Notable sales detailed in our July 17, 2020 issue run the gamut of collector interests. Representing the highest sale this week, A Willem de Kooning abstract oil on newsprint painting sold for $30,000 to an online bidder in Kaminski Auctions’ June 27 sale. Hunting enthusiasts drove a set of 15 silverplate stag head stirrup cups featuring detailed elk/deer head bases to $2,560 at The Benefit Shop Foundation’s Red Carpet auction on June 24. If board games are more your speed, you would have appreciated the friendly competition that drove a final price of $2,070 for a Vintage Wizard Of Oz game complete with its original box, the game board, playing pieces, dice and two copies of instructions. Read on for fancy Italian furniture, ancient Roman jewelry inspiration and art.
De Kooning Newsprint Painting Headlines At Kaminski
BEVERLY, MASS. – A Willem de Kooning abstract oil on newsprint painting sold for $30,000 in Kaminski Auctions’ June 27 sale. The work had been purchased 18 years ago from A.D. Gatto Fine Art Inc., in Rhinebeck, N.Y., who said the painting was acquired from an acquaintance and neighbor of the artist. The work volleyed for 22 bids before settling down to an internet bidder. For information, www.kaminskiauctions.com 978-927-2223.
Stag Head Stirrup Cups Surprise At Benefit Shop Red Carpet Sale
KATONAH, N.Y. – The Benefit Shop Foundation conducted its Red Carpet auction on June 24, once again with a full staff after the pandemic shutdown. Buyers, too, returned to the hunt and a surprise of the auction was a set of 15 silverplate stag head stirrup cups. Part of the hunt ritual, the set featured detailed elk/deer head bases, each measuring 6 inches tall. They finished at $2,560. For information, 914-864-0707 or www.thebenefitshop.org.
Vintage Wizard Of Oz Game Lands Over The Rainbow
GLASTONBURY, CONN. – In 1921, Parker Brothers issued a board game based on L. Frank Baum’s popular children’s novel The Wizard of Oz. The first issue of that game was unique in that the playing pieces were made of pewter, and that makes such sets quite desirable to collectors of Oz memorabilia. Connecticut River Book Auctions sold at its June 26 auction just such a game in its original box, with the game board, playing pieces, dice and two copies of instructions. Fetching $2,070, the board game sold to the trade, according to owner Tom Gullata. “It was an incredible sale for an absentee bid auction,” he said, with left bids by folks from Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. For information, 860-908-8067 or www.ctriverbookauction.com.
Bulgari Ancient Roman Coin Necklace Links Up With Buyer At Roland
GLEN COVE, N.Y. – A vintage, signed long chain Bulgari 18K gold necklace featuring eight coins bezel-set in gold sold for $23,750 in Roland Auctions’ June 27 estates sale. The necklace chain follows a link pattern. While continuing to observe all protocols to keep bidders and the community safe, Roland conducted its first summer 2020 auction sale in the gallery and online, with more than 700 lots to bid on. For information, 212-260-2000 or www.rolandauctions.com.
Fine Art Sets The Scene At Hudson Valley Auctioneers
BEACON, N.Y. – On June 29, per current COVID-19 regulations, Hudson Valley Auctioneers hosted an online-only auction, with preview by appointment only. Online attendance was excellent, according to the firm’s Theo de Haas, with more than 9,300 signed up bidders, with an average of 1,000 bidders bidding live as the sale progressed. Top lot was an oil on canvas by Nell Blaine titled “Red Candle & Four Bouquets.” The 1978, painting sold for $11,250. For more information, www.hudsonvalleyauctioneers.com or 845-480-2381.
Western Illustration Scene Slings High At Opfer
TIMONIUM, MD. – A Howard Brown (American, 1878-1945) oil on canvas illustration painting was the top lot at Richard Opfer Auctioneering, Inc., when it sold for $2,714. The work featured a Western gun fight scene and measured 31½ by 20½ inches. Brown was known as one of the great cover illustrators of the early Twentieth Century and worked with a number of publications, including Scientific American for 28 years. Other magazines included Broadway Magazine, Pearson’s Magazine, Munsey’s Magazine, People’s Home Journal, St. Nicholas magazine. Astounding, Electrical Experimenter, Science and Invention, Argosy All-Story Weekly, Thrilling Wonder Stories. For more information, www.opferauction.com or 410-252-5035.
Armstrong Watercolor Milks Bids At Roan
COGAN STATION, PENN. – A sense of calm in a David Armstrong (American, 1947-1998) farm scene watercolor was momentarily interrupted when bidders duked it out for the work at Roan Inc. Auctioneers & Appraisers’ June 26-27 sale, bidding it to $3,720. The watercolor features two milk cans beside a barn door and measures 18½ by 13½ inches. Armstrong was a Pennsylvania realist painter. For information, www.roaninc.com or 570-494-0170.
Micromosaic Grand Tour Table Makes Rounds At Kodner
DANIA BEACH, FLA. – A Nineteenth Century Italian Grand Tour micromosaic table was the top furniture lot at Kodner Galleries’ July 1 sale as it brought $9,920. The seven plaques to the top features scenes of ruins and monuments, framed in malachite and granite specimens. The base is carved mahogany. For information, www.kodnergalleries.com or 954-925-2550.
Harrison’s Alaskan Whales Get Large Price At Central Mass Auctions
WORCESTER, MASS. – One of the top lots in Central Mass Auctions’ June 25 122-lot estate auction was an acrylic work on canvas by Ted Harrison titled “Alaskan Whales” that was consigned by a Canadian private collector. It fetched $4,700. Central Mass Auctions, Inc., is at 255 Park Avenue, Suite #1000. For information, www.centralmassauctions.com.
