BOSTON – Five items, three paintings and two pieces of jewelry in Grogan’s May sale sold for more than $100,000 each. Paintings were strong with many selling well above estimates. Although there were three works by Grandma Moses, plus works by Ralph Cahoon, Helen Frankenthaler, Anne Packard and many other well-known artists, an outstanding pair of Nineteenth Century American school portraits by an unidentified artist sold for $406,250, the highest price of the day. The pair had impeccable provenance, first discovered in Philadelphia in 1959, then sold by Edith Halpert’s Downtown Gallery into the Garbisch collection, and later sold by David Schorsch.

One of the Grandma Moses paintings earned $150,000. The strong selection of jewelry was topped by a platinum Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring, descended in the du Pont family, which finished at $287,500.

The sale included a selection of American furniture, silver, clocks and Oriental rugs. A full report will follow.