Iconic or immediately recognizable images were a shared trait among this week’s auction highlights. More than $40,000 was realized for a portrait of Christ that sold to a new international buyer at Nye & Co while a signed photo of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, got the royal treatment at Benefit Shop, earning $8,385. Bidders at New Milford, Conn.’s The Auction Barn lit up an Iroquois Brewing Co sign to $14,000; it featured the profile of a Native American wearing a feathered headdress. Read on for equally important if not immediately familiar results.
Vero Beach Bidders Vie For Florida Highwaymen Paintings
VERO BEACH, FLA. — On March 2, Vero Beach Auction conducted an auction with 259 lots of art, antiques and collectibles from multiple estates. The auction house was proud to share its 80 percent sell-through rate and noted, “We are seeing a very high demand for original Florida art, with an emphasis on the Florida Highwaymen.” The sale’s top lot was a painting by the only woman belonging to that group of 26 artists, Mary Ann Carroll (1940-2019). Exceeding its high estimate of $10,000, Carroll’s depiction of a Florida backwoods river earned $13,800. The buyer was a private collector who hopes to present the work in future exhibitions and museum shows. For information, 772-978-5955 or www.verobeachauction.com.
Prouvé Standard Chairs Claim Public Sale’s Top Spot
HUDSON, N.Y. — Public!Sale’s March 2 Mid Mod auction featured Midcentury Modern lots, including sculptures, paintings, prints and furniture. With more than 2,400 registered bidders, the auction resulted in a 96 percent sell-through rate and achieved a total of $148,638. Of the sale’s 525 lots, a set of six Standard chairs by Vitra took the top spot. Designed by Jean Prouvé, the Standard chairs have become a classic piece of architectural furniture. This set was constructed of natural oak on a cream-colored powder-coated metal frame. With Vitra stickers on the bottom of each seat, the set of chairs sold for $5,313 and will be staying in New York ($1,5/3,000). For information, 518-966-7253 or www.publicsale.com.
Paskell Harborscape Leads Vintage Goods For Eldred’s
HANOVER, MASS. — The 303-lot Vintage Goods sale Eldred’s conducted on March 7 proffered a broad selection of lots, including fine and decorative art, collectibles, toys, Asian antiques and a single man’s watch. Sailing to $2,304 from a $300/500 estimate was a harbor scene that depicted a masted ship docked alongside small buildings. The 20-by-38-inch oil on canvas was attributed to Massachusetts artist William Frederick Paskell (1866-1951). For information, 508-385-3116 or www.eldreds.com.
Iroquois Brewing Sign Brings Spirited Bidding To The Auction Barn
NEW MILFORD, CONN. — The March 11 estate auction at The Auction Barn featured approximately 400 lots, including items from the New York City estate of dealer and auctioneer David Killen. Earning the sale’s top price of $14,000 was a 34-by-27-inch advertisement for Iroquois Brewing Company in Buffalo, N.Y. It beat out an interior genre scene by Armand Toussaint (French, 1806-1862) and a Louis XV-style inlaid and bronze mounted bureau plat. For more information, www.theauctionbarnct.com or 860-799-0608.
Jensen Acorn Flatware Sets Pretty Table For World Auction Gallery
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — An extensive 343-piece set of Georg Jensen sterling silver flatware in the Acorn pattern was one of the top sellers in World Auction Gallery’s 456-lot Exceptional Late Winter estate auction on March 10. Featuring the usual place pieces, it also included the less frequently seen oyster forks and mocha spoons as well as assorted serving utensils. A Long Island, N.Y., home consigned them to sale with an estimate of $8/10,000; after heated bidding, a longtime World Auction Gallery client, bidding on the phone, won the boxed set for $13,200. For information, 516-307-8180 or www.worldauctiongallery.com.
An Easy Ride For Robin Chretien’s Captain America Motorcycle
LOS ANGELES — An eclectic array of vintage motorcycles, biker memorabilia, neon advertising signs, billboards and other coveted items from the personal collection of French designer Robin Chretien came to auction at Abell’s on February 29. A RevTech Performance “Easy Rider” Captain America motorcycle (shown) raced to the top spot, claiming $28,125. In its slip-stream was a vintage Emporium Chief head multi-color neon sign, also from the Chretien collection, which lit up to $25,000. For information, 310-858-3073 or www.abell.com.
Queen Mother Photo Leads Benefit Shop’s Red Carpet Sale
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — The Benefit Shop’s February 14 Red Carpet sale featured property of local estates and included jewelry, luxury fashion, antiques and decorative arts. The top selling lot was a signed Queen Mother photo in a sterling silver frame from 1987. Selling for $8,385, it was won by a regular US buyer. For information, www.thebenefitshop.org or 914-864-0707.
Japanese Fairy Tales Enchant Bidders At Connecticut River Book Auction
GLASTONBURY, CONN. — A touch of spring in the air brought a record crowd of enthusiasts to Connecticut River Book Auction’s March 8 sale. Phone bidders from Miami, Delaware and the West Coast insured that several items met or exceeded expectations. One such lot was Lafeadio Hearn’s Japanese Fairy Tales. Five individual stories housed in a slipcase — “The Goblin Spider,” “Chin Chin Kobakama,” “The Old Woman Who Lost Her Dumpling,” “Boy Who Drew Cats” and “The Fountain of Youth” — sold for $575. For more information 860-908-8067 or www.ctriverbookauction.com.
New Nye Bidder Goes The Distance With Sixteenth Century Flemish Christ
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — The top lot in Nye & Company’s March 13-14 Estate Treasures auction was a Flemish School oil on panel painting, “The Risen Christ with Angel,” that had provenance to Cornbury Park, England, and two auctions at Christie’s. The 20¾-by-22½-inch panel had carried an estimate of $5/10,000 and was hotly contested on the phones and online before selling to a private European buyer, making their debut purchase from Nye, for $40,625. For information, 973-984-6900 or www.nyeandcompany.com.
