Skinner Inc The Beacon Hill Collection of John & Marilyn Keane
November 19, 10AM
274 Cedar Hill Street
Marlborough, MA
 And Americana online | November 15–22
www.skinnerinc.com

MARLBOROUGH, MASS. —Skinner Auctioneers will host a live auction of Americana on Friday, November 19. The sale consists of the Beacon Hill collection of John and Marilyn Keane, devoted collectors of early American craftsmanship and committed philanthropists, well-known to the Boston arts community. Eminent benefactors of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where the American Wing’s Newport Furniture Gallery was named in their honor, the Keanes’ collection is evidence of an innate understanding of early American decorative arts, as well as the work’s historical impact in relation to the young nation’s burgeoning identity and status.

The Beacon Hill collection includes significant works of handcrafted furniture from the Colonial period and decorative movements directly following American independence. Exemplary of the collection is a pair of classical card tables attributed to the shop of Charles-Honoré Lannuier, the renowned New York cabinetmaker whose decorative style epitomized the American Empire period. The card tables are estimated at $100/150,000.

Lannuier’s furniture, which is featured in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the White House, speaks to the profound aesthetic and political influence of Neoclassicism on the early American spirit. The tables feature a rosewood veneer, brass star-inlaid edges, carved and gilt caryatid supports and dolphin feet.
Other highlights include two pieces of eastern Massachusetts blockfront furniture: A Boston chest of drawers carved in small and elegant proportion, with sculpted claw-and-ball feet ($50/75,000), and a secretary bookcase with a history in the family home of Congressman Hezekiah Bradley Smith ($75/100,000).

Several notable works from the sale highlight the rich contributions to Colonial American furniture by renowned Philadelphia and Rhode Island cabinetmakers, the former of which includes a carved pair of dining chairs ($15/25,000), an easy chair and a rare marble slab table ($100/150,000). The slab table, crafted circa 1760, with carving attributed to renowned Philadelphia carvers Nicholas Bernard and Martin Jugiez, features a boldly carved gadrooned skirt, carved knees, claw-and-ball feet, and has an impressive multicolor original marble top. An upholstered open armchair from Rhode Island ($50/100,000) is exemplary of the generous proportions and lavish design distinctive to that region in the late 1760s. The chair is distinguished by its shaped and carved arms with boldly scrolling handhold and shell- and bellflower-carved cabriole legs ending in claw-and-ball feet.

Characteristic of the high standards of the Keane collection are China Trade paintings, including two portraits. An outstanding example of a Hong merchant is attributed to Spoilum, the Chinese artist often recognized as the earliest oil painter of the newly accessible Canton region. A historical scene depicting the reception of an imperial army, similarly attributed to Spoilum or a follower, was a relevant work discussed in Carl Crossman’s art historical guide, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade. The collection also includes examples of port views of the Hongs at Canton and the Hong Kong waterfront, as well as more uncommon depictions of the Bund at Shanghai and Singapore from the Roads.
For information, 508-970-3000 or www.skinnerinc.com.

1 Jesuit Artist at the Imperial Court (Chinese, Late 18th Century), Portrait of a Young Official of the First Rank, Wearing a Red Hat
2 Queen Anne Walnut Wing Chair, Philadelphia, c. 1730
3 Chinese School, c. 1860, View of Hong Kong, unsigned, inscribed “HON KONG” [sic] l.c.
4 Chinese School, Mid-19th Century, View of the Bund at Shanghai, c. 1860, oil on canvas, 16 3/8 x 37 1/2 in.
5 Important Pair of Classical Rosewood, Gilt-gesso, and Vert Antique Brass-inlaid Card Tables, Charles-Honore Lannuier, New York, c. 1815
6 The Hezekiah Smith Chippendale Carved Mahogany Desk Bookcase, Boston, c. 1760-80
contact: americana@skinnerinc.com 508.970.3200 MA LIC. 2304
For buyers, consignors, and the passionately curious
Find worth at skinnerinc.com