“The market for Asian works of art continues to be strong and we felt this item would benefit from the additional exposure provided by one of our quarterly [fine and decorative arts] sales,” said John Chaski. Topping the sale at $9,225, this Asian jeweled gilt-bronze statue of Khadiravani was underbid and sold to clients online. The result set a record for a shelf lot pick at Crumpton ($200/400).
CRUMPTON, MD. – For collectors or dealers who like the thrill of discovery, check out Dixon’s Crumpton Auction. The third generation auction house, founded by Norman Dixon in 1961 has, since the pandemic, conducted auctions – online via LiveAuctioneers – bin lots that are picked or vetted by the auction staff, including Dover, Del., based Americana dealer John Chaski, who is a consultant for the firm. Biweekly bin sales of mostly decorative “smalls” take something of a “do-it-yourself” approach, meaning sellers purchase a certain number of bin shelves, bring in things they want to sell that meet the standards of the house, and unpack things themselves, the benefit of which are very low commission fees for sellers. Online catalog photos are plentiful, but descriptions are sparse, and estimates are low: in short, the perfect combination for a knowledgeable eye to spot a true find. It’s a picker’s paradise and a significant portion of the buyers are dealers.
Items Dixon’s catalogers deem particularly good are selected for one of the firm’s semimonthly fine sales. In its most recent auction on October 6, nearly 325 lots of fine and decorative arts were offered. The firm set an in-house record at the sale when a 6-11/16-inch-tall Asian jeweled gilt-bronze statue of Khadiravani – picked from a Dover, Del., collection of household things and militaria and estimated at $200/400, sold for $9,225. It was the highest price the house has achieved for a shelf-picked lot.
A buyer from Pennsylvania paid $3,075 for an 11-inch-tall Chinese famille rose porcelain vase with a reign mark to the underside. It had come from a New Jersey seller, while a Connecticut seller got $2,400 for a Chinese carved spinach green jade scholar’s pot with a Qianlong reign mark carved into the underside. It measured 9-5/8 inches in diameter and sold to one of Crumpton’s regular buyers.
A local Maryland seller who regularly consigns modern decorative arts sold this Danish modern teak bowl, made by Finn Juhl for Kay Bojesen. A Japanese buyer paid $5,228 for it, the second highest price in the sale ($100/200).
European and American works competed well against Asian offerings. Earning a second place finish in the sale at $5,228 was a signed Danish teak bowl, made by Finn Juhl for Kay Bojesen. Measuring 14¾ inches in length, the bowl had a wonderful warm patina and came from a local Maryland seller who Chaski said “is a regular consigner who has brought us a lot of modern stuff.” It will be traveling far to its new home in Japan.
Things of quality made by such makers as Tiffany will always find buyers. That was the case with a Tiffany & Co bronze and painted porcelain carriage clock that came from a collection on the Eastern shore of Maryland; it sold to a buyer in Connecticut for $2,952, nearly three times its low estimate.
Another clock – this time a 10-inch-tall French doré bronze mantel variety decorated with a female figure and a serpent – sold to a New York trade buyer and a regular Dixon’s Crumpton Auction’s client for $2,520 ($500-$1,000).
This late Nineteenth Century Tiffany & Co bronze and painted porcelain carriage clock came with a leather case and even though it had not been tested for functionality or working order, it still brought nearly three times its estimate: $2,952 from a buyer in Connecticut ($1/2,000).
A local history enthusiast bidding on Dixon’s Crumpton Auction’s online platform paid $2,706 for a group of letters from Easton, Md., and Delaware families.
A few things did not meet expectations, including a solid 18K gold plaque of the Three Graces after Salvador Dali. Estimated at $5/10,000, the framed plaque measured 8½ by 6½ inches and weighed 81 grams. It sold to a local buyer for $2,760, trading at less than the market price for gold.
Dixon’s Crumpton Auction’s next online fine and decorative arts sale will be December 1.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, 410-928-3006 or www.crumptonauctions.com.
