As he stood in the snow on a cold winter day, would Edward Willis Redfield (1869‱965) have imagined that more than 80 years later the painting he was working on, “Snow Scene, Center Bridge, Pennsylvania,” would sell for $163,800? This was the case with the 22½-by-25½-inch landscape that Alderfer Auction sold at its June 11 and 12 fine and decorative arts auction.
The 1920s composition depicted the quaint river town just north of New Hope, Penn., where the artist lived and produced many of his works. Known for painting en plein air, or outside, on location, Redfield favored the winter season and endured freezing temperatures and snowy roads, just like the road in this painting, to complete his works.
June 11 kicked off with an impressive single-owner collection of Tiffany desk sets and glass. The collection included various patterns including the popular Ninth Century, which was produced by Tiffany around 1915. A ten-piece Ninth Century set sold for $7,200 and a five-piece set of the same pattern sold for $5,700. The collection also featured a pair of enamel Deco bookends that brought $2,106 and had cobalt blue enamel decorative applications.
Several pieces of Tiffany glass, as well as lamps, were offered. An 8½-inch-tall iridescent vase garnered $2,632 and a Tiffany turtleback desk lamp was purchased for $5,850. Lamps proved to be a popular commodity at the auction, as an Austrian cold painted bronze lamp was purchased by an ecstatic phone bidder for $9,945. The 17-inch-tall lamp had received much attention nationally and internationally prior to the auction. A Nineteenth Century slipware pie plate featuring a floral motif was popular with the crowd as well, and it sold for $13,200.
A grouping of Mid-Century Modern decorative arts and furniture was offered and proved to be a crowd-pleaser. Artists and designers including Arthur Briggs, Sherle Wagner, Don Reitz, Ron Correll, Tshiko Takaezu, Klauss Ihlenfeld, Svend Madsen and Frances Higgins were represented. An Austrian mirror frame by designer Hagenauer sold for $4,500. A trio of religious-themed enamels by famed enamellist Kenneth Bates was sold for $4,200. The enamels came with a strong provenance, as they were included in the 1946 Cleveland Museum of Art’s Fine Arts Show and retained the original labels from the exhibition.
Historical memorabilia attracted much interest. An early Twentieth Century archive that focused on the Alaskan gold rush sold for $2,925. The lot included numerous documents and photographs depicting life in the Alaskan wilderness at the turn of the Twentieth Century.
A circa 1790 New England tiger maple highboy sold for $6,000. But the highlight of the furniture sale came when a period Louis XV French ormolu mounted bureau-plat writing desk sold to a European phone bidder for $81,900. A complementing étagère sold for $11,700 to the same buyer.
This European bidder was one of many international customers. International interest was strongly felt during the two-day auction, as many bidders from countries around the globe participated via phone or online. This increased Alderfer’s customer base by some ten percent, the auction house reported.
June 12 featured more than 250 American and European paintings and prints. In addition to the sale of the Redfield painting, the sale of “Mill Road at Night” by fellow Pennsylvania Impressionist George W. Sotter for $96,000 proved to be an exciting moment in the night. Additionally, an archive containing documents, small sketches and small pieces of stain glass by Sotter, and his wife, Alice, was purchased for $6,000. The archive gave a glimpse into the lives of these extraordinary individuals.
Bucks County snow scenes appeared to be the theme of the night as “Bucks County Sleigh Ride” by Arthur Meltzer garnered $21,600. The painting was complemented by an artist-made frame, as were several other paintings in the sale by Meltzer and his wife, Paulette Van Roekens.
Several works by the always-popular Walter E. Baum were included in the sale. “Road to Ridge Valley,” a 25-by-30-inch winter landscape by Baum, sold for $14,400. A 4-by-6-inch miniature painting by the artist went at $2,400. The subjects of many of Baum’s works offered in the sale were of local towns including Applebachsville, Emmaus, Hellertown, Quakertown and the Leigh Valley, which helped to draw interest from the surrounding community.
A collection of Modernist paintings were offered as well. “Pheasant Hunting” by Theresa Bernstein was purchased for $5,850; a composition by New Hope collaborative group Ramstonev sold to a phone bidder for $2,632; a stone collage by Lee Gatch brought $2,925; and a 1950s costume design portfolio consisting of 20-plus works on paper, including a large autographed watercolor of Elizabeth Taylor, sold for $5,850.
A larger-than-life contemporary wood carving by Martin McNulty was purchased for $6,435. The carving was a self portrait, and eventually the image became the artist’s logo, after being exhibited at the Phillip’s Mill Art show in the 1980s.
All prices given include the buyer’s premium.
For more information 215-393-3023 or www.AlderferAuction.com .
