The sale’s top lot was “Woodland Peace” by John Fabian Carlson, an oil on canvas that brought $11,400. The only evidence of civilization is seen in the footprints in the snow.
ELGIN, ILL. – At 725 lots, Bunte Auction Services’ August 1 sale was an all-day affair as it sold off the decorative and fine arts and collectibles of area estates.
Fine art was led by a peaceful and quintessential scene from John Fabian Carlson (1875-1947) at $11,400. The academic painter’s snowscape, “Woodland Peace,” was typical for the artist as it depicted a footpath leading through the snowy woods, the fresh prints representing the only hint of a human presence in the wild landscape. The oil on canvas measured 25¼ by 32¼ inches. Behind at $6,000 was a landscape by Hudson River School artist Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880), which measured 30 by 55 inches. The atmospheric work centered on a large river flowing down a falls in the distance with a mountain rising in the back. The work was lined and restretched with professional paint stabilization and tear restorations and had sold at Ivey-Selkirk in a 2007 sale.
Twenty rugs were found in the sale and ranged from $36 to $8,750. Eight examples sold for four figures. The top result was notable for its size, a monumental palace-size example that measured 29 feet 3 inches by 15 feet 1 inch. It inspired 17 bids and sold to an internet bidder. Selling for $3,360 was a more manageable example that measured 24 feet 4 inches by 13 feet 8 inches. The auction house did not identify the regions where these rugs were made.
Palace-sized, this carpet measured 29 feet 3 inches by 15 feet 1 inch. It sold for $8,750.
Chinoiserie or Asian-influenced furniture brought together the old and new. The latter was found with top results for coffee tables by Philip and Kelvin Laverne, their acid-etched bronze platforms finding active online bidding. At $8,750 was a “Spring Festival” coffee table with pewter inlay depicting figures in a central square, some selling things while others are seen dancing or walking about. It measured 53 inches long and 16 inches high. The other was a quieter scene of 60½ inches length and of the same medium, depicting a waterside village with figures in boats and others on the shoreline. It sold for $8,125.
The Laverne tables no doubt took their inspiration from the earlier chinoiserie style applied to classical furniture in lacquer and polychrome. Seen here was a French chinoiserie sideboard with marble top and bronze mounts, the four doors on the front decorated with carved traditional low-relief scenes of life in the country. The sideboard, 84-3/8 inches long, sold for $2,750. To match it was a pair of French marble top console tables with bronze paw feet that sold for $4,375. A similar Nineteenth Century occasional table with a lacquered top featuring a Japanese scene went out at $2,000.
Other objects originating in Asia produced some sleeper results. Finishing at $8,400 was a porcelain vase in a black and relief molding, giving it the look of an archaistic bronze. Only 6½ inches tall, the vase had animal head-form handles and a central mask to the body. “Yung Cheng” was written to a label in the bottom, implying that at least one person believed it dated to the period of 1725-35. Selling for $5,000 was a 24-inch-high Chinese enameled porcelain vase with figures in a garden scene. It had been converted to a lamp with a drilled base but was in otherwise fine condition.
All prices reported include buyer’s premium. For information, www.bunteauction.com or 847-214-8423.
