“Cavaliers Au Bois” by Jean Dufy (French, 1888-1964), circa 1950, ranked among recent high sales of the artists’ work at $33,040.
Review By Z.G. Burnett, Photos Courtesy Golden Gavel Auctions
EAST WINDSOR, CONN. – The Exceptional Jewelry & Decorative Arts sale from Golden Gavel Auctions on July 23 consisted of two lifetime collections from Greenwich and Redding, Conn., estates. Many styles and luxury brands were represented, including Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Rolex in the jewelry category, as well as Nineteenth Century to late Twentieth Century fine art and interior design. With 375 lots, many sold within or above their estimate.
Jean Dufy made a lively appearance with “Cavaliers Au Bois,” a gouache and watercolor painting that retained its Findlay Gallery tags on the reverse, dated 1950. The tableau sold for $33,040. Dufy’s work in this medium has had a successful year at auction; in May, two such paintings sold at Doyle for $22,680 and $34,650, and another at Heritage Auctions in June for $35,000. This sale ranked within some of the highest auction prices paid for a Dufy to date.
One other piece of fine art sold among the top lots, but in a slightly more somber tone. Eric Sloane’s “Covered Bridge, Otter Creek, Brandon, Vt.” showed a slightly cloudy day in either late fall or early spring, making the usually bucolic image of a classic New England motif somewhat ominous. Painted in the darker hues of the transitional seasons in oil on board, the image bridged $4,720.
The unsurprising top lot of jewelry was an 18K monumental Cartier bracelet that sold online for $15,340. The bracelet weighs 98.7 grams and is constructed with a hinge, joining two finely detailed, asymmetrical wings. Made in France and sporting a serial number, the cuff was described in the catalog as custom-made for the previous owner. Also at the top of the jewelry category was a platinum 1.62-carat diamond and pearl ring, some large stones for a petite size 4 band, that sold for $3,835. Jingling right along behind this was a 14K gold charm bracelet with ten charms that achieved $3,776. Some of these charms were decorative, others were souvenirs from places like Istanbul and Paris. Still more were academic awards and forget-me-nots, and we know that the previous owner was a Cancer. Valuable for their weight in gold alone, these charms can also be repurposed as necklace pendants.
An 18K monumental Cartier custom cuff bracelet, made in France, sold to an internet bidder for $15,340.
Rolex was the most popular watch brand of the sale, with three working watches making their way to the top of the list. The first was a stainless steel Rolex Red Submariner 1680 without a band that exceeded its $3/5,000 estimate and sold to an internet bidder for $9,076. These watches were made from 1967 to 1980 and are a classic among watch enthusiasts. Next to this in the top lots was a Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi 16710 watch with a red and blue bezel, a model sold in from 2000 to 2001, that sold to an uncontested internet bidder for $7,670 despite also not retaining its original band. The third top Rolex to sell did have its band, a stainless steel Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600T that was produced from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s and went to an internet bidder for $4,720.
Midcentury Modern fans were sent into orbit by a Bakalowitz & Sohne “Miracle” Sputnik chandelier that bid to $3,658 after a long volley between two buyers. Founded in 1845, the Austrian design firm Bakalowitz & Sohne created this chandelier in the 1960s inspired by Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite launched into space. Missing a few rods, the chandelier still sold within its $2,5/5,000 estimate.
Prices quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Golden Gavel’s next in-person auction is August 18. For more information, www.goldengavel.com or 860-623-2100.
