These two Japanese woodblock prints by Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849), 14 by 20 inches framed, were the top selling lot of the day, realizing $5,400 ($75-$100).
Review by Kiersten Busch
COPAKE, N.Y. — On May 18, Copake Auction conducted a 782-lot estate auction, which included Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century furniture, artwork, folk art, period accessories, china, glass, stoneware, Toby mugs, banks and toys, among other categories. The sale realized $150,000 with a sell-through rate of 98 percent.
“The sale was great,” reported Seth Fallon, one of Copake’s owners. “We had approximately 2,000 registered bidders with almost 2,000 bids left presale. We sold to almost 500 different bidders.” Bidders flocked to the sale from five different countries and 30 different states.
Two Japanese woodblock prints led the day, realizing $5,400 against a $75-$100 estimate. Both prints — one of which was “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” — were by Edo period painter and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai and both measured 14 by 20 inches framed. Copake acquired them from a storage unit in Connecticut, and they previously descended through a single family. “We were very surprised about the Japanese prints,” explained Fallon. “We have sold lots of prints over the years, but obviously these gathered quite a bit of interest.”
“Spindletop Bar Restaurant” by Richard Wood (1952-2009), oil on canvas, 48 by 70 inches framed, exchanged hands for $2,040 ($200/300).
A painting that also exceeded expectations was “Spindletop Bar Restaurant” by American artist Richard Wood. The oil on canvas painting, which depicted the front of the aforementioned establishment and the businesses surrounding it on either side, measured 48 by 70 inches framed. It came to Copake from the Connecticut estate of a longtime customer of the auction house and traded hands for $2,040, significantly higher than its estimate.
Another notable art piece was a studio pottery sculpture, which measured 35½ inches in height. It was delivered to the auction house by a local homeowner who was moving out of the area. The multicolored, earthy-toned sculpture was estimated at $75-$100, but finished at $3,600, tying for the second highest selling lot of the day.
The other lot also selling for $3,600 was a weathervane in the shape of a horse and rider from a local estate of a folk art collector. It just surpassed its high estimate of $3,500. The weathervane included its base and measured 24 inches in height.
This pair of wicker chairs went for $1,920 ($150/200).
Furniture also did well in the sale, with a pair of wicker chairs with leaf-patterned cushions selling for nearly 10 times their high estimate, at $1,920. The chairs came to the auction house from longtime customers from New Jersey, who recently sold their home.
For almost five times its high estimate, an early English carved oak dining table, originally from a New York City apartment, attracted attention from bidders. It had a stretcher base, and the top was removeable for easier transport. The table measured 32 inches in height and sold for $1,800.
A mixed bag of items did well in a miscellaneous lot, crossing the block for $2,400. The lot included a corn-form pitcher, some Rockingham glaze pitchers, a Nineteenth Century rabbit plate, an insulator, a cast iron frog bookend and an early chess set in original slide lid box. The chess set was labeled The Staunton Chess-Men and originated from London. This diverse lot came from the same Connecticut estate as the Wood painting.
This 12½-inch-long cast iron Arcade Mack truck marked “Webaco Oil Co. / Webaco Fuel Oil” sold for $2,760, more than three times its high estimate ($600/800).
An Arcade Mack truck, estimated $600/800 exceeded expectations, realizing $2,760. It was made from cast iron and had “Webaco Oil Co. / Webaco Fuel Oil” on its sides. The truck came from a Massachusetts collector who was looking to sell part of his collection.
Copake Auction Inc. will hold their next estate sale on July 6.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.copakeauction.com or 518-641-1935.
