A New York City snow scene fo the Third Avenue El by John Sloan sold to the floor for $12,938.
A 1750 silver sugar caster by Jacob Hurd, Boston, fetched $2,700.
As usual, Russ Carlsen had turned up some pretty notable things for his mid-summer antiques auction. Carlsen Gallery is located in the pretty and quite off-the-beaten-track town of Freehold, about 40 minutes from Albany, N.Y., in the Catskill Mountains.
For this sale, Carlsen was offering a Federal sofa, attributed to Duncan Phyfe. Apparently, many of the customers at the sale – and four phone bidders – agreed. The carving was simply beautiful, with gilded paw feet and relief carved crest. After a rousing round of bidding, the sofa flew off the floor for a solid $25,875 to a buyer on the phone. Connecticut antiques dealer John Spencer was the underbidder.
This was an impressive sale, with lots of quality things offered from many different categories. Oriental rugs were notable. A room-size Oushak, which came out of a home in North Chatham, N.Y., sold for $7,032. A room-size Heriz drew the attention of three phone bidders, and ultimately sold for $3,375.
It is always worth a trip to Carlsen’s. The auction hall was full of great material, many really good paintings, both American and European, and one could pick from period furniture in American country, formal and high country.
A rare form of English Georgian card table with column legs and Chinese Chippendale frieze drew the interest of several enthusiastic phone bidders, as well as from the floor. The table saw lots of action before going off the block for $10,406 to a buyer at the sale. A Nineteenth Century cherry collection cabinet with one glass door and one dovetailed drawer sold to antiques dealer Jonathan Trace for just $1,181. Trace also bid on – but did not win – the silver sugar caster by Jacob Hurd, Boston, 1750. Trace had sold the caster in 1992 – the rdf_Description in fact was accompanied by the original receipt from him. After a rapid round of bidding, the caster sold to another bidder for $2,700.
A wonderfully evocative New York City snow scene – a gouache and pastel – which depicted the Third Avenue El, was signed by John Sloan. After some enthusiastic bidding from the floor and the phone, a dealer at the sale won the painting for $12,938.
American country furniture included a Nineteenth or late Eighteenth Century chair table in original paint, which sold to a buyer at the sale for $1,800. A period step back cupboard in original red paint with open top and raised panel doors brought $2,813.
A sideboard that was inlaid with shells and had some veneer missing brought $2,475 from the phone. Among the guns that were sold was an Eighteenth Century flintlock with figured walnut, probably from Kentucky. It opened at $500 and sold to the phone for $1,800.
Late in the sale, a good looking English period chest-on-chest sold to a dealer for $3,656. A tiger maple tall chest with a bracket base sold for $1,575.
This well-run and -attended auction was strong throughout, and prices in all categories were solid. There were still dealers and retail customers standing on the perimeter late in the day; there was just so much to look at and buy.
All prices quoted include 121/2 percent buyer’s premium.
