Decorative arts dominated the block in sales of late. A pair of midcentury bird form lamps multiplied their three-figure estimate to a flock of five figures as did a set of French midcentury chairs, and a Newcomb Macklin frame sold for five times its estimate. Other favorable results were earned with Loetz glass, an Ithaca regulator clock and an enormous Farahan carpet that stretched past its high estimate. Read on for more triumphs.
Art Of Framing Celebrated In Helmuth Stone Sale Of Wilner Collection
SARASOTA, FLA. – Since October, Helmuth Stone Gallery has been selling antique frames from the collection of master framer and frame restorer Eli Wilner. The collection’s overall 2,500 frames are the original antique frames from which Wilner made his replica frames. On December 8, part two of this collection, more than 400 lots, crossed the block. Top lot from this sale was a Newcomb Macklin Arts and Crafts frame (20 by 16 inches), which sold for a total of $5,312, five times its high estimate. For information, 941-260-9703 or www.helmuthstone.com.
Thomas Hart Benton Litho Among Top Highlights At Lotus International Auction
GUILFORD, CONN. – Lotus International Auctions hosted an online-only Happy Holiday fine art auction on December 4, offering more than 430 artworks: oil paintings, watercolors, etchings, lithographs, Inuit sculptures, antique toys, folk art and more. A choice selection of well-known artist printers included Thomas Hart Benton’s “The Fence Mender” lithograph, which sold for $2,000. For information, 203-689-5062 or www.lotusauction.com.
Fernand Leger Gouache On Aisle 7
LONE JACK, MO. – Top lot from the weekend auction at Soulis Auctions on December 10 was a work on paper by the French Modernist painter, sculptor and filmmaker Fernand Leger (1881-1955). The gouache and India ink on paper illustration study for “Source Entière” by the French poet Andre Frènaud sold for $29,900. Most interestingly, the study was accompanied by a receipt from Sears, Roebuck and Company. The Vincent Price Collection dated 2/16/67 when the consignor had acquired it from Sears. Dirk Soulis reminds us that Sears and Roebuck stores once had an art department curated by the actor Vincent Price. Price had a degree in art history and was a collector. “He mentored at least one Hollywood neighbor, Dennis Hopper, who, if I remember the specifics correctly, purchased one of Andy Warhol’s first ‘Campbell’s Soup’ works, a small single can painting, for around $125 in the late 1960s,” said Soulis. For information, 816-697-3830 or www.soulisauctions.com.
Loetz Art Glass Shades Light Up Over And Above Auction
TIMONIUM, MD. – Fine and fashion jewelry and décor crossed the block in an online-only sale conducted by Over And Above on December 9. A lucky bidder snagged five Loetz Phanomen art glass shades for $3,321. Unsigned, several of the shades had small chips around the fitter end, which do not affect the rest of the shade. The fitter measured 2¼ inches, and each shade had a total height of 3½ inches, with the widest diameter at 4½ inches. For information, 410-458-5768 or www.overandaboveonline.com.
Weissman Lamps Roost High At Doyle
NEW YORK CITY – The Doyle + Design sale took place on December 7 at Doyle New York, offering slightly less than 200 lots in a wide range of modern and contemporary furniture, silver and design by prominent artists and makers. A pair of 1950s ceramic bird form lamps from Beth Weissman shocked the sale, flying past a Noguchi stool and a Noll cabinet to achieve $63,000 against a $500/700 estimate. The lamps were cataloged as Italian and distributed through Beth Weissman Co, formerly of New York, and were consigned from the private collection of a Hamptons Family Estate. For information, 212-427-2730 or www.doylenewyork.com.
Material Culture Unrolls Palatial Price
PHILADELPHIA – Material Culture laid out more than 400 Oriental rugs from American collections on December 8, mostly from the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The top lot of the sale was a palace-sized Farahan Sarouk carpet from Persia, circa 1900. The Farahan district is in central Iran, south of Tehran, known for their soft, thin wool pile carpets woven on a cotton warp and weft foundation. The winning carpet had the stats of a champion: measuring at 14 feet 3 inches by 19 feet 10 inches, weighing 119 pounds and sold over estimate at $16,250 ($10/15,000). For information, 215-438-4700 or www.materialculture.com.
Eldred’s Asian Art Sale Topped By French Artist
EAST DENNIS, MASS. – From December 6 to 8, Eldred’s conducted a three-session sale of more than 1,500 lots of Asian art and antiques. The highest price was achieved on the third day by a complete portfolio of woodblock prints by Paul Jacoulet (France/Japan, 1902-1960), surpassing its $10/15,000 estimate and bidding to $36,250. Jacoulet was born in France, the son of an ambassador, but lived in Japan for most of his life. He is considered one of the few Western artists to be recognized in Japan as a master of the country’s traditional woodblock printing, among his many other talents. The prints show Chinese and Manchurian women in traditional dress, which is typical of his subject matter; Jacoulet traveled widely throughout Asia and his work is often used as a prime document for anthropological costume study. For information, 508-385-3116 or www.eldreds.com.
French Midcentury Chairs Sit Well With Litchfield Bidders
LITCHFIELD, CONN. – A set of four French Midcentury Modern fruitwood chairs, embellished with a lattice splat design and upholstered slipseats, was a sleeper in Litchfield Auctions’ December 6 books, Twentieth Century art and design sale. The set sold for $25,350 against an estimate of $300/500 and inspired a 10-minute bidding battle between online competitors, ultimately going to a bidder from California. It was the highest result in the 299-lot sale. For information, 860-567-4661 or www.litchfieldcountyauctions.com.
Ithaca Regulator Clocks Top Result For Burchard Galleries
ST PETERSBURG, FLA. – Clocking in at the head of Burchard Galleries’ December 10 International Estate Antiques, Fine Art and Jewelry Auction was an Ithaca Regulator #2 bank calendar clock that sold for $6,765 against a $400/600 estimate, making the seller very happy. Measuring 48 inches tall by 19 inches wide, it was cataloged as weighing approximately 32 pounds and was purchased by an online bidder outside of Florida despite not being in working condition. It was the highest price realized by nearly 500 lots in the sale. For information, 727-821-1167 or www.burchardgalleries.com.
