OAKLAND, CALIF. — “Twilight,” the newly discovered painting by Elliot Daingerfield (American, 1859-1932), recently found concealed inside a mirror at Clars Auction Gallery, took a leap from “amazing discovery” to “hidden treasure” status when it sold for over four times its $9,000 high estimate selling for $39,325, on Sunday, April 17.

Redge Martin, president of Clars said, “The painting generated a huge amount of interest because of the story behind it. We had eight phone bidders including museum representation. It’s the highest price paid for a mirror at Clars [Martin joked], as well as a North Carolina painting. Everyone in our industry loves discovering a version of an ‘attic find’.”

The painting was discovered in March, 2016, by Deric Torres, vice president of decorative arts and furnishings at Clars, inside the backing of a mirror from a Pebble Beach, Calif., estate, which was being prepped for an upcoming sale. It was identified by Rick Unruh, vice president of fine art, to be a landscape by Elliot Daingerfield depicting Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. “Being preserved behind a mirror for over 40 years, the painting was in exceptional condition. This, and the story itself, contributed to one of the highest auction prices achieved in many years for this artist and sixth highest overall,” Unruh said after the sale.

The bidding on “Twilight” opened at $3,000 and the battle ensued from there. In the end it came down to two private phone bidders fighting furiously driving the final sale price to $39,325 including the buyer’s premium.

Not only was this an exciting event for Clars and the consignor, it also served as a reminder and an appreciation for the works of Daingerfield, Martin said.

A full review of the auction will appear in a future issue. For more information, www.clars.com.