Swimming to the top of the auction was this 6-inch Dedham Pottery plate with a blue fish motif; the small plate achieved $1,188.
Review by Carly Timpson
WESTMORELAND, N.H. — In a post on their Facebook page this January, Fitzwilliam, N.H. -based Bloomin’ Antiques announced that their store had closed and its entire inventory was to be sold through Flying Pig Auctions. On February 15, Flying Pig conducted a 516-lot sale featuring the first selection of those contents, honoring Bloomin’ Antiques for the antique landmark it was in southwestern New Hampshire for more than 50 years. According to Roxanne Reuling, auctioneer and partner at Flying Pig, “about 90 percent of the lots [in this auction] were from the store, though there were some additions from the previous two estates we sold in January.”
Reuling shared, “The sale was good. We received a lot of interest in it and we had a good amount of registered bidders. We sold to people all over the world, including The Netherlands, Cyprus, the US and Canada. It wasn’t our normal niche, but it was still well-attended online. There were definitely a lot of Bloomin’ Antiques customers who showed up for it.”
A rare Dedham Pottery plate with a blue fish painted in the center swam upstream to achieve top-lot honors at $1,188. In addition to the bold blue fish, the plate also featured a thin blue rim and there were unclear initials on the surface. Though the stamp was faded, the underside of the plate was marked for the pottery. Another, more clearly marked, Dedham Pottery plate was bid to $281. This example was also 6 inches in diameter, but it was detailed with a bold blue border with mushrooms and the center was blank.
This lot of seven ironstone wares included bowls and milk pans and they sold together for $563.
Other tableware included a lot of seven white ironstone pieces, including bowls and milk pans. The assortment ranged in size from 6 to 11 inches in diameter. These were claimed for $563. Pewter items were popular as well, with several lots finding new homes. Leading the selection was a lot of four antique chargers. The set ranged from an 8-inch-diameter charger that appeared to feature a central motif of the Swedish King Gustav Adolf II on horseback, surrounded by medallions with other noblemen on horseback to a 15-inch-diameter charger with a Temperantia motif that resembled a Sixteenth Century example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by François Briot. The other two were 9 and 12½ inches. Another lot, selling for $344, included eight chargers ranging from 15 to 17 inches, all without impressed designs. An assorted pewter lot, earning $313, included a candlestick, charger, compote dish, posnet and three bowls.
In the art category, a gilt-framed seaside scene by Emily Monrad was bid to $594. The oil on board painting featured the artist’s monogram on the lower right and was titled “Where The Blue Begins, Ogunquit” on the reverse.
Several French architectural pieces were in high demand, including a pair of gilt or gold painted finials which brought $531. These 8-inch-high finials were formed as poppy pods with leaves and were raised on custom iron stands. Another lot included two pairs of matching golden-hued sheaves of wheat finials. These four pieces sold together for $438. Two carved wooden decorative adornments made $406. One, a shell surrounded by floral details, measured 11 inches high by 23½ inches wide. The other, an arching flower basket, was 13½ inches high by 23¼ inches wide.
These antique sheaf of wheat finials, French, gilt or gold painted, approximately 8 by 6 inches each, brought $438.
Other interesting finds included an Eighteenth Century Dutch pottery tobacco jar that had later been converted into an electric table lamp. The jar was marked, in a scroll held up by two colorfully-dressed figures, “Tabac de St Vincent.” Riding from the top where the jar’s lid once sat were two electric sockets. Sold without a shade, the lamp was illuminated to $469.
Five graduated Nantucket baskets by Ben Snyder sold together for $438. Cataloged as a “wonderful vintage set,” these baskets had bail handles and were each signed and dated “Ben Snyder 92” on their wooden bases. The smallest of the set measured just 2½ inches wide while the largest was 6½ inches wide.
Animal lovers had plenty to bid on, and a pair of animal-form cast iron still banks were adopted by a bidder for $375. The pair comprised a green bulldog and a worn cat; both were in a seated position. An assortment of 10 porcelain Foo Dogs barked to $281. Typically displayed in pairs, the lot included four joined sets and two individuals — the individuals were the largest and the smallest in the lot. Nine of the dogs were in vibrant blue glaze, while the smallest was detailed with green, brown and yellow.
These dog and cat cast-iron still banks, 4¼ and 4 inches respectively, sat for $375.
Shipping off for $313 was a wooden dome-top trunk with an interior label that read “Nathan Neat, Saddle And Trunk Maker, 18 & 19 Elm-Street…Boston.” Records held in the Winterthur Library report that Neat operated in Boston from circa 1825 to circa 1840 and, according to some labels, also made caps. Though this trunk was stripped of any leather or tacks that may have once adorned it, the inside retained its blue dotted paper and the handle and lock were still present.
“There’s still more from Bloomin’ Antiques coming in March, with all their furniture to be sold. Then, there’s an all-art and framed items sale in either April or May and the majority of that will be from the shop as well,” added Reuling.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.flyingpigantiquesnh.com or 603-543-7490.
