WILMINGTON, DEL. — On December 14, Ford Art Auctions offered a curated selection of fine art, antiques and decorative accessories to eager bidders. Coming to the block with an estimate of $250/300,000, a 19 by 25½-inch romantic oil on canvas by Ivan Konstantinovitch Aivazovsky (1817-1900) of French ships departing the Black Sea was highly regarded and sought after. Strong bidding sent the final price to $569,000. While the Aivazovsky was the top lot, it was followed closely by a Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) that more than quadrupled its $80,000 high estimate to sell at $335,000; a self portrait by German artist Bahram Hajou (b 1952) sold at $137,000. A full review of the sale will appear in a future issue. For more information, www.fordartauctions.com or 800-659-2094.
