Rose Hill Auction Gallery held one of its most successful art and antiques sales on November 19, to a full house, with standing room only, and a host of phone and absentee bidders “at the ready.”
Selling in somewhat chronological order, the auction began with Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century works that included assorted religious-themed paintings.
From the Seventeenth Century, a glowing nativity scene by a follower of Honthorst and a rare garlanded Adoration by a follower of Seghers had been in the consignor’s family since 1850, as had the beautifully chiaroscuro “Supper at Emmaus” by a follower of Caravaggio, which realized $14,625.
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century art was highlighted by a group of awe-inspiring landscapes. One was the landscape signed Corot but attributed to his French contemporary Paul Trouillebert, whose works were so similar to his mentor’s that early Nineteenth Century dealers erased his signature and added Corot, leaving it to future specialists to figure out who did what. The Trouillebert landscape brought a modest $4,387.
Everyone was excitedly awaiting Jasper Cropsey’s 1879 landscape, authenticated by the Cropsey Foundation and included in the upcoming catalogue raisonné. The luminous view of Greenwood Lake, N.Y., by one of the Hudson River School stars is only 93/8 by 14¾ inches, but it drew aggressive phone, absentee, online and on-site bidding, and was finally hammered down to the floor for $122,000.
Among other landscapes was a dramatic view of the Shoshone waterfalls by the Lake George artist John Henry Hill that made $22,230; a glorious 1886 forest view with figure by the German American Paul Weber that brought $15,210; and a handsome Italian alpine scene, signed de la Spee, which hit $8,775.
The Twentieth Century section of the sale showcased a collection of ravishing expressionistic Hayley Lever from his dealer, Clayton Liberatore. A rare large fruit still life brought $10,822, while the more typical and smaller local views, such as the Bronx River and New Jersey scenes, made $4,210 each.
Gabriel Spat’s 6-by-8-inch scene “Paris Vernissage” brought $2,223, while “The Luxembourg Gardens” sold for $6,435, well over its $600․1,000 estimate.
Far from these small intimate French scenes was a 53-by-64-inch panoramic view of a Parisian plaza in winter by the French artist Lucien Lièvre that sold for $5,880. Another standout was Eric Sloane’s iconic cloud painting, which realized $7,877, the last of dozens of his works consigned from a one-family collection to Rose Hill over the last few years.
Of the 350 lots for sale, about 100 were devoted to antiques that included quality bronze figures, porcelains, art glass, chandeliers and silver. The highest achiever in this section of the sale was a pair of 3½-foot Sèvres cobalt palace urns with hand painted French scenes and bronze mounts that topped off at $24,570. A delicate lace-patterned Daum cameo vase flecked with gold sold for $4,972, and a pair of happily entwined bronze “lovers” by the Italian sculptor Paul Puccio sold for $3,800.
All prices given include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
Rose Hill is at 250 South Van Brunt. For information, www.rosehillauctiongallery.com or 201-816-1940.
