“Clear Creek Valley, a Peak on Eagle Cliff near Lancaster, Ohio” by Victor Moreau Griswold (American, 1818-1872), 1854, oil on canvas, 12 by 16 inches, was the top lot of the sale. It achieved $5,605 ($600-$1,200).
Review by Carly Timpson; Photos Courtesy Forsythes’ Auctions
CINCINNATI, OHIO — Forsythes’ Auctions presented a Large Antiques Auction on Sunday, January 21, offering items from estates and collections. In total, the sale offered more than 400 lots of folk art, collectibles, advertising items, textiles, military items and furniture. Frank Forsythe reported that there was a good showing of bidders, with about 75 to 80 in-person and more joining online. The sale closed with a 98 percent of lots selling and Forsythe commented that “the market seems to be good.”
Leading the auction was “Clear Creek Valley, a Peak on Eagle Cliff near Lancaster, Ohio” by Victor Moreau Griswold. Griswold was an Ohio inventor, photographer and painter of landscapes and portraits. While he was on the forefront of the photography and development processes in America, landscape paintings are Griswold’s most sought-after works. Signed “V.M. Griswold” and dated 1854, this oil painting of a cliffside scene was estimated at only $600-$1,200 and stretched to $5,605.
Categorically, American antique furniture had a strong performance in the sale. The top furniture lot was a miniature sugar chest with a divided interior, splayed Hepplewhite feet, a locking lid and a cutout apron on three sides. Measuring just over a foot tall and 18½ inches wide, the Kentucky-made sugar chest was in very good condition with minor expected wear. Doubling its high estimate, the chest achieved $4,720.
With three personalized inscriptions, this circa 1838 miniature cherry washstand from Kentucky, 13 by 13-1/8 by 10 inches, found a buyer at $2,242 ($400/700).
Also from Kentucky was a miniature washstand dated 1838. The small storage table earned $2,242. The cherry and poplar washstand had an overhanging burl front top shelf connected by urn-form columns to a single-drawer bottom compartment. On turned feet, the drawer has a newer replaced brass knob. On the underside of the washstand, there are three handwritten inscriptions with the earliest dated 1838, another 1858 and the last 1918.
The last lot of furniture to round out the top eight lots was a cherry Sheraton silver cupboard or linen press from Kentucky. In two pieces, the service cupboard had a scroll-cut gallery over four paneled doors. Achieving slightly more than its high estimate, the linen press made $2,006.
Earning $4,130 was a polychrome sheet tin advertisement from Columbia, S.C., which read, “Drink Buffalo / It’s Delicious / Ginger Ale / Sold Everywhere.” The vibrantly painted sign had an image of buffalo in a field with sun rays in the background and a bottle of soda in the foreground. Measuring 47 by 94 inches, the advertisement was complete with its original wood backing.
A Buffalo Ginger Ale advertisement from Columbia, S.C., painted sheet tin with original wood backing, 47 by 94 inches, earned $4,130 ($1/2,000).
Breaking into its estimate range was a circa 1900 Persian Bidjar rug. A large size, this rug had floral borders and a rectangular stylized floral center. The finely woven and vividly colored rug with no alterations was sold to an online buyer for $3,024.
For collectors of sculptural folk art, cigar store figures are always a pleasant find. Carved from a single piece of wood, this figure boasts a stereotypical headdress and outfit with a worn painted finish that was likely originally red, blue, black and yellow. With minor chips, cracking and other signs of age, the circa 1930s-40s trade figure went to a collector for $2,360.
From the Pope Manufacturing Company, a circa 1880s high-wheel Columbia Bicycle and its custom steel display stand had an eponymous front wheel that was 54 inches in diameter and moustache handlebars with wood grips and a single handbrake. In very good condition with old repaint, the bicycle rode off for $2,006.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.forsythesauctions.com or 513-791-2323.
