The highest price of the sale, $65,280, went to “Between Two Willows” by Charles Burchfield (American, 1893-1967), 1918, watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper mounted on card, 23 by 29 inches framed, signed and dated lower right, which had both exhibition and publication history ($40/60,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
HUDSON, N.Y. — Some legacies transcend lifetimes. Stair Galleries aided in this philosophy with its The Collection of Sanford L. Smith (1939-2024) auction, conducted on January 30. Smith, a beloved and well-known face in the antiques world, was the owner of Sanford L. Smith + Associates, head of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) from 1979-2024 — along with many other internationally recognized art fairs — and simply “loved collecting, amassing a large and eclectic collection that represented his interests and personal aesthetic.” The 160-lot sale was the first of Stair’s sales of a selection from Smith’s collection since his passing in May of 2024. A white glove sale, 100 percent of lots were sold, with the sale realizing $604,649.
Holly Stair, director of marketing, shared that the sale attracted a largely North American audience, with top bidders hailing from New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Washington, DC; Texas and Arizona. “The trade supported the market well, and it was lovely to see a larger number of private buyers as underbidders,” she shared.
“We’re pleased with the results of the sale, while bearing in mind this is not 1999 anymore!” said president, Colin Stair. “We showed our strength and our team worked very hard to promote this sale, including a 14-day exhibition, which saw hundreds of visitors. I like to think of our previews for estate property almost like a memorial for the collection.”
Leading the collection of weathervanes at $32,000 was this full-bodied copper and zinc Tandem Hackney horse and Handsom cab driver example from the Nineteenth Century attributed to J.L. Mott Iron Works, New York City and Chicago ($8/12,000).
Honoring Smith was also something that was important to Stair. “I always considered Mr Smith to be a member of the trade,” he explained. “Whenever we are selling someone’s collection, even if the connection to that person was somewhat remote, it still stings a bit, but personally makes me work even harder to make a success.”
Leading the sale was “Between Two Willows,” a watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper work mounted on card by Charles Burchfield. The 1918 painting had a label from the DC Moore Gallery (New York City) and was featured in Charles Burchfield Catalogue of Paintings in Public and Private Collections, by Joseph S. Trovato. It also had provenance to a 1992 Sotheby’s sale. Just surpassing its $40/60,000 estimate, the work made $65,280.
Watercolor works remained popular with bidders, as “Pertaining to Cape Split, Maine” by John Marin earned a second-place finish, flowing to $34,560. The early Modern watercolor on paper landscape had labels for the White Art Museum, Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.) and An American Place (New York City), and additional private provenance to the Stieglitz family, who consigned it to Sotheby’s in 2003, when it was purchased by Smith. It may also be featured in John Marin: Part II, Catalogue Raisonné by Sheldon Reich, which, according to catalog notes, listed “a Cape Split watercolor from 1939,” although there was a discrepancy in dimensions.
These two ink and watercolor on paper works by Paul Pletka (American, b 1946) were titled “General Custer” and “Pawnee” and roped in a $6,080 finish ($1/1,500).
An additional set of watercolors that interested bidders fit into one of the major themes of this selection from Smith’s collection: Western art. Sold together, “Pawnee” and “General Custer” by Paul Pletka shot far past their $1/1,500 estimate and landed at $6,080. The ink and watercolor on paper works had labels from Fenn Galleries Ltd., in Santa Fe, N.M., and the portrait of General Custer had an inscription reading “Custer after Brady” on its lower lefthand corner.
“We were very pleased to see the strength of interest in early Twentieth Century American works on paper,” explained Colin Stair. “Quality and provenance always make for good results.”
Western art lassoed bidders all day, with a selection of bronzes by Harry Jackson galloping to top prices. Leading the pack of seven bronzes was “The Marshall (John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn),” which raced to $12,800. The date of the painted bronze’s cast was unknown, but the statue contained the artist’s copyright and was dated and numbered “17.P” on its bottom. Just behind “The Marshall” was “The Flagbearer,” which earned $11,520, and “Washaki,” which realized $6,400. The additional four Jackson bronzes rounded up prices ranging from $640 to $2,304.
There were plenty of horses present in the Western art on offer, but they also made an appearance in other categories, including weathervanes. A full-bodied copper and zinc tandem hackney horse and Hansom cab driver weathervane led the group, trotting to $32,000 against an $8/12,000 estimate. Attributed to J.L. Mott Iron Works, which operated in New York City and Chicago in the Nineteenth Century, this example “would have originally been fully gilded,” according to catalog notes. Other horse weathervanes on offer included a gilt cast iron horse, possibly from Rochester, N.Y., which trotted to $26,240, and a molded sheet copper and cast zinc horse and jockey steeplechase example which jumped to $10,880. Other animal weathervanes, such as a full-bodied copper and zinc horned ram example attributed to L.W. Cushing & Sons (Waltham, Mass.), butted to $19,200.
Attributed to L.W. Cushing & Sons, Waltham, Mass., was this full-bodied copper and zinc horned ram weathervane exhibited in “A Family Album: Brooklyn Collects” at the Brooklyn Museum in 2001; it bleated its way to $19,200 ($8/12,000).
Folk art animals seemed to be another solid theme running throughout Smith’s collection. A folk art carving of a tiger head with inset glass eyes led the category, roaring to $8,320. Despite some craquelure to the pigment, the carving was “richly patinated” and more than doubled its $1,5/3,000 estimate. Swimming close behind the tiger was a 17-inch-long painted and carved wooden figure of a whale, which engulfed its $400/600 estimate to earn $7,040. It was in good condition despite some minor wear.
Marine art was also well represented, led by “Steamship Montauk,” an oil on canvas by Antonio Jacobsen. The 1890 portrait of the steamship was signed by the artist and inscribed “705 Palisade AV. West Hoboken NJ” on its lower righthand corner; it also contained a label from Schillay & Reys, N.Y. The painting was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 2001, in the exhibition “A Family Album: Brooklyn Collects” and was featured in Antonio Jacobsen: The Checklist by Harold Scott Sniffen (Smith Gallery, 1984). Additional ship portraits that achieved top prices included “The Hayes on a Starry Night” by John Huntington and Samuel Walters’ “Harbor Scene,” which both docked at $8,960.
“To our knowledge, this is one of the largest groups of Grenfell rugs offered to date,” revealed Stair. “We were happy to see so much interest in the collection.” Leading that group was a Grenfell Mission hooked rug featuring sailing ships, which had additional provenance to the collection of Patricia L. Smith. In production by 1921, it was exhibited at the American Folk Art Museum (New York City) in the exhibition “Northern Scenes: Hooked Art of the Grenfell Mission” in 1994, as well as in “Silk Stocking Mats: Rugs from Grenfell Missions” at the Shelburne Museum (Shelburne, Vt.) in 1996. The rug was also featured in Grenfell Mats by Kaye Betts, Paula Laverty and Patricia L. Smith (Hudson River Press, 1994). According to catalog notes, “Rugs or mats of this size were typically meant to serve as long footstool covers.”
Docking at $6,400 was this Grenfell Mission hooked rug of sailing ships mounted on a frame, 1921, 54-3/8 by 20 inches, which had extensive exhibition and publication history ($700/900).
“We were happy to welcome so many bidders to our gallery to bid live on the floor, as well as a large phone bidding pool,” said Holly Stair. She reported that buyers of the top lots were predominantly private buyers on the East Coast, “though we saw a very active pool of dealers across all categories within the sale.” Additionally, more than half of all buyers were registered with Stair’s online bidding platform, which is accessed through its website.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 518-751-1000 or www.stairgalleries.com.
