Leading the sale was this American folk art portrait of Charles Franklin Carter (b 1840), 29½ by 24 inches framed, which stood at $46,080 ($30/50,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Once a year, CRN Auctions conducts its Annual Fall Auction, and this year it took place on October 20, offering 354 lots of furniture, fine art, decorative art, collectibles, jewelry, Asian art and antiques, dolls and toys, among others. According to Carl R. Nordblom, auctioneer and co-founder of CRN, the sale totaled approximately $550,000.
“Overall, we were satisfied with the prices from the sale,” shared Nordblom in a phone conversation post-auction. “The better ‘stuff’ — meaning good, rare things — still bring plenty of money. If your sales are concentrating on high-end things, then you’re doing okay.”
Leading this year’s sale was an American folk art portrait of Charles Franklin Carter of Worcester, Mass., by an unknown artist, which finished at $46,080. The young subject was standing in the foreground of the painting, holding a reticulated basket of red berries and a riding crop initialed “CFC.” In the background, a landscape with a lake, house and bird on a tree branch drew the eye. The work was housed in an original gold frame, which brought the painting’s measurements to 29½ by 24 inches total. According to the auction’s catalog, it descended through the Carter family of Massachusetts, was inherited by Roland Carter Martin in 1886, then passed to Jennie Weston Carter, then the consignor.
This pair of Nineteenth Century American folk art portraits depicting Captain Levi F. Doty (1803-1890) and Mrs Grace Doty (1803-1872) were both unsigned and measured 14 by 10½ inches unframed; they sailed to $10,880 against a $2/3,000 estimate.
American folk art continued to excel with a pair of portraits by an unknown artist completed in the Nineteenth Century, which earned $10,880 against a $2/3,000 estimate. The portraits depicted Captain Levi F. Doty and Mrs Grace Doty (née Fish). The back of Captain Doty’s painting was inscribed, “Husband of Grace A. Fish. He was a whaleboat captain. Part owner of Barque George Washington. He took his wife on trips.” Mrs Doty’s portrait had a matching inscription reading, “Wife of Capt. Levi F. Doty / Aunt of Helen Mars Fisher who was mother of Julia Watts Jones Collins who was mother of Clayton Collins (Sr).”
The nautical theme continued to be prevalent in the sale, with a painting of the ocean liner Horatio Hall that included an American flag by Antonio Nicolo Jacobsen sailing to $8,320. Housed in a 26-by-40-inch black frame, the work also depicted the East River and Brooklyn Bridge in the background near the stern of the ship, as well as Portland Steamship buildings. The location of the painting was revealed through its markings, as it was signed and dated “A. Jacobsen 1899 / West Hoboken, N.J.,” to its lower left corner.
Nautical themes met fantasy with Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr’s, untitled painting depicting a mermaid on the shore, resting against a boat. Accompanied by its original paper label, affixed verso, with the artist’s name and an illegible title, the 21-by-27-inch painting landed within its $8/10,000 estimate, earning $8,320.
This painting of a mermaid on the shore, resting against a boat by Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr, (Massachusetts, 1910-1982), 21 by 27 inches, with original paper label verso, swam to $8,320 ($8/10,000).
Furniture was led by a diminutive Boston chest of drawers manufactured by John and Thomas Seymour between 1800 and 1810. Authenticated by Robert Mussey, the chest of drawers was in all original and untouched condition, containing four drawers with their original embossed brass knobs. The furniture piece had extensive provenance, beginning with Ben Perley Poore (1820-1887) of Newburyport, Mass., then, in 1938, the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), where it was gifted as part of an estate collection; it was returned to Poore’s great-grandson Edward Moseley (1921-2006) of Newbury, Mass., in 1948, where it remained in the family. The chest of drawers’ provenance and authentication may have encouraged bidders to push the item to a $23,040 finish, far surpassing its $6/8,000 estimate to achieve the second-highest price of the sale. Another Boston Seymour item, a Pembroke table which was manufactured circa 1785-93, sat pretty for $9,600 against a $5/7,000 estimate.
Another popular furniture style with bidders was Chippendale, with a New York Chippendale mahogany secretary from the home of a Beacon Hill, Boston, couple landing the third-highest price of the sale: $14,080. The circa 1750-70 furniture piece was made of a three-part, dense San Domingo mahogany, with poplar as a secondary wood. Its notable appearance was thanks to its full-bonnet top and original carved and gilded flame finials, as well as a gilded carved eagle at its center. According to the auction catalog, this example was almost identical to a secretary which “stands in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, US Department of State, Washington, DC.” Another Chippendale item with San Domingo mahogany wood earned a spot in the top 10 best-selling lots. This example, a circa 1750-70 tea table, was attributed to John Townsend of Newport, R.I., and had provenance to a New York couple, who purchased it from Israel Sack; it achieved $8,960.
Attributed to John Townsend (Newport, R.I.) circa 1750-70, this “rare” Chippendale tea table made from San Domingo mahogany was purchased by the consignors from Israel Sack and carved a $8,960 result ($4/6,000).
Jewelry was well represented in the sale, with a 14K gold and onyx Libra pendant suspended on a gold link chain earning $12,800. The detachable pendant, marked “14K 5M,” depicted a gold scale, the symbol of Libra, with a set of six diamonds mounted on a black onyx background. Its accompanying 29-inch chain was unmarked but tested as 14K gold; the total weight of both was 171.6 grams.
Another 14K gold necklace, this one a gold rope twist chain from Lariat, will decorate the neck of its buyer for $10,240, just surpassing a $8/10,000 estimate. The 44-inch 14K gold chain had gold tips and a 14K gold clasp, engraved with the initial “M,” inset with small diamonds. It weighed 208 grams total.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.crnauctions.com or 617-661-9582.
