The highest priced lot of either auction, “The Horse Show, South Woodstock, Vermont” by Paul Starrett Sample (American, 1896-1974), circa 1949, oil on canvas, 39½ by 52½ inches framed, was “museum-quality” and rose to $118,750 ($50/70,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
BOSTON — On November 2-3, Grogan & Company conducted two auctions: Fine Art and Fine Jewelry. Georgina Winthrop, president and fine art director, shared, “We were really happy with the level of engagement, with people coming to preview and to bid in person. It felt like a return to form, back to pre-Covid times. In total, the sales realized about $3 million, and we were also really happy with the fact that in the fine art sale, 38 percent of lots sold above their estimate range, and in the jewelry sale 38 percent did. It’s a good sign of the strength of the market right now.”
Fine Art
More than 200 lots of paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs crossed the block in the Fine Art auction on November 2. With 89 percent of lots sold, the sale realized $1.53 million. Winthrop commented, “I was really happy with how solid of a sale it was. Most of the works came from private collectors who inherited them, and then sold to private collectors. This too shows the strength of the market.”
A Paul Starrett Sample painting claimed the top price overall. Titled “The Horse Show, South Woodstock, Vermont,” the circa 1949 oil on canvas was signed “Paul Sample” to the lower right. Winthrop identified the painting as being “a museum-quality example of the artist’s work in terms of its subject matter, number of figures and quality.” The painting had provenance to a Greenwich, Conn., estate and was previously exhibited at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Woodstock Gallery of Art (Woodstock, Vt.) and Associated American Arts (New York City). The rolling Vermont landscape with the horse show scene exemplified Sample’s New England regionalism; as such, it was bid beyond its $50/70,000 estimate to achieve $118,750. It is headied back to Vermont in a full-circle moment for the piece.
“Le Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden)” by Jean Dufy (French, 1888-1964), oil on canvas, 25¾ by 31¾ inches framed, left a Maine collection and sold to another East Coast collector for $68,750 ($40/60,000).
A private East Coast collector beat out several other private collectors competing for Jean Dufy’s “Le Jardin des Tuileries.” The oil on canvas scene overlooked Paris’ Tuileries Garden with a view of the city in the background. Winthrop shared that the work descended in the family of a Maine gentleman whose mother purchased it in New York in 1960. Notably, this painting was not previously known to the artist’s catalogue raisonné, but it was authenticated by Jacques Bailly, the catalogue raisonné’s author, and will be included in supplementary sections. “Le Jardin des Tuileries” was sold, with a certificate from Bailly, for $68,750.
Guy Carleton Wiggins, known for his snowy New York scenes, painted “Union Square, Winter” in 1912. Signed and dated to the lower right and the reverse, the oil on canvas painting depicts Union Square in a flurry, with the monument of George Washington on horseback, pedestrians, carriages, streetcars and buildings all blurred by the snow. “It’s an early work for the artist and it’s on canvas, which people are drawn to. Yes, it seems typical for Wiggins given that it’s a New York snow scene, but those two points make it stand out,” added Winthrop. Departing its Boston-area home where it descended within a family, the painting will now be hung with another East Coast collector after selling for $53,125.
Earning $47,500, Dutch artist Wobbe Alkema’s untitled painting helped bring a different story to the top of this sale. Alkema’s abstract oil on panel, done in 1924, came from a private New York collection after descending in the family of poet Paul Van Ostaijen in The Netherlands. Winthrop said, “Though this came from a New York estate, most of his market is in The Netherlands. Several people overseas were bidding for it on the phone and it will be going back to The Netherlands. The purchaser noted that he was very excited and said that it was an early and rare example of Alkema’s work.”
A “textbook Art Deco” piece, this Tiffany & Co., platinum, emerald (4.5 carats) and diamond (6.1 total carat weight) brooch, sold with its original box and led the jewelry auction at $75,000 ($20/40,000).
Fine Jewelry
November 3 was the Fine Jewelry auction, described as “a sparkling selection of jewels from every era.” Winthrop reported, “The Fine Jewelry sale was really strong. It was a bigger sale for us — we had a couple of estates with 20-30 items each, but we kept the quality high. I was very happy with the overall lot value and aesthetic flow of the sale.” Of the 276 lots offered, 90 percent sold successfully, bringing the sale total to $1.4 million.
Exceeding its $40,000 high estimate to become the highest-priced lot in the jewelry sale at $75,000 was a Tiffany & Co., platinum, emerald and diamond brooch. At its center, the brooch had an emerald-cut emerald that weighed approximately 4.5 carats. This was flanked by baguette- and bullet-cut diamonds and step-cut emeralds. Throughout the piece, there were additional old European- and step-cut diamonds for a total weight of 6.1 carats. Winthrop said it was sold with its original box and it had descended within one family.
A platinum and diamond engagement ring crossed the block for $62,500. Winthrop shared, “With this lot, the consignment story is interesting. It belonged to a woman, and it was her mother’s engagement ring. The consignor said she watched her mom wear it her whole life and coveted it, but when she inherited it, she realized that she couldn’t wear it and would have to sell it.” The center pear-shaped brilliant-cut diamond weighed 8.26 carats and was flanked by a tapered baguette-cut diamond on each side.
With an 8.26-carat central pear-shaped brilliant-cut diamond, this platinum engagement ring was flanked by tapered baguette-cut diamonds (0.8-carats total), and it was bid to $62,500 ($50/80,000).
Leaving a Massachusetts family in which it descended, a platinum, ruby and diamond ring achieved $40,650. Winthrop shared that this was “not a typical three-stone ring, given its proportions and shape,” going on to mention that it was especially notable since the ruby was Burmese and not heat treated. The central circle-cut Burmese ruby, weighing 1.6 carats, was flanked by two 1.15-carat pear-shaped diamonds. The lot was accompanied by a Gübelin Gem Lab report authenticating the ruby’s origin.
A Tiffany & Co., pearl necklace with a diamond set into its platinum clasp sold with its two original boxes for $34,375, more than doubling its high estimate. Winthrop remarked that this was one of the best sets of pearls she had ever handled, noting their “beautiful color with creamy pinky undertones” and the fact that they were natural pearls, not cultured. She exhibited the fineness of this necklace, comparing it to another strand of natural pearls in the same auction, saying, “This one was so luscious and beautiful and superior. Bidders recognized that. Plus, it had all the extras you could hope for, including the Tiffany signature and original box.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. The next auction on the books for Grogan & Co., will be Fine Rugs and Textiles on January 26. For information, www.groganco.com or 617-720-2020.
