Portraits and painted furniture were among the key categories in recent auctions. A set of six Nineteenth Century Pennsylvania side chairs was the top lot in Copake’s March 1 sale, achieving $2,400 while Winter Associates’ bidders loved to $15,600 a red, white and blue painted blanked chest with heart and compass decorations. An oval portrait of a China Trade sea captain by Spoilum that had extensive provenance and publication history rose to $47,500, the highest price Fred Giampietro and New England Auctions saw in their sale of the Marc J. Matz collection. Finally, the top lot from the Larry Wiseman estate, sold at Hudson Valley Auctioneers on March 3, crowned the sale with an “Ecce Homo” painting that traded hands at $12,500. Read on for more highlights…

Pennsylvania Blanket Chest Holds Winter Bidders’ Interest

PLAINVILLE, CONN. — On March 3, Winter Associates conducted a 339-lot auction of art, furniture, early books and documents and other items. Originally only estimated $350/750, the surprising top lot of the auction was a circa 1800 Pennsylvania blanket chest painted with blue, white and red decoration. “This is the second painted blanket chest we’ve had go super high in recent sales,” said Merideth Adams, gallery and advertising manager. Measuring 21 inches high by 36 inches wide by 17 inches deep, the chest was bid to $15,600, more than 20 times its high estimate. For information, www.auctionsappraisers.com or 860-793-0288.

Bodnar’s Sees Victory For Giant-Size X-Men

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — In Bodnar’s Auction’s February 27 Estate Comics auction, the firm offered 300 lots spanning the past 75 years of comic publications. Marvel’s Giant-Size X-Men #1 led the sale at $2,596 ($2/4,000). Featuring the first appearance of Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Thunderbird as well as the introduction of Krakoa, The Living Island, this issue was graded “fine” and sold to a buyer from Michigan. For information, www.bodnarsauction.com or 732-210-6388.

Bakker Bidders Push Moffett Oil Painting To The Top

PROVINCETOWN, MASS. — Bakker Auctions’ March 1 Winter Live Online Auction featured 160 lots of primarily fine art, with some furniture, decorative arts and ephemera included as well. Achieving $11,520, the highest price of the sale, was Ross Moffett’s (American, 1888-1971) oil on panel “Figures on the Dock.” Director Spencer Keasey shared, “Purchased by an online bidder, this quintessential Ross Moffett from the Estate of Alice Brock (who was forever immortalized by Arlo Guthrie in his 1967 song and debut album of the same title, “Alice’s Restaurant,”) will be staying in Provincetown as a part of a local collection.” For information, www.bakkerproject.com or 508-413-9758.

Schultz Sees An Unexpected Finish For Dove’s Watercolor

CLARENCE, N.Y. — Between February 27 and March 3, Schultz Auctioneers conducted three days of auctions spanning a variety of categories such as art, rugs, lamps, militaria, advertising, trains, stamps, furniture and toys. Achieving the highest price out of nearly 1,815 lots was a watercolor by Arthur G. Dove (American, 1880-1946), which sold on the first day. “From The Pier,” done in 1937, was purchased in house by a local collector for $34,800, well above its $4,000 high estimate. For information, www.schultzauctioneers.net or 716-407-3125.

Nineteenth Century Pennsylvania Chairs Paint Winning Picture At Copake

COPAKE, N.Y. — Copake Auction rang in the month of March with its Estate Auction, which offered just shy of 900 lots of fresh-to-the-market items from a variety of estates, including, among others, fine art, decorative items, lighting, ceramics, primitives, rugs, textiles and furniture from the Eighteenth Century through the modern day. The sale was led by a set of six Pennsylvania paint decorated chairs from the Nineteenth Century, which was bid to $2,400, surpassing their $200/300 estimate by more than nine times. For information, 518-641-1935 or www.copakeauction.com.

Abell Dons White Glove, Drives Mullin Automotive Collection To $500K+

OXNARD, CALIF. — A 331-lot sale, conducted by Abell Auction at the Mullin Museum on March 4, found buyers for all lots and accumulated more than $500,000. In first place at $50,000, was a life sized (149-inch) Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix bronze sculpture by Francois Chevalier (French, b 1942) that the Mullin Museum had acquired from the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tenn. It sold to a new client and private San Diego buyer, well ahead of its $3/4,000 estimate. For information, 310-858-3073 or www.abell.com.

Wiseman Estate ‘Ecce Homo’ Brings $12,500 In Unreserved Hudson Valley Auction

BEACON, N.Y. — Antiques from the estate of Larry Wiseman, with select additions from other sellers, made up the approximately 600-lot sale at Hudson Valley Auctioneers on March 3. Gustave Dore’s oil on linen “Ecce Homo,” which depicted Christ wearing a crown of thorns, realized $12,500, the sale’s highest price. Wiseman had purchased it 1947, at an unrestricted public sale in Manhattan. For information, 845-831-6800 or www.hudsonvalleyauctioneers.com.

No Spoilers! Spoilum Portrait Leads New England Auctions’ Matz China Trade Sale

BRANFORD, CONN. — Rarity and provenance were among the driving factors behind the $47,500 result of a circa 1790 portrait of an East India Co., sea captain by Spoilum (Guan Zuolin) (fl 1774-1805), who is considered the most significant Chinese portrait artist of the late Eighteenth Century. Published by both Martyn Gregory and Carl Crossman, the 17¼-by-13¾-inch oil and gold pigment on canvas portrait, that retained its original stretchers and Chinese frame, led the nearly 400-lot early Colonial India and China Trade collection of Marc J. Matz, which New England Auctions sold on March 5. For information, 475-234-5120 or www.newenglandauctions.com.

Antique Hafis Watch Strikes Winning Hour At SJD Auctions

AMENIA, N.Y. — On March 4, SJD Auctions conducted its Antiques & Collectibles Auction, offering 400 lots of fine jewelry, watches, art glass, silver, fine art, clocks and studio pottery, among others. An antique Hafis 18K white gold watch ticked to the highest price after 36 back and forth bids. It was stamped “18K gold” inside of its case and had decorative Arabic numerals on its face, unlike the usual Roman numerals found on many watch faces. The watch came without its band and was marked in catalog notes as “for parts and repair.” Despite this, the watch led the show at $432. For information, 845-489-7408 or www.auctionninja.com/sjd-auctions.