A private collector bidding online won this Buddhist Nanbokucho period Guardian statue carved from a single block of Zelkova wood. Selling for $11,400 and topping the sale, the carving had traces of gilt throughout and stood 38 inches high. The figure is one of a set of four carved to guard the entrance of a Buddhist temple, circa 1350. The consignor purchased the figure in Kyoto in the late 1990s from a closed temple.
Review by W.A. Demers
FREEPORT, MAINE — Andrew Davis conducted a diverse sale at Casco Bay Auctions on June 8, which grossed $120,000 with a 91 percent sell-through rate and 1,100 registered bidders on three online platforms.
Carved from a single block of Zelkova wood, a Buddhist Nanbokucho period Guardian statue rose to $11,400, topping the sale and going to a local private collector bidding online. With traces of gilt throughout the statue and standing 38 inches high, the figure was one of a set of four carved to guard the entrance of a Buddhist temple, circa 1350. The consignor purchased the figure from a closed temple in Kyoto in the late 1990s.
The first lot across the block was a Jose Formoso Reyes (1902-1980) Nantucket Friendship basket, selling for $2,640. With a carved whale on the lid, signed on base, the 6½-inch-high basket epitomized the purse form of the Nantucket basket that Reyes invented. The story of how these became known as Friendship Baskets is detailed in Paul Whitten’s book, Nantucket Baskets; “A number of years ago a Nantucket woman carrying her Reyes handbag while in Paris noticed a woman across the street carrying one as well and yelled out ‘Nantucket!’ The lady across the street was understandably startled and stopped to speak with the woman. That chance encounter resulted in a friendship that endures to this day.”
An antique Kuraja room-size carpet, circa 1925, 10 feet 11 inches by 8 feet 7 inches, jumped its $300/500 estimate to finish at $2,530.
An antique Kuraja room-size carpet, circa 1925, 10 feet 11 inches by 8 feet 7 inches, jumped its $300/500 estimate to finish at $2,530. Additionaly an antique Heriz room-size carpet, 10 feet 7 inches by 7 feet 11 inches, went out at $1,440.
An early Eighteenth Century New England pine candlestand in red paint featured a T-shaped base and threaded top. It measured 24½ inches high with a top that measured 18 by 12 inches. It was bid to $1,800.
A large New England pine hutch table elicited $1,560. With a height of 30 inches, top of 72 by 36 inches and base width of 56 inches, it had one drawer in the base. All in original red paint, it was deemed to be in a very good state of preservation.
George M. Hathaway’s “Paddlewheeler By Portland Head Light,” oil on board, 6 by 10¼ inches, signed lower left and housed in a period gilt frame, left the gallery at $1,560.
Fine art in the sale was highlighted by George M. Hathaway’s (1852-1903) “Paddlewheeler By Portland Head Light,” an oil on board, 6 by 10¼ inches, signed lower left. Housed in a period gilt frame, it left the gallery at $1,560. According to the online fine art database www.askArt.com,, Hathaway was active in Maine and the United Kingdom. He is known for coastal views, seascapes, lighthouses and marine subjects. A native New Englander, he was apparently self-taught. Hathaway’s paintings are included in the collections of the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Mariner’s Museum and the Kendall Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Mass.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. Next is the firm’s summer Americana sale, scheduled for Saturday, August 3. For information, 207-370-4592 or www.cascobayauctions.com.
