This oil on wooden panel painting of a Native American, artist unknown, Twentieth Century, 26½ by 21½ inches framed, earned the highest price of the sale at $14,605 ($200/300).
Review by Kiersten Busch
COPAKE, N.Y. — Copake Auction’s May 29-30 Estate Auction featured more than 1,000 lots of estate-fresh merchandise in a variety of categories over the course of its two days. With a 99 percent sell-through rate, the sale totaled $300,000, garnering a very positive reaction from manager Seth Fallon. It was a “tremendous sale,” he explained, “Both days were very strong, with a lot of action. There were lots of in-house bidders, phone bidders and thousands of pre-bids. The internet was also very strong. We are very grateful!”
Finishing with top-lot status at $14,605 was an oil on wooden panel painting of a Native American, which made close to 50 times its $200/300 estimate on day one. Painted in the Twentieth Century by an unknown artist, the work measured 26½ by 21½ in its frame.
Fine art continued to be popular with bidders on the first day of the sale, with the second-highest price of the day going to an oil on canvas portrait of a red-haired woman by Ivan Gregorewitch Olinsky. The work was signed and dated “1916” to its top left corner and bore a Dallas Museum of Art label on its reverse. Despite a conservative $800-$1,200 estimate, the painting sat pretty for $10,795. Olinsky was represented by three more oil paintings on day one: a harborscape with labels for The University of Connecticut and Bonhams on its reverse ($4,445), a portrait of a woman in a red robe ($826) and a portrait of a nude woman ($762).
Ivan Gregorewitch Olinsky’s (1878-1962) oil on canvas portrait of a red-haired woman, 1916, 37½ by 33½ inches framed, had provenance to the Dallas Museum of Art and led a selection of the artist’s works at $10,795 ($800-$1,200).
Bidders took “Cronies,” a pencil-signed aquatint by Martin Lewis, to more than 35 times its $100/150 estimate, finishing at $5,398. Also above estimate was an oil on canvas by ship portraitist Antonio Nicolo Gasparo Jacobsen of a vessel named New York. Signed “LLC” to connotate the year 1903, the work sailed to $4,445.
Day one also saw several lots of Tiffany items cross the block. Heading the selection was a Tiffany & Company presentation knife, which slashed down its $800-$1,200 estimate to make $5,398. The 17-inch-long knifewas inscribed, “Camp Alexis Red Willow Creek 1872” and information that accompanied the knife attributed it to the visit of the Grand Duke Alexis and a buffalo hunt guided by Buffalo Bill, according to catalog notes. Following behind at $4,128 was a Tiffany & Company sterling silver smoking tray, which included six ash trays and a lighter, and weighed 1,616 grams in total.
Furniture was also popular on the first day, led by an Italian marble-top bistro table with a wrought iron and brass base, which earned $2,159. Additional pieces that excelled included an Eighteenth Century Queen Anne flip top desk with a single drawer ($1,778), a Nineteenth Century Hudson Valley apothecary cabinet in blue paint ($1,651), a Nineteenth Century two-door pie safe with punched tin panels and slate gray paint ($1,207), an early Nineteenth Century tiger maple corner cupboard with two paneled doors ($1,207) and a Nineteenth Century stepback cupboard in green paint with an open segmented top ($1,207).
This lot of Christmas and Halloween collectibles included pottery and plastic figurines, ornaments, a mobile and a star to top a tree, among others. Far surpassing its $25/50 estimate, the lot earned a festive $8,890.
Vintage Christmas and Halloween items ruled the roost on day two, with a large lot of holiday collectibles earning $8,890 to lead the day, leaving its $25/50 estimate in the dust. The lot included collectible pottery Santa Claus figurines by Holt Howard, plastic Santa figurines, Shiny Brite Christmas tree ornaments, a tabletop mobile, a Noma Glo-Star and nine plastic Halloween figures, just in case bidders wanted some variety. Also in the category were two 12-inch Belsnickle Santa Claus figures, which sold separately for $2,540 and $1,905, respectively.
A lot of solely vintage Halloween was the third highest price of the second day, besting its $50/75 estimate to make $3,175. The six-piece lot included two pumpkin-head candy containers, a bobblehead cat, a bisque figurine, a witch bottle and a cardboard lantern.
Art on day two was led by “Man with cigarette 1941” by Mark Tobey. The ink drawing had provenance to Otto Seligman Gallery and realized $1,905 when the smoke cleared. It was followed at $1,270 by Raymond Booth’s 1997 tricolor work “Camellia Japonica,” which was exhibited at the Fine Arts Society’s exhibition titled “Raymond Booth Recent Works 1990-2000.” Also doing well were “Borghetto,” a lithograph by William Bailey ($1,207) and George Luks’ charcoal drawing titled “Passerby,” which had provenance to the Rex Evans Gallery ($953).
Heading to a new home overseas with a London buyer was this set of Edward Gibbon’s Roman Empire, volumes one through six, 1791, which were shelved for $6,350 ($200/400).
Several other miscellaneous lots sold well on the second day, including a collection of Edward Gibbon’s Roman Empire, volumes one through six, which were published in 1791. Fallon shared that the books went to a London buyer for more than 15 times the high end of their $200/400 estimate at $6,350. Bidders were also attracted to a 34-inch-long early polychrome painted wooden barber pole which realized $2,540, a Nineteenth Century New York Stoneware Company three-gallon decorated crock marked “Charles” that filled up for $1,524 and a Native American rug vest with American flag and bald eagle details which was donned for $1,270.
Copake’s next estate auction will be on July 18. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 518-641-1935 or www.copakeauction.com.
