The top lot of the auction was this rare Mahantongo Valley, Penn., painted poplar blanket chest in a small size, which attained $292,100.
Review by Andrea Valluzzo
DOWNINGTOWN, PENN. — Pook & Pook Inc., Auctioneers and Appraisers’ January 14-16 Americana auction — its first of the year — was one for the books. By the numbers, the auction doubled its high estimate, achieving $3.56 million in sales overall and boasted a 99 percent sell-through rate. Only seven of the 990 lots offered failed to find a new home.
“We were extremely pleased with the outstanding results of the sale,” said vice president Jamie Shearer. “It felt like old-time results delivered through modern technologies.”
Day one saw an especially high number of active in-house bidders, more than typically seen in today’s technology-driven market. Phone and online bidders contested many of the lots though, with the phones picking up many of the upper-tier items. “The strong prices realized across a wide range of material reflect both the quality of the consignments and the continued confidence collectors have in the Americana market as a whole,” Shearer remarked.
The auction started off on a high note, with the first lot across the block setting the tone for how furniture — and the auction overall — would perform. A choice New Hampshire stained maple tall chest sold above estimate to bring $30,480. The circa 1800 chest, attributed to Samuel Dunlap (1752-1830) of Salisbury, N.H., had a flower molded base and short cabriole legs with pad feet. It was in an excellent state of preservation with its original red surface and stamped oval brasses. A closely related five-drawer chest signed by Dunlap is in the Mabel Brady Garvan collection at Yale University.
Rarely seen today, this Philadelphia Chippendale mahogany pie crust tea table, attributed to the Garvan carver, made $139,700.
About a half-hour into the sale, a rare and diminutive Mahantongo Valley, Penn., painted poplar blanket chest, circa 1840, with allover green ground having potato stamp borders, crossed the block. The pleasing decoration included a large sprig of flowers with birds on the front panel and praying figures on side panels. The chest measured a mere 22 by 39 inches but brought a big price of $292,100. This piece was well known, as it had been exhibited in museums and was a standout from the collection of the late Grant H. Griswold of Raphine, Va., who had a keen eye for Americana. Many of the best-selling lots in the three-day auction came out of his collection.
“The Mahantongo blanket chest did very well for several reasons,” Shearer added. “I think it was bolstered by the previous sale result of the slant-front desk selling in October, which showed market resilience for top end Pennsylvania Germanic material.” Also contributing to its desirability were the scarcity of the form, with only a handful of blanket chests known in public hands, and that there were no apologies for the condition.
The parade of exceptional furniture continued across the block with a Philadelphia Chippendale mahogany pie crust tea table, conservatively estimated at $8/12,000, that attained $139,700. Attributed to the Colonial-era Garvan carver, the circa 1765 table base featured a top made from an early bench-made replacement. Coming out of an estate in West Virginia, it’s “almost unheard of to have a Garvan carver be presented in the auction world today,” Shearer noted. One can only speculate how much it would have brought had it retained its original top. The record for the tea table form stands with a Garvan carver example that sold at Christie’s in 2007 for $6.7 million.
This Peter Stretch Queen Anne walnut tall case clock ticked off a winning bid of $60,960.
Also performing well was a Peter Stretch (Philadelphia) Queen Anne walnut tall case clock that bested its $12/16,000 estimate to achieve $60,960. Coming out of a York, Penn., collection, the clock had eight-day works with a brass face signed by the maker and stood 108 inches tall. A Pennsylvania painted poplar dower chest from the Griswold collection, dated to the late Eighteenth Century and probably Centre County, earned $40,640. It was lavishly decorated with blue and white pinwheels and florets on a red ground and measured 25½ inches tall by 45¾ inches wide.
A Berks County, Penn., painted pine dower chest, retaining its original decoration with potted tulips on ivory panels with blue surround and heart corner ($8/12,000) made $33,020. Dated to 1794, it was inscribed “Margaretha __, s,” and measured 24 by 47½ inches.
The Griswold collection continued to yield a wide range of standouts in various forms. Chief among them was portraiture. Five portraits by Ruth Henshaw Bascom (American, 1772-1848) all sold to one very determined bidder on the phone, who drove much of the bidding at the auction, picking up a large selection of choice pieces. The Bascom grouping was led at $107,950 by an 1840 pastel profile portrait of Cynthia Allen (b 1823) of Fitzwilliam, N.H.
Several profile portraits by Ruth Henshaw Bascom crossed the block, led by this pastel profile portrait of Cynthia Allen (b 1823) of Fitzwilliam, N.H., that outperformed its $8/12,000 estimate to sell for $107,950.
Not surprisingly given his eye for folky portraits, the above buyer also snapped up, for $69,850, a desirable pair of Rufus Porter (American, 1792-1884) miniature watercolor portraits of a young couple, Franklin and Julie Hills, which also hailed from the Griswold collection. Julia was 18 when Porter made the portraits in 1855. “Strong interest was driven by several factors, including the distinguished ‘who’s who’ provenance, the identification of the sitters and the more appealing straight-on portrait format, as opposed to the more typical side-profile view,” Shearer said.
Buyers love miniature portraits, especially in multiples. Also flying high over estimate was a set of three miniature portraits by James Sanford Ellsworth (American 1802-1873), going out at $40,640. They depicted Mr and Mrs Hutchinson and their son George of Greenfield, Mass., and were dated 1851.
Another pair of portraits, this time oils on panel, also came out of the Griswold collection. Attributed to Jasper Miles (Pennsylvania, 1782-1849) and selling for $50,800, the portraits were of Rachel and Philip Green. Rachel was shown seated in a painted chair holding a red book while Philip was pictured in a dark blue jacket and holding a book.
This painted cast iron full bodied pig doorstop, early Twentieth Century, went out at $10,795, far above its $400/600 estimate.
A double portrait in ink and watercolor by Joseph H. Davis (American, 1811-1865) more than quadrupled its high estimate to bring $48,260. Depicting Thomas and Sally Demeritt of Northwood, N.H., in 1836, the portraits traced their provenance to such well-known names in the Americana field as Mrs Albert Boni; Betty Sterling of Randolph, Vt.; Ralph Esmerian of New York City; dealer David A. Schorsch; Barry Cohen of New York City; and, most recently, Griswold.
Watercolor portraits by Jacob Maentel (American, 1763-1863) are highly sought after, and from the Griswold collection came an example showing a woman holding a book that went well past its $4/7,000 estimate to sell for $30,480.
Much of the material on offer had Pennsylvania ties, but Connecticut was also well represented in the Griswold collection. One such piece was a painted pine spoon rack that elicited bidding battles. Selling above its $10/12,000 estimate at $101,600, the mid Eighteenth Century rack had allover stylized pinwheel designs and held onto its early dark red surface. Like most of the other items from the Griswold collection, this spoon rack had provenance through dealer David Schorsch.
This painted overmantel panel attributed to Winthrop Chandler of a landscape with small house and figures realized $50,800.
Selling just over its high estimate at $50,800 was an exuberantly painted overmantel panel, 19 by 57¾ inches, attributed to Winthrop Chandler (Connecticut, 1747-1790), which depicted a landscape with rolling hills, a small house and figures working outdoors.
Several examples of Pennsylvania Americana forms were in Griswold’s collection, and among the most charming and colorful were his toleware pieces. A small selection of pieces featured a Nineteenth Century Pennsylvania toleware coffeepot, which retained its original decoration against a bright red ground. The 10½-inch-tall piece made $40,640 and was attributed to the Oliver Filley shop of Philadelphia.
Shearer said that today’s auction arena is always full of surprises due to its inherent unpredictability. “As with any sale, some lots exceed expectations, others perform exactly as anticipated and there are inevitably a few disappointments,” he shared. “This auction, however, delivered far more ‘wow’ moments than expected. The true surprise was not that certain lots performed well, but just how exceptionally well they did.”
Rounding out the Griswold offerings were a late Nineteenth Century Kazak carpet at $35,560 and a Lancaster County ink and watercolor fraktur birth certificate from 1820 for Susana Harnisch at $30,480. Another work by this artist is illustrated in the Pennsylvania German fraktur collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
This Lancaster County ink and watercolor fraktur birth certificate for Susana Harnisch performed solidly in this sale at $30,480.
The second day didn’t have such soaring prices but had a wealth of good material from various estates that attracted significant interest and performed solidly. Bringing the highest price in session two, a presentation stoneware beehive still bank earned $22,860. The Nineteenth Century bank, 5¾ inches tall, was attributed to Richard Remmey (Philadelphia) and had incised inscription, “Wilhemina Silber Oct 22nd 1873,” with profuse cobalt floral decoration.
Stoneware continued to appeal to buyers, and a scarce Nineteenth Century John Bell bottle brought $20,320. Stamped “John Bell Waynesboro,” the 8½-inch-tall bottle had unusual celadon tin glaze and lavish cobalt floral decoration.
Pennsylvania material was also liberally sprinkled in this session, ranging from a painted regimental drum, early to mid-Nineteenth Century, for $15,240, to a large Philadelphia Revolutionary War-era stained powder horn, inscribed “B. Leids 1781,” with profuse scroll decoration, that took $8,890.
As in the first session, watercolor portraits were in high demand, led by a pair of watercolor and hollowcut silhouettes of a man and woman by Ezra Wood, known as the Puffy Sleeve Artist. Selling for $12,700, the portraits depicted the woman holding a floral sprig, and the gentleman with an umbrella. A watercolor and gouache farm scene on a summer’s day from 1968 by Hattie K. Brunner took $11,430.
Rounding out the auction on day three were a far-ranging selection, including an English Tudor brass candlestick, mid-Sixteenth Century, in the chalice and paten form ($25,400), and a large trophy narwhal tusk, 82 inches long ($20,320).
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Pook & Pook’s next auction will be an online-only decorative arts sale starting February 18.
For information, www.pookandpook.com or 610-269-4040.
