Old Masters were comparatively prominent in this week’s Across the Block column. First up was an Eighteenth Century Spanish Old Master still life that earned $52,390 at Tremont Auctions’ Annual Spring Fine Art & Antiques auction on June 2. Three days and 1500 miles away, a Italian Old Master painting of John the Baptist rose to the top of Kodner Galleries’ June 5 estate sale. Read on for other star lots.
Socialite’s Hermes Crocodile Kelly Handbag Takes Top Spot At Roland NY
GLEN COVE, N.Y. — The top seller in Roland NY’s June 1 auction was an Hermes Crocodile Kelly handbag with provenance from the estate of Baroness Gabriele Langer von Langendorff. The 1959 handbag in black Porosus crocodile was adorned with gold-plated hardware. Estimated $3/5,000, it sold for $20,000. The baroness’ personal collection came mostly from her two residences at the Pierre Hotel and another New York City Upper East Side apartment. These items were offered along with select items from her 33-acre beachfront Long Island home, which she sold in 2020. The baroness, who passed away last summer, led a storied, at times controversial, life, having married four times while being a New York high-society mainstay for many decades. For information, 212-260-2000 or www.rolandantiques.com.
Lowboy Goes High At Wiederseim
PHOENIXVILLE, PENN. — Wiederseim Associates’ Late Spring Sale on May 31 gave local farther-flung bidders nearly 600 lots of fine and decorative arts to chase. One of the top lots in the sale was a Philadelphia Queen Anne walnut lowboy, circa 1770, with a molded top with cut corners, fish-tail skirt, shell-carved knees and stocking feet. Consigned to auction by a Main Line lady, and carrying an estimate of $3/4,000, the piece rose to $17,500. For information, 610-827-1910 or www.wiederseim.com.
Oscar Bach Chair Is King At George Cole Auction
RED HOOK, N.Y. — There were more than 525 lots of fresh-to-market antiques and estate merchandise hand-picked from the Hudson Valley Region at George Cole’s June 1 auction. Presiding over all was an Oscar Bach bronze and wrought iron arm chair, tall and stately, with a decorative scroll work throughout. Estimated just $500/600, it did much better, finishing at $2,090. The throne-like chair measured 51½ inches high by 23 inches wide and 16 inches deep. For information, 845-758-9114 or www.georgecoleauctions.com.
Old Master Still Life Rises To Top At Tremont
SUDSBURY, MASS. — An Eighteenth Century oil on canvas Spanish school Old Master still life featuring delft bowls and baskets with fruits and vegetables was the unexpected high finisher at Tremont Auctions’ 615-lot Annual Spring Fine Arts & Antiques sale on June 2, which had a 91 percent sell-through rate and realized $845,399. The painting, which measured 37½ by 52½ inches framed, was once purchased at the 1922 estate auction of Scituate, Mass., benefactor, Thomas Lawson. Estimated at just $2,5/3,500, the painting was claimed by an international phone bidder for $52,360. For information, www.tremontauctions.com or 617-795-1678.
Mary Knollenberg Portrait Returns To Connecticut Museum
PHILADELPHIA — The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Conn., has acquired Guy Pène Du Bois (American, 1884-1958) 1935 portrait of sculptor Mary Lightfoot Tarleton Knollenberg, which sold at Freeman’s | Hindman’s June 2 auction of American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists. The portrait was previously included in the museum’s 2014-15 exhibition of the artist’s work and came to auction from a private North Carolina collection. Estimated at $50/80,000, it realized $63,500. For information, 215-563-9275 or www.freemansauction.com.
Rolex With Original Owner Provenance Leads Heritage Watch Auction
DALLAS — More than two dozen bids poured in for a rare Rolex 14K yellow gold cosmograph “Sigma Dial” wristwatch, reference number 6265 that dated to circa 1978, Featuring its original 14K band for repair, an associated gold bracelet, box and stamped warranty sold for $143,750, leading Heritage’s watches and timepieces Signature auction to $2,571,945 on June 3. “This is a remarkable timepiece that has remained in good hands throughout its existence,” said Jim Wolf, director of Watches & Fine Timepieces at Heritage Auctions. “It was sold more than 40 years ago and has remained in the original owner’s family ever since.” For information, www.ha.com or 214-528-3500.
Italian Old Master Scene Of A Young John The Baptist Leads At Kodner Galleries
DANIA BEACH, FLA. — Old Master paintings mixed with luxe jewelry in Kodner Galleries June 5 estate jewelry, fine art and collectibles sale. Attributed to Massimo Stanzione (Italian, 1585-1656), an oil on canvas, “San Giovanni Battista (John the Baptist),” was the sale’s top lot, selling for $39,930 to a phone bidder. The scene depicts a young John the Baptist in repose but with staff at the ready seemingly communing with a lamb. The landscape refers to the wilderness in which he lived as a young man and the lamb is a symbol of Christ. For information, www.kodner.com or 954-925-2550.
Heilmann Serape Painting Leads Stair’s Modern & Contemporary Art Sale
HUDSON, N.Y. — Twentieth Century modern and contemporary art was the topic du jour on June 6 at Stair Galleries, when the house offered nearly 250 lots to bidders around the country and the world. An oil on canvas from 1997 by Mary Heilmann (American, b 1940) titled “Mint Serape” was the star of the sale, earning $128,000 against a $15/30,000 estimate. The 30-by-22-inch unframed work had exhibition history; its provenance included the collection of Gordon and Zanne Stewart and it had been handled by the Pat Hearn Gallery in New York City. For information, 518-751-1000 or www.stairgalleries.com.
Shell Lamp Makes A Splash At Bruneau
CRANSTON, R.I. — A silvered and hammered metal lamp with opaline textured cabochons, shell edge and opaline glass base attributed to Elizabeth Eaton Burton (1869-1937) was one of the highlights of Bruneau & Co Auctioneer’s Summer Fine Art auction on June 8. Burton was the daughter of Charles F. Eaton (1843-1930) and worked in California and France. Estimated at $600-$1,200, the 16-½-inch-tall lamp came from a Cranston, R.I., estate and earned $5,000 from a buyer bidding in the room. For information, 401-533-9980 or www.bruneauandco.com.