An unusual pull-out tray was one of the distinctive features of this Eighteenth Century Philadelphia walnut desk-and-bookcase, which had known provenance and publication history. A Philadelphia buyer won it for $11,070 ($4/8,000).
Review by Madelia Hickman Ring; Photos Courtesy D.L. Straight Auctioneers
STURBRIDGE, MASS. — Nearly 90 percent of the 553 lots David Straight presented in D.L. Straight Auctioneer’s Thanksgiving Weekend Sale on November 25 gaveled down successfully, giving him one more reason to be thankful. Americana was the theme of the annual event and prices were strong across the board.
“It was a really good sale, the timing was great. All of the good items sold,” David Straight confirmed after the sale ended.
At the top of the auction with an above-estimate result of $11,070 was an Eighteenth Century Chippendale desk and bookcase from Philadelphia. The piece checked both the provenance and publication boxes, having been for more than 40 years in a Virginia private collection that had acquired it from Philip Bradley Antiques as well as published in The Magazine Antiques. Straight confirmed it was purchased by a buyer in Philadelphia who had been bidding on the phone.
Furniture from New England was in plentiful supply, led at $1,408 by an early Eighteenth Century paint-decorated high chest attributed to Charles Gillam of Saybrook, Conn., based on similarities to a high chest by Gillam in the collection of Winterthur Museum, Library & Garden in Wilmington, Del. Sourced from a Connecticut collection, the online buyer who was bidding on it will be taking it to Virginia.
A within-estimate result was achieved for this Connecticut Chippendale cherry wood bonnet top chest on chest with original brasses that sold for $1,408 and will be staying in Massachusetts ($1/2,000).
For buyers who like Connecticut furniture but prefer a later aesthetic or more original condition, a Chippendale bonnet-top cherry chest on chest featured its original brass pulls. It came from a New Hampshire estate and sold within estimate, to an online buyer in Massachusetts for $1,408
The vibrant grain painting and original brasses were undoubtedly the desirable elements of an Eighteenth Century New England blanket chest with one drawer. Standing 33 inches tall, the chest measured 39 inches wide and soared past its estimate to $1,088 and will be going to a new home in Ohio. Straight noted it came from the same seller as the one who sold the Saybrook high chest.
Paint decoration was also part of the charm of a bookcase with detailed grillwork and faux painted curtains. Exhibiting cream exterior paint and a blue-painted interior, it more than tripled expectations and will be staying in Massachusetts, purchased by an online bidder there for $1,280.
Conversely, the lack of paint was part of the charm of an Eighteenth Century cantback cupboard with massive rosehead nails that was described as “in original attic surface” and cataloged as “rare.” Straight said the canted back was rare, and it was unusual for such cabinets to have never been painted. Discovered in Connecticut, it brought the second highest price of the day, $2,560 and will be going to a new home in Vermont.
Original “attic surface” and rarity of form were among the desirable features of this Eighteenth Century cupboard constructed with a canted back and rose head nails. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether its new Vermont owner — who paid $2,560 for it and the second highest price of the sale — will put it in an attic ($1/2,000).
Things other than furniture also attracted top prices. Earning the third highest price of the day at $2,048 and selling within estimate was a double-sided Sailor’s Valentine that read “Forget Me Not” on one side.
Fine art comprised about one-tenth of the sale, the majority of which were paintings. Leading the category with a $1,408 result was an expansive landscape that depicted a river waterfall and cliff that measured 35 by 49 inches and was cataloged as “in the manner of Albert Bierstadt.” It will grace the wall in the New Jersey home of its new owner.
David Straight said he would be having a sale at the end of December or early January, at the auction house’s new showroom in Sturbridge.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.dlstraightauctioneers.com or 508-769-5404.
