The top lot of the sale was “Cheering Them On,” an oil on artist’s board painting depicting a Sandy Hook, N.Y., yacht race. The frame of the 13½-by-17½-inch painting was believed to be original and still had the attached framer’s label from Thomas Hooper of Nassau Street, N.Y. It raced to the home of a local buyer for $28,800 ($15/25,000).
Review by Jessica Kosinski; Photos Courtesy Marion Antique Auctions
MARION, MASS. — Marion Antique Auctions conducted its Winter Sale on Sunday, December 3. The auction featured items from several Massachusetts estates, as well as from Rhode Island and Florida. Among them were many fine art pieces, several from the collection of the late Leonard Rebello of Fall River, Mass. Top lots included antique cars, furniture and artwork. The 578-lot sale had a sell-through rate of more than 95 percent, and sales totaled $461,482.
When asked about sale attendance, junior partner Nick Taradash said, “There was a good turnout of people in person at the auction as well as online and over the phone. I believe we had several thousand total registered bidders.”
James Edward Buttersworth’s (American / British 1817-1894) “Cheering Them On,” took first position at $28,800. Buttersworth moved from England to Hoboken, N.J., in the 1840s. He was one of the top Nineteenth Century American maritime artists and came from a family of such artists, making it no surprise this oil on artist’s board piece depicting a Sandy Hook, N.Y., yacht race caught the attention of several seasoned bidders and sailed past its $15/25,000 estimate, to a local buyer.
A 1940 Buick Special convertible from the estate of James Barton of New Bedford, Mass., in good restored condition was next. Featuring green paint and a green leather interior, it sold for $21,600. Several other antique cars also crossed the block, including a 1971 Ford Mustang convertible, a 1936 Cadillac four-door sedan and a 1941 Cadillac four-door sedan. The 1941 Cadillac was purchased by Barton’s grandson.
This sale featured five antique cars. This one, a 1940 green Buick special convertible, was presented in good, restored, running condition and came from the estate of James Barton. It drove to its new local home for $21,600 ($25/35,000).
Next in line among the top lots were a Jose Guerrero (Spanish / American1914-1991) abstract watercolor on paper ($10,200) and an Adolph Schreyer (French / German, 1828-1899) oil on canvas depicting Arab riders ($9,900). Despite some staining, the former easily surpassed its $4/6,000 estimate and was representative of Guerrero’s typical abstract expressionist style. Schreyer, known for painting historical and military scenes, also painted many Arab scenes while living in Paris in the 1860s.
An Eighteenth Century Connecticut highboy initialed “A.B.” and possibly produced by Amos Bradley of East Haven, Conn., was another star lot. The cherry and pine piece with carved rosettes and flame urn finials sold for $9,920. Additional popular furniture pieces included a coffee table created by architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright (American, 1867-1959), a Walter H. Durfee and Co tall case clock and a set of six Thomas Moser Company Windsor chairs produced in 1993. The Wright coffee table fetched $2,760, while the clock’s bids ticked up to $4,320. A Pennsylvania dealer got a deal on the chairs at $4,320. Purchased from the company today, similar chairs cost $1,500 each.
Next came a flurry of artistic works; a John James Audubon (French / American, 1785-1851) hand-colored aquatint engraving depicting a glossy ibis printed and colored by R. Havel ($6,400), a Francisco Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828) “One Way to Fly” print depicting winged flying men ($4,608), and a Lemuel D. Eldred (American, 1848-1921) oil on canvas view of Fairhaven, Mass. ($4,320). The glossy ibis was originally published in The Birds of America 1827 to 1838. Goya was famous for depicting contemporary issues. In this case, his work indicated man’s intense desire for flight, which had not yet been achieved at the time. Eldred’s specialty was marine scenes, but he also painted many serene scenes of his hometown, Fairhaven.
Identified by a label on the verso as “One Way to Fly,” this work by Francisco Goya is better known as “A Way to Fly” and depicts men wearing wings flying in the night sky. The print, which measured 15¾ by 19¼ inches with frame, was not signed. It found its new home with a very determined West Coast buyer for $4,608 ($250/350).
Another notable piece was Mary Lizzie Macomber’s (American, 1861-1916) “The Messenger” in its original carved and gilded frame depicting a figure in profile, which fetched $4,200. It was one of two Macomber pieces sold. Macomber was known for her dream-like allegorical works, many of which were lost when her studio burned in 1903, making surviving works highly sought-after.
Four unusual items rounded out the last four top lots. “Jester with Instrument,” an automaton doll by Leopold Lambert (French, 1854-1935) produced circa 1890, garnered a bid of $6,720. Lambert studied under automata master Gustav Vichy and opened his own shop in Paris in 1886. A lot consisting of a carved Classical Greek panel fragment and wood carved panel possibly depicting a Roman emperor fetched $4,920. The Romans often copied Greek artistic styles at the time, explaining the merging of the two. Finishing off the top lots were a brightly colored Crow beaded tobacco bag ($3,328) and a pair of Nineteenth Century decorative marble orbs on square plinth bases ($2,520).
Marion Antique Auctions’ Spring Auction’s exact date has yet to be announced.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.marionantiqueauctions.com or 508-748-3606.
