EAST DENNIS, MASS. — One of the biggest surprises in Eldred’s February 16-17 sale was a hand-touched print after Winslow Homer, titled “Yachting Girl.” Estimated at $150-250, the work generated furious bidding and went to a phone bidder who bought it for $36,000, including buyer’s premium. Commenting after the sale, Joshua Eldred, company president, said the work was from the estate of Lewis “Julien” Kotekas, an eccentric long-time collector and fine art dealer from Manchester, N.H., who “had a great eye.” In preparing for the sale, the house couldn’t find any comparable examples for the work, which is a rare heliotype and, accordingly, priced it conservatively. Items from the Kotekas estate will also be sold in Eldred’s upcoming March 10 and April 6-7 sales. Other highlights from the Kotekas estate included a Stamford White frame, which brought $14,400 and a portrait of a boy by Henry Oliver White, which finished at $5,100.

A full report will follow in a future issue.