The sale’s highest-earning lot, at $30,480, was “Seated Female Figure” by Heung Sou Kim (South Korean, 1919-2014), oil on canvas, 40 by 32½ inches framed ($15/25,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
BEDFORD, N.Y. — Butterscotch Auction conducted its Summer Estates auction on July 21, presenting 587 lots sourced from local estates and collections. Fine and decorative arts led the sale, but silver, books, Asian art, jewelry and rugs were also well-represented in the offerings. Olivia Tornick, marketing manager and office administrator, shared, “We are very happy with the results — the sale did well. We had a complete mix of domestic and overseas bidders, and most items were sold online but we did have some in-person buyers. Some items sold to dealers and galleries, but a lot sold to private collectors.” Additionally, Tornick mentioned, “A lot of female artists were represented among the top lots in this sale. Recently, there has been a trend toward — or an interest in — works by women.” Another notable pattern included regionally significant works returning to their places of origin.
The top lot in the sale, “Seated Female Figure” by South Korean artist Kim Heung Sou, exemplified the latter. Exceeding its $25,000 high estimate, the oil painting was purchased by a buyer located in South Korea for $30,480. Sometimes called “Picasso of Korea,” Heung Sou is known for his works featuring a blend of abstract and figural qualities, predominantly characterized by bold shades of red done with palate knife impasto. “Seated Female Figure” is no exception — the woman’s beige dress stands out against the bright red and dark blue background, though the artist’s textured layering shows blue, teal and orange details, almost resembling scratches, throughout the work. Housed in a wooden frame, the work was signed “Kim Sou” to the lower right.
Arnaldo Pomodoro’s (Italian, b 1926) 1985 sculpture, “Torre E Spirale, Studio I” made $29,280. The golden bronze work was signed and numbered “3/9” on the base and measured 17 inches tall and was 5½ inches in diameter at its widest point ($25/35,000).
Finishing right behind Heung Sou’s painting was “Torre E Spirale, Studio I” by Arnaldo Pomodoro, which made $29,280. Made in 1985, the golden bronze spiral sculpture was 17 inches tall and covered in raised hash mark or triangular details. Pomodoro created a similar spiral sculpture, titled “Novecento,” for a fountain in Rome in 2002. Signed at the base and numbered three of a limited series of nine, the piece had previously descended through a Harrison, N.Y., family. According to Tornick, Butterscotch had previously offered a pyramid-form sculpture by Pomodoro and the company attributed the success of that work to be the driving factor in this one’s consignment with them.
The leading work by a woman was “Portrait of a Woman” by Marie Laurencin (French, 1883–1956). The watercolor on paper portrait was signed to the lower right and was housed in a carved gilt frame. Though the frame was cracked at the bottom, bidders took the painting into its estimate range to finish at $11,430. The sitter, with light brown hair and dark eyes, wore a blue head covering with ribbons draping down over her shoulder. Around her neck was an elegant string of pearls.
Lila Cabot Perry’s “The Golfer” exceeded its estimates to hit $9,150. Tornick shared, “The artist was an American woman who was mentored by Claude Monet, and you can really see his influence in this piece.” The impressionist painting shows a golfer, in a dark blue kimono-style outfit, shielding her eyes from the sun and observing the course in front of her. Signed to the lower right, the oil on canvas work was housed in its original frame and descended through a prominent White Plains, N.Y., family before being sold at Sotheby’s New York in 2012.
“The Golfer” by Lila Cabot Perry (American, 1848-1933), oil on canvas, 37¾ by 31 inches, hit an ace at $9,150 ($7/9,000).
Other noteworthy paintings included Israeli artist Moshé Elazar Castel’s 1962 “Message Archaic,” a composition featuring a pinkish-red slab with Hebrew text against a black background. According to his artist biography published by The Castel Museum (Jerusalem), “In the 1950s and 60s, Castel developed a revolutionary style of abstract painting that incorporated Jewish symbols and biblical texts and began working with basalt as a creative material. His works from this period […] represent the deep connection he had with the land and Jewish heritage.” This symbolic work topped off at $7,620.
“Poppy Field” by Benjamin Chambers Brown, an oil on canvas landscape showing a field of orange California poppies with trees and mountains in the background, was bid to $5,750 — more than twice its high estimate. The work descended through a Greenwich, Conn., estate and was housed in a gilded wooden frame. Douglas Hofmann’s “The Ballerina” was accompanied by a copy of Douglas Hofmann: Light & Grace (Washington Green Fine Art Publishing, 2000) and went out at $5,080. The oil on panel painting featured a focal ballerina in a beaded black tutu with several other dancers visible in the background, including some reflected in a mirror along the back wall of the studio. In an ornate carved frame, the work came from the collection of a prominent New York doctor who purchased it directly from the artist.
“Villagescape with Figures” by Jean Hugo (French, 1894-1984), mixed media, 5 by 3¼ inches, soared past estimates to achieve $4,000 ($700/900).
A mixed-media painting that surprised Butterscotch was “Villagescape with Figures” by Jean Hugo. Estimated at just $700/900, the small scene was taken all the way to $4,000. Tornick said the work had a lot of interest ahead of the auction and that it was ultimately sold to a French buyer, taking it back to its place of origin.
Another “huge standout,” according to Tornick, was a pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain temple jars. The jars, with matching decoration, were painted with repeating images of traditionally dressed men, standing against a blossoming tree and bird background, holding large vases with tree and bird illustrations. Despite a high estimate of $2,000, the 40-inch-tall jars were hotly contested and finished at $9,375. Before reaching the auction block at Butterscotch, the jars descended through a noted local Bedford estate.
A notable result was that of a laboriously hand-colored etching of John Francis Renault’s “The British surrendering their Arms to Gen. Washington after their defeat in York Town in Virginia October 1781.” Bearing a high estimate of just $500, the work was bid all the way to $5,842. When asked what prompted such intense competition and interest, Tornick stated, “To the far left of the etching was a regally dressed Black man. This is highly unusual to see in scenes from the time. Other figures pictured include George Washington and his officers, all of whom have been identified by the Library of Congress.” While the high price the work achieved was something of a surprise, she noted that “It got a lot of interest ahead of time. It was very well colored, and you could tell that a lot of time and effort went into the work.”
An assorted collection of mostly Georgian and Victorian silver caddy spoons, 57 pieces in total, exceeded modest estimates to finish at $6,350 ($600/800).
The selection of silver in the sale was led by an assorted collection of primarily Georgian and Victorian spoons. Many of the collection were caddy spoons for measuring tea, though there were some others as well. The vast collection included many decorative forms such as leaves, shells, fruit, hands, flowers and fish. The collection, which realized $6,350, descended through a Greenwich, Conn., estate and totaled 20 troy ounces in weight.
As for furniture, a Pennsylvania Dutch cupboard claimed that category’s top prize. From the Eighteenth Century, the step-back cupboard was made of pine and had a yellow painted interior. Tornick shared that the piece came from an old local estate and sold to a local Westchester, N.Y., collector.
Several Persian rugs crossed the block at above- or within-estimate prices. The highest of these was an early Twentieth Century Heriz carpet, which made $5,588 against its estimated $2/4,000. With a predominantly red background, the rug, which descended through an Old Greenwich, Conn., family, was woven with medallions and flourishes in a “pleasing pastel palette,” noted the auction catalog. At $5,000 was a smaller late Nineteenth Century Serapi rug. This one descended through a Greenwich, Conn., estate and was in very good, unrestored condition barring its replaced selvedge. The deep red rug was accented by blue details and it had an interesting thin, cream-colored border with Farsi writing scrolled throughout. Another Serapi rug from the late Nineteenth Century, of classic design with an indigo medallion on a madder red ground with various blue and cream details, brought $4,318. This one came from a historic Stonington, Conn., home and was the smallest of these.
This early Twentieth Century Heriz carpet, 14 feet 5 inches by 10 feet 5 inches, went out at $5,588 ($2/4,000).
Achieving $4,148 was “A significant piece, made by the first piano makers in Boston right around the time of our country’s origin,” according to Tornick. The circa 1800s William & Adam Bent pianoforte had inlaid details and an oval nameboard that read, “W & A Bent / Musical – Instrument – Maker’s / No 26 Orange Street / Boston.” The nameboard was surrounded by painted floral scrolls, possibly done by John Ritto Penniman (1782-1841). Made with mahogany and holly wood, the Federal square pianoforte had a five-octave range and was sold with an Eighteenth Century volume of music.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.butterscotchauction.com or 914-764-4609.
