An Eighteenth Century slant top red mulberry William and Mary desk sold for $9,375, the top lot in the sale. With a unique construction primarily of red mulberry, the desk was believed to have been made between 1700 and 1710 based on the rings on its side panels. Its ornate interior included six pigeonholes, eight dovetailed drawers, brass knobs and other intricate architectural details.
Review by W.A. Demers; Photos Courtesy Blue Box Auction Gallery
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. — Blue Box Gallery opened up a treasure trove for antiques enthusiasts on October 19, presenting a range of items in its Antique Autumn Showcase, a live, in-person and simulcast online auction. Topping the list of treasures was an Eighteenth Century slant top red mulberry William and Mary Desk, described as one of the finest Southern antiques ever discovered. It sold for $9,375. Two identification services confirmed its unique construction primarily of red mulberry, a wood native to eastern and central North America. The desk, estimated to hail from the period between 1700 and 1710 based on the rings on its side panels, boasted a detailed and ornate interior design. This included six pigeonholes, eight dovetailed drawers, brass knobs and other intricate architectural details that testify to the artistry and craftsmanship of its era.
Material for this sale included a diverse collection of a retired Cornell professor. His collecting ardor was acquired when he was young by his grandmother, who took him to museums and nurtured in him an appreciation for timeless artifacts and historic residences. This auction was his attempt to ignite a similar ardor in the next generation of collectors.
An Eighteenth Century American wing chair sold for $4,200. The piece was reportedly attributed to Boston with Honduras mahogany and American sycamore. The chair featured a serpentine crest, shaped wings, horizontally rolled arms and four identical carved mahogany cabriole legs with shell knees ending in ball and claw feet with a turned stretcher. The back and one side of the chair were open to show the original hardwood. The rest of the chair was in yellow damask upholstery. Catalog notes surmised the chair to be attributed to Benjamin Frothingham of Boston due to the characteristics of its craftsmanship. The chair measured approximately 23½ inches long, 30 inches wide by 46 inches tall.
An Eighteenth Century American wing chair, reportedly attributed to a Boston maker, sold for $4,200. The piece featured Honduras mahogany and American sycamore.
Another historical piece of seating was a Federal mahogany lolling chair, which brought a within-estimate price of $2,340. Done in the style of Joseph Short, Newburyport, Mass., the chair was made of mahogany with scrolled arms with curved supports, slightly tapered back legs and square molded carved front legs on a stretcher base, in white upholstery. The chair measured 23¼ inches long by 22½ inches wide by 44¾ inches tall.
Sculpture in the sale was led by an Italian marble statue of “Rebecca at the Well,” circa 1880. From northern Italy and in mint condition, the statue bore no maker’s mark on the bottom. It measured 10¾ by 9 by 35¾ inches and realized $1,650.
A stoneware highlight came in the form of a Seventeenth Century Westerwald tankard selling for $1,140. The antique tankard featured a black pewter lid and a globular body with incised floral motifs. The tankard measured 8 inches long by 7 inches deep by 11¼ inches tall.
Fetching $420 was an antique flintlock pistol with brass and silver tone inlays.
Civil War material collectors vied for a lot comprising a Civil War Virginia CSA 49th Regiment brass buckle and bullets. The buckle was of unknown origin and from a private collection. The lot went out at $510.
Fetching $420 was an antique flintlock pistol with brass and silver tone inlays. Its maker’s mark was illegible.
A hand-painted young lady’s academy document box from the Dunbar Female Institute, Winchester, Va., circa 1830, found favor at $360. The outside of the domed box was painted black with floral depictions and the inside was painted red. The contents of the box included a handkerchief and a small piece of paper with the Dunbar Female Institute letterhead with The Fortune Teller handwritten in cursive and a small handwritten list on the opposite side. The box measured 10 inches long by 5 -1/8 inches deep by 5-1/8 inches tall.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, www.blueboxauction.com or 757-550-0285.
