Bringing the top price in the sale was this carved spinach jade and porcelain standish with porcelain inkwells with carved agate bird finials; it attracted 35 bids and closed at $41,480 ($500/700).
Review by Madelia Hickman Ring, Photos Courtesy Butterscotch Auction
BEDFORD VILLAGE, N.Y. – Butterscotch Auction’s March 29 “Spring Estates” sale featured 667 lots, including couture and collectibles from Bedford resident and actress, Glenn Close. With the New York State “shelter in place” order in effect, the sale was conducted online, with 66 percent of the sale finding buyers.
Speaking after the sale, Alexander Fonarow said, “Thanks to a healthy investment in our IT systems last year, Butterscotch was able to safely and securely conduct our March 29th auction. Contrary to what one might think, the online-only platform actually slows the sale considerably and our auctioneers and clerks worked for 12 hours to get through our 650-plus lots. We enjoyed strong results in American and Chinese art, our collections of jade, and – to little surprise – gold!”
Chinese works of art figured prominently in the sale’s top results, most notably a carved spinach jade and porcelain standish with painted porcelain inkwells with carved agate bird finials. From the collection of a Greenwich, Conn., lady, the standish surpassed expectations to bring $41,480. Other notable Chinese works of art included the third highest price in the sale – $19,520 – for a modern landscape of Mount Guo by Xie Zhiliu (Chinese, 1910-1997). Continuing the market desire for jade, an apple green carved jade figure brought $10,370, and a blue-green jade Quan Yin tripled its high estimate to sell for $7,320. Both were from the Philadelphia collection of Chinese jades noted above.
American and European art was also popular, with Laurence Campbell’s “Ben Franklin Bridge” achieving $23,180, the second highest price in the sale and squarely within its estimate range. A watercolor on paper picture titled “Swiss Guard at Fontainbleau” by Eugene Delacroix (French, 1798-1863) received 11 bids and sold for $14,640.
All prices quoted include buyer’s premium as quoted by the auction house. For additional information, 914-764-4609 or www.butterscotchauction.com.
