Achieving the highest price of the sale was Gertrude Abercrombie’s oil on board painting, “Black Cat with Moon,” 1946, 7½ by 9½ inches; it sold for $13,750 ($15/20,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
BEVERLY, MASS. — Kaminski Auctions’ three-day February Valentine’s Jewelry & Estates auction was conducted February 6, 8 and 9. On the first day, all bidding was conducted online-only with no reserves via Auction Ninja, while the other two days featured live in-person, absentee and online bidding. The items auctioned over the weekend, just in time for Valentine’s gift-giving, included a selection of jewelry, fine art and items deaccessioned from a prominent but unidentified Massachusetts museum. While the firm does not disclose sale totals, Diane Riva, vice president of marketing and publicity, shared that Frank Kaminski was “very pleased with the weekend totals.”
Rising to the top of the sale was an oil on board painting of a large black cat seated in front of the moon by Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977). “Black Cat with Moon” came from a Santa Barbara, Calif., collector who originally purchased the signed and dated work for $5,500; it more than doubled that price, selling for $13,750. Achieving the same price was an oil on canvas river view by Florida artist A. E. Backus. Consigned by a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., collection, the vibrant landscape was signed to the lower right and was sold through LiveAuctioneers.
Done by a Seventeenth or Eighteenth Century Italian master for a Parisian church, an oil on canvas after Raphael’s “Triumph of Galatea” left a Palm Beach, Fla., estate and achieved $6,250, selling to a regular client who was bidding on KaminskiLive. The reverse of the work was marked “Mr Le Canithé de Coton Paris” and there was an illegible paper label affixed to the back as well.
This Seventeenth/Eighteenth Century Italian oil on canvas after Raphael’s “Triumph of Galatea,” 61 by 48 inches framed, sold online for $6,250 ($5,5/8,500).
A pair of capriccio or “architectural fantasy” paintings by Italian painter Alberto Carlieri had noble provenance. The catalog noted that these two works came from the estate of an old and important Portuguese family who are descendants of the Portuguese Royal Family and had possessed the art for centuries. The works, which relate to examples in Sweden’s National museum, were housed in carved giltwood frames and went out for $5,938.
Another centuries-old work, this one attributed to Spanish artist Jusepe de Ribera, exceeded its $200/300 estimate to achieve $4,375. “Study of a Saint,” a Seventeenth Century drawing on paper, was deaccessioned from a Massachusetts museum and sold through LiveAuctioneers.
The leading sculptural lot in the auction was Philip Jackson’s bronze “Doges,” an ominous cloaked figure with a golden masked face, holding a deep blue marble. The 17-inch-tall work was numbered “1/8” and stamped for the Morris Singer Foundry, London. Cast circa 1990, “Doges” came from a Marblehead, Mass., collection and sold, for $8,750, to an international buyer who was also bidding on KaminskiLive.
Many lots of dazzling jewelry were offered on the second day, with a circa 1910 Art Deco ring achieving top honors for the category. The platinum ring centered a 2.33-carat round diamond, and it was further accented by 34 smaller diamonds weighing less than 1 carat in total and four natural emeralds. With a certificate from N.Y. Diamond & Jewelry Appraisal Service, the large central diamond was graded J for color and SI for clarity. A regular Kaminski client who was bidding on the floor snatched it up for $7,013.
The center diamond of this circa 1910 Art Deco diamond and emerald ring in platinum was approximately 2.33 carats; the ring was bid to $7,013 ($10/15,000).
For $3,480, a floor bidder also took home a trillion-cut Ceylon sapphire and diamond pendant necklace. Set in 18K white gold, the 2.5-carat triangular sapphire was bordered by 15 round brilliant-cut diamonds that totaled half a carat. The vibrant pendant hung on a 14K white gold chain. Riva mentioned that ahead of Valentine’s Day, jewelry at more accessible price points did well, with a 90 percent sell-through rate for the selection of lots with estimates under $3,000.
“We are now hosting auctions monthly on the Auction Ninja online platform. We have been very pleased with the results, and the platform has brought a lot of new younger clientele that did not know about our auctions. We are hosting a very nice couture auction on that platform for March,” added Riva.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.kaminskiauctions.com or 978-927-2223.
