A collection of five original oils from the collection of H. Wendell Endicott (1880‱954), a Dedham businessman, sportsman and author, sparked active participation in the room and on the overflowing phone banks at Copley Fine Art Auctions’ two-day sporting sale, July 22′3, at the Radisson Hotel.
The top lot of the sale came from the Endicott collection when one of the five Carl Rungius (1869‱959) oil on canvases, titled “Humpback Grizzly,” sold for $460,000 †within its $300/500,000 estimate.
Far exceeding its estimate of $60/90,000, and setting a new world record for the artist, according to Copley’s fine art specialist Leah Tharpe, “The Rapids,” 1938, an oil on canvas by Ogden M. Pleissner (1905‱983), realized $345,000.
Day two led off with the Theodore Cross Collection of decoys, with the first ten miniatures being hotly contested. High fliers among these were the miniature Wilson plover at $6,325 and the miniature willet at $4,600.
In a notable postsale transaction, a preening raised-wing black duck by upper-echelon carver Augustus “Gus” Aaron Wilson (1864‱950), one of only two Wilson black ducks of its kind, sold for $105,000, making it the top decoy of the sale.
All prices given include the buyer’s premium. For more information, 617-536-0030 or www.copleyart.com .
A complete review will appear in a future issue.
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