One of the pleasant surprises of the day was Benjamin Champney’s White Mountain scene. Along with other members of the White Mountain school, he has a strong collector base, and this painting realized $22,800, the highest price of the day.
By Rick Russack
PLAINFIELD, N.H. — Who says people don’t go to auctions anymore? Bill Smith certainly does not. For his February 26 Important Winter auction, he gave out 165 paddle numbers for the bidders who came to bid in person, and they were active buyers, successful on many lots. It was a refreshing change from the trend many auction houses have seen, with small numbers of bidders in the room. What’s his secret? Smith remembers that auctions are fun; he jokes throughout the sale, keeping the audience entertained. He often discusses why an item has been attributed to a particular region or maker. He takes the time to talk about the homes some of his merchandise came from. Items in the sale are well-displayed, the gallery is comfortable and the catalog descriptions are thorough. It’s a meeting place for friends. Gallery staff are available to answer questions. But, most of all, he reminds us that auctions are fun! Absentee bids are processed, and telephones and the internet are active throughout the sale. Another attraction for getting bidders to the gallery is that the schedule of the sale is mixed. For example, although there may be 100 lots of jewelry, they are scattered throughout the sale — three or four at a time. The same is true of silver, furniture, Asian items or other categories.
Overall, paintings did well. A signed Benjamin Champney landscape of White Mountain scenery realized $22,800, nearly three times its estimate, to achieve the highest price of the sale. The sale also included eight paintings by Paul Sample (1896-1974), all from one collection; Smith’s May sale will offer another nine or so. Some were done in oil while others were executed with watercolors. A signed oil on canvas painting led the selection of Sample’s works: “Reveries of an Iceland Mariner,” housed in its original barn board frame, sold for $21,600. Of the watercolors, “Ski Lesson” was the most sought after, finishing at $3,600. One of the good fine art buys was a large unsigned view of the Hudson River with numerous sailboats and a steamboat in the water and houses on the banks. Smith was probably correct when he said that when the scene is identified, it’s likely to reappear on the market at a substantially higher price; it sold for $5,400.
“Reveries of an Iceland Mariner” by Paul Sample realized $21,600, the second-highest price of the day. The painting was one of eight oil and watercolor paintings by the artist in the sale, all from one collection.
An interesting pair of Eighteenth Century historical marine paintings were offered separately. Done by Robert Dodd (1748-1815), a British marine painter, they related to a series of battles in late May and early June of 1794 between the British Royal Navy and the French navy. Each was signed by Dodd; “The Queen Endangered” brought $9,600, while “The Terrible Dismasted” earned $8,400.
Smith’s auctions almost always include a selection of painted country cupboards and hutches. This one did as well, but the highest price of the furniture selection, a surprise at $9,600, was earned by an impressive Chinese Chippendale style two-part breakfront bookcase cabinet with japanned decoration and silk lining on the two center glass doors. It was quite large, standing 93 inches tall and 80 inches wide, and was cataloged as dating to the first half of the Twentieth Century. Another strong furniture result was the $6,600 realized by a circa 1760 flat-top New Hampshire Queen Anne tiger maple highboy that had an old, but not original surface. Tall case clocks included a maple example made in Concord, N.H., by brothers Levi and Abel Hutchins, who had been apprentices of Simon Willard. With a broken-arch crest, it earned $5,400.
Bidders drove a circa 1810 New England blue set-back cupboard to $2,880. A circa 1830 Bucks County, Penn., red-painted two-part corner cupboard with a broken-arch crest and central finial finished at $660 — one of the bargains of the day. There were many more pieces of painted and formal furniture, but the selection was not limited to Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century examples. A set of eight mid or late Twentieth Century custom Julian Chichester NY upholstered dining chairs, with brass stud trim detail, realized $3,600. According to the catalog, the original purchase price was $27,000.
Cupboards were available in old red, old blue and other colors. This circa 1810 New England blue example finished at $2,880.
A platinum and diamond line necklace set with approximately 70 .40-carat diamonds led the extensive selection of fine jewelry. It brought $19,200. A platinum and diamond line bracelet with almost 14 carats of emerald-cut diamonds brought $12,000. Solid gold jewelry included a 14K Italian gold necklace weighing 50 grams, which sold for $5,100. An 18K yellow gold Rolex Cellini wristwatch, with a brown ostrich leather strap and a hallmarked 18K yellow gold Rolex Oysterlock clasp, went out for $4,500.
“It was really encouraging to see that large a crowd in the room. It was the largest since before Covid,” Smith said after the sale. He continued, “It was a solid sale, and there were a few surprises, such as the Champney. It was a very nice painting, but it brought more than I thought it would. The furniture is always hard to predict, but bidders obviously know what they want, and prices reflect that judgement. We finished at over $746,000 — that’s almost three-quarters of a million dollars. We’ll never complain about numbers like that.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, 603-675-2549 or www.wsmithauction.com.
