Earning $32,000 was this painting of a man seated in front of a window by Arturo Noci (Italian, 1874-1958), 1917, 50 by 55 inches framed ($4/6,000).
Review By Carly Timpson; Photos Courtesy Roland NY
GLEN COVE, N.Y. — Roland Auctions NY conducted its March 2024 Estates Auction, which featured fine art, furniture, jewelry and textiles, on March 9. The sale offered more than 925 lots and it closed with a 75 percent sell-through rate. A representative for the auction house stated, “Much of the art being offered excelled with steady sales throughout the auction, a trend that has continued these last couple of years with Roland gaining prominence in the art arena.”
Highlighting that strength was Arturo Noci’s 1917 painting of a man seated by a balcony overlooking a village. Estimated at only $4/6,000, the framed oil on canvas painting reached $31,500. An excellent use of light and shadows, this work shows the man seated in a chair inside with large double doors opened in front of him as the sunlight shines on potted plants along the balcony’s edge and reflects through a canopy overhang. Entering the auction with the same estimate range, another Noci work also exceeded expectations. This one, titled “Burano,” was completed in 1909 and depicts a cottage on the bank of a grassy inlet. “Burano” nearly doubled its high estimate and found a buyer at $11,520.
“Little Accident” or “Bear Family” by William Holbrook Beard (American, 1824 -1900), 1882, oil on canvas, 23½ by 28 inches framed, earned $22,500 ($30/40,000).
The second-highest price of the day was achieved by a William Holbrook Beard oil painting from 1882. Gallery labels on the back of the frame had varying titles; two of the titles read “Little Accident” while one called the work “The Bear Family.” Regardless of its actual title, the painting depicted a humanistic family of four bears. The visibly upset cubs are surrounded by a knocked-over basket, cracked pieces that resemble pumpkin or gourd rinds and other toppled harvests. An elder bear reaches out from the den with an apple to console its young. An online bidder won the bear family’s accident scene for $22,500.
Continuing on with an animal theme, a painting of zebras by Henri Hecht Maik ran past its $1,500 high estimate to achieve $13,750. In this 5-by-7-inch painting, a dazzle of four zebras is depicted bounding across the open space bordered by palms in varying shades of green. Signed in the lower right corner, the work is housed in a distressed wooden frame bearing a label from Wally Findlay Galleries, N.Y.
The bright-colored floral still life, “Fleurs,” by Le Pho matched Maik’s zebra painting’s price of $13,750 and also had provenance to Wally Findlay Galleries. The Vietnamese artist’s vase of white and yellow flowers and green filler rests against a blue, white and yellow backdrop. The 16½-by-20-inch gilt floral frame also added a nice touch.
“Fleurs” by Le Pho (Vietnamese, 1907-2001), oil on canvas, 16½ by 20 inches framed, finished at $13,750 ($2/3,000).
Four numbered prints from Ellsworth Kelly’s 1964-65 “Suite of Plant Lithographs” were offered in the sale and they finished for prices ranging from $12,500 to $10,000. The highest in the set, “Cyclamen V” depicts a line sketch of three cyclamen flowers and was numbered 33/75. As were the other three, this print was signed by the artist in pencil and was hinged to backing board, glazed and framed for display. The other three cyclamen lithographs each depicted only one flower and were estimated slightly below the top finisher.
An Orientalist watercolor painting by Antonio Fabrés y Costa earned $11,875. In the painting, a robed man is standing and holding a bottle while another is on a shelf behind him. Close behind, an unframed village scene by Minas Avetisyan crossed the block at $11,250. Painted in the artist’s characteristic bold colors, the wintry scene shows houses, places of worship and bare trees.
This Orientalist watercolor painting of a man holding a bottle by Antonio Fabrés y Costa (Spanish, 1834-1938), 54 by 39½ inches framed, made $11,875 ($3/5,000).
Aside from art, other pieces that performed well included an ebony Model L Steinway & Sons piano, which sold for $8,750; a Nineteenth Century Italian mother-of-pearl and shell pique pose inlay jewelry box with Classical motifs brought $6,875; an 18K gold Patek Philippe men’s watch with succo link bracelet also earned $6,875 despite its not working condition; and an 8½-by-10½-foot blue and white Chinese Peking dragon rug, Twentieth Century, which finished above its $800-$1,200 estimate to make $5,000.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Roland’s next auction will be April 6. For more information, 516-759-9400 or www.rolandauctions.com.
