A suite of heavily carved mahogany furniture attributed to New York’s Horner workshop dominated the action at William Jenack’s auction on June 10. The sale, also featuring a good selection of artwork, antiquities and Japanese and Korean works of art, including a large collection of netsukes, was attended by a large crowd with active bidding recorded throughout the day.
While each of the categories attracted a great deal of interest, the heavily carved aesthetic dining room suite found its way into the spotlight. Consisting of a sideboard, server and a set of chairs, the suite was heavily carved with the chairs decorated with a large elaborate floral crest, draped female figures on the stiles, the arms terminating with lion’s heads and the cabriole-style leg having a carved knee and paw foot.
The first of the lots offered from the suite was the mahogany extension dining table that was decorated with carved lion’s head mounts, reeded legs and rosettes. A modified base and later leg additions kept the price in check with it selling at $1,725.
A set of five carved mahogany chairs was offered several lots later. The chairs, estimated at $400/600, sold well above estimates at $1,725.
The Horner sideboard was carved with caryatid figures and sold between estimates at $4,715, while the figural carved server did well at $2,415.
All eyes were focused on auctioneer William Jenack as the set of six Horner attributed chairs crossed the block. Conservatively estimated at $500/800 apiece, the chairs had attracted serious interest with strong bidding coming from the gallery, the Internet and the telephones. The chairs were off and running as Jenack opened them for bidding with a final price of $26,450 realized.
A large amount of artwork was offered with the top lot coming as a Dutch oil on canvas signed Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek painting depicting a winter scene with skaters was offered. Bidding on this lot was active with it doubling the presale estimates while selling at $2,875.
A pair of Nineteenth Century Hudson Valley landscapes were offered late in the auction. Due to imperfections, the paintings were modestly estimated at $500/700, yet when bidding culminated the pair garnered $2,415. A Continental School painting depicting the harbor of Istanbul sold at $1,495, and an abstract painting of sailboats signed Sogioka realized $1,092.
A carved stone figure of a reclining cat attributed to Beniamino Bufano went out reasonably selling below estimate at $632.
Antiquities were highlighted by a Persian Koran, thought to have been from the Sixteenth or Seventeenth Century, with numerous illuminated pages. Overall the Koran was in excellent condition, although some loose and smudged pages were noted in the catalog description. Bidding on the lot came from numerous parties with the lot hammering down at $5,750.
An Egyptian carved bone figure of a woman did well as it sold for $2,875, an Antolian marble violin-form deity figure went out at $1,840, and a Persian bronze staff finial brought $1,725. An Egypto-Roman carved and polychromed wood duck from the 25th to the 30th Dynasty sold at $1,495, while an Islamic bronze bird-form fluid lamp from the Twelfth Century sold at $1,150.
The antiquities selection continued with a selection of jewelry that was highlighted by a Persian yellow gold and coral necklace from the Qajar region that sold for five times the presale estimate bringing $2,875, another Persian yellow gold necklace went out at $1,495, and a third example sold for $1,380.
The selection of Orientalia also saw spirited bidding with a Chinese bronze sword from the Warring States period selling at $1,725. A Nineteenth Century Japanese scroll painting on silk with animals in a landscape, Okyo School, sold above estimates at $1,380, while a carved boxwood figure of a lion brought $862.
A large selection of netsuke was offered with a Japanese carved ivory figure of a horse with inlaid eyes, attributed to Tantoshi, doing well as it sold for $1,265. A netsuke ivory cat with ladybug with inlaid eyes attributed to Abe Kenji sold at $977, a boxwood two-part phallic-form netsuke $743, an ivory frog on lotus blossom $632, and an ivory basket of turtles sold for $488.
Prices include the 15 percent buyer’s premium charged. For further information contact Jenack’s, 845-469-9095 or www.jenack.com .
