BRANFORD, CONN. — The Americana collections of Nancy & Gary Stass and Sally & Bill Gemmill headlined at New England Auctions on January 14-15. Selling on day one, the Stass collection was led by a pair of Sheldon Peck (1797-1868) folk art portraits depicting Lucinda Ann Houck and Ross Houck (shown). These 1849 oil on canvas portraits measured 29 by 23¾ inches each and brought $176,400 ($100/200,000). The Gemmill collection, on day two, was led by a circa 1900 pair of bronze horned owls. The pair once had glass eyes and electric wiring for illumination, though those were out of order at auction time. Still, bidders took the 38¾-inch-tall owls to $40,320 ($10/20,000). Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium; a complete review of the auction will run in a future issue.
