneer Frank Kaminski said the three-day event probably had about a 90 percent sell-through rate. “Overall, it went fine,” he said. “There were some passed lots with a great variety of items, a lot of which we sold after the sale.”
An oil on canvas by Hubert Vos (Dutch, 1855-1935), “Woman at Piano,” circa 1914, was the top lot over the three-day series, selling for $15,000 to an online bidder. The 39-by-30-inch painting in Whistler frame had provenance to the collection of Nick Van Yperen and came out of The Villages, Florida collection. Born Josephus Hubertus Vos in Maastricht, Vos was known for his interior scenes. He studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and with Fernand Cormon in Paris. He exhibited widely in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dresden and Munich. Eerily, his painting sold on his death date as it is listed as January 8, 1935.
Runner up in the sale went to a floor bidder who won a portrait of a pensive young woman. The unsigned oil on canvas, which rose from a $400/600 estimate to a final price of $10,000, bore a metal tag “John Singer Sargent 1856-1925.” From a Clinton, Conn., estate, the framed portrait measured 19½ by 17½ inches. Also offered on the second day was a rare Chinese small yellow-ground blue and white vase. Of double gourd form, it was decorated and painted in cobalt blue with a meandering scrollwork of gourds and twining in the branches and leaves over yellow-glaze ground. The underglaze blue Qianlong seal mark was on the base and of the period, and it stood 6½ inches high and went out at $5,625.
A top highlight on the sale’s first day was a Chinese scroll of embroidery, which soared from a $600/900 estimate to sew up $4,375. A landscape design, it measured 50 by 14 inches.
Painted by Dutch artist Hubert Vos, known for his interior scenes, “Woman at Piano,” circa 1914, was the top lot over the three-day series, selling for $15,000. The 39-by-30-inch painting in Whistler frame had provenance to the collection of Nick Van Yperen and came out of The Villages, Florida collection.
Two Russian icons sold for $11,879 and $7,500, respectively, on the third day. The first, depicting two saints and done in egg tempera on board with gilt framing, measured 12 by 10 inches overall and came out of a collection in Florida’s The Villages. The second, out of the same collection, depicted St Alexie by Klebnikov, featuring gold vermeil silver with a champleve halo, 12 by 9½ inches.
A Vladimir Kagan tambour desk was a furniture highlight, going out at $2,250.
Fine art in the sale was also highlighted by a Royo Twentieth Century oil on canvas of woman with yellow parasol, which at 40 by 35 inches, framed, left the gallery at $6,250. Fetching the same amount was a Bethune watercolor of a woman in a purple gown, identified as Madame Helene Lindez, 1889. The seller had paid $35,000 for the 55-by-35-inch work.
Notable on the third day was a Nineteenth Century Inuit carving on a wood stand, 22½ inches high, which came out of a Monmouth Junction, N.J., collection. It sold for $4,879.
A pair of Nineteenth Century Italian paintings of the Angel Gabriel with musical horns, both oil on board, 25 by 10 inches each in gilt carved Gothic frames, did well, finishing at $4,063.
Rugs in the auction included an extra fine Hereke silk rug, with 100 percent silk pile, 9 feet 2 inches by 13 feet 10 inches. It was in good condition out of a Palm Beach, Fla., estate and settled at $2,500.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. The firm will conduct a one-day auction on February 5 and is planning another two-day sale on February 25-26. This will be special for Frank Kaminski as it will feature the collection of Lila Greene, former professor and lecturer at Danforth Museum, who inspired him to become an auctioneer. For information, 978-927-2223 or www.kaminskiauctions.com.
