DOWNINGTOWN, PENN. — An evening session of 160 lots on January 13 kicked off Pook & Pook’s two-day Americana & International Auction, which saw another 428 lots offered on January 14. The top lot of the sale was a painting of a Russian priest by Vasily Petrovic Verestchagin (Russian, 1835-1904), which brought $79,950 to an American trade buyer. The painting, which measured 14 by 7½ inches, was being deaccessioned from the Reading Public Museum. Of the 588 lots offered during the two days of sale, nearly 99 percent sold, realizing a total of $1,778,105 against an aggregate high estimate of $1,255,700.

Watch for an extensive recap in a future issue.