Crossing the block for $3,600, and claiming the title of top lot, was a lolling chair and ottoman by Thomas Moser, in very good condition ($1,8/2,400).
Review by Kiersten Busch
FREEPORT, MAINE — On May 11, Casco Bay Auctions held its Twentieth Century Art & Design auction, which featured modern art, midcentury furniture and decorative objects, art glass, studio pottery, original sculpture, vintage audio equipment and much more. The sale, which offered 531 lots, realized $89,610, with a sell-through rate of 88 percent. “Overall, we were satisfied,” reported Andrew Davis, Casco Bay’s owner and auctioneer reported to Antiques and The Arts Weekly. “The majority of items sold within or above estimate.”
There were 212 buyers from 26 different states and seven different countries. Davis clarified, “I estimate 80 percent of the sale went to retail buyers.”
Leading the auction was a cherry lolling chair and ottoman by Thomas Moser, a handmade furniture company based in Maine. The set was in very good condition overall. It “came to me from a local Maine buyer, they were redecorating and didn’t have a spot for it,” explained Davis. The set traded hands at $3,600 against an estimate of $1,8/2,400.
The second highest-selling lot of the auction was a Three Flowers coffee table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, which sold above its high estimate for $3,480. The 16½-inch table had a patinated bronze base and signed glass top, which measured 42 inches in diameter ($1/2,000).
Rounding out the top three best-selling lots of the sale were two Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tables. “The two LaVerne tables came from the same local picker, who found them at a local estate, I believe,” noted Davis. The first was a circa 1970s Three Flowers coffee table, which surpassed its high estimate, selling for $3,480. The table was patinated bronze, with a glass top and was signed “Philip Kelvin LaVerne.” The auction catalogue described it as being in good condition. The second piece was an etched and patinated bronze Kuan Su side table. It had bamboo decoration and was signed similarly to the coffee table on the edge of its top. The side table soared past its estimate of $600/800 to fetch $2,760. Both pieces were sold to the same New York City dealer.
Furniture continued to be popular with buyers. Some scratches and minor surface losses did not deter bidders from pushing an Arts and Crafts oak cabinet by Lifetime Furniture to $1,440, with a top dealer in Mission furniture eventually winning the day.
Various forms of art also captured bidders’ attention during the sale. An 18K gold and enamel Faberge egg by German jewelry manufacturer Victor Mayer realized $1,560, just over its low estimate. The egg measured 2¾ inches in height and was in perfect condition in its original box. It went back home with a collector in Germany.
This untitled bronze sculpture by George Tsutakawa (1910-1997), 15 inches including base, label on base, sold for $1,320, just above its high estimate ($800-$1,200).
An untitled sculpture by George Tsutakawa surpassed its high estimate, crossing the block for $1,320. A label on the base reads “property of dudley carter / gift from george tsutakawa.”
Despite a $300/500 estimate, the 2007 painting “Customs House” sold for an impressive $1,200, to a private collector in Portsmouth. The artist was Thomas Connolly, a Maine painter known for his realist architectural paintings. His art previously hung in the Portland Museum of Art. The oil on panel painting was signed lower right. Both this piece and the Tsutakawa “came from a collector in Portland,” Davis explained, “A lot of the contemporary art and sculpture came from this consignor.”
Vintage audio equipment was also offered at the sale, and a 130 tube stereo pre-amplifier made by Scott Type was one of the top performing lots of the day, bringing $1,020 against a $300/500 estimate. The auction house’s catalog lists it as a “rare find” because of its excellent cosmetic condition. It was snatched up by a private collector from Delaware.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.cascobayauctions.com or 207-370-4592.
