The sale’s highest price, $21,080, was earned by this Twentieth Century painting of the Grand Canal in Venice. It was cataloged as European School with an illegible signature but “probably” by Andre Hans Ficus.
Review & Onsite Photos by Rick Russack
AMESBURY, MASS. — The May 11 sale at John McInnis Auctioneers’ Amesbury gallery was not their typical sale, which usually lean towards Americana. This sale, billed as an “extravaganza,” focused on fine European and Asian decorative arts of the Grand Tour era: the mid- to late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The term “extravaganza” was used appropriately and most of the material came from the Burbridge Foundation collection. Robert O. Burbridge (1907-1994), a successful Oklahoma-based inventor and investor, started collecting in the 1950s. He and his family created their charitable foundation in 1958, supporting Christian causes worldwide. His April 15, 1994, obituary published in The Oklahoman stated, “he collected well over 4,000 pieces of the very finest antique decorative art, mainly European and Oriental.” In addition to the Burbridge collection, material from local estates was included.
Over the course of the day, there were about 60-70 bidders in the gallery, coming and going as the items that interested them were being sold. The 699-lot sale, which totaled $617,520, included numerous hand-painted porcelain plaques and vases, Tiffany lamps, carved and ormolu-mounted furniture, silver-mounted porcelain and cut glass, paintings by European artists, silver, jewelry, Chinese porcelains and paintings, as well as marble and bronze statues.
Earning $21,080 and leading the sale was an oil on panel scene of the Grand Canal in Venice. It was cataloged as European School, probably by German artist Andre Hans Ficus (1919-1999), with an illegible signature in the lower left corner. For that reason, it had a low estimate but apparently buyers were confident about who painted it and it did well. Buyers also liked a large, unsigned Seventeenth Century portrait of a well-dressed man and woman who were holding, respectively, a sword and arrows. The catalog had more than 15 photos of this painting, which realized $11,160. Another painting that buyers responded to was “At The Mirror” by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger (1814-1893), a French painter known for his portrayals of young women. This one depicted his subject gazing at her reflection in a mirror. It had condition issues which probably held back bidding as it sold, below expectations, for $6,200.
John McInnis’ favorite item in the sale was a pair of Minton covered urns with hand-painted scenes of military life. The pair was heavily decorated with gilt and realized $6,200.
It was obvious that Burbridge liked the fine hand-painted porcelains produced at various factories in Europe in the Nineteenth Century. He had a good eye and selected outstanding, often large, examples. Some suffered minor damage over the last 125 years, but they were still outstanding examples of the high-quality output available at the time. McInnis demonstrated this when he was asked which was his personal favorite item in the sale: “That’s a tough question, but I’d have to go with this pair of Minton urns.” The pair he pointed out were covered urns, standing more than 14 inches tall. They were hand-painted with views of military life, including battle and camp scenes. The background was executed in green and cobalt and each was heavily accented with gilt swags that you might have expected to have been solid bronze. The gilt highlighting was used liberally, and the painted scenes were well done. With gold Minton marks, the pair brought $6,200.
As McInnis was preparing to sell another item, he commented, “There are things in this sale that I’ve never seen before, and this is one.” He was referring to a 46-inch-tall hand-painted porcelain pedestal with Royal Vienna marks. It depicted a semi-nude woman walking through a lush landscape. It had an Ionic capital that was glazed in cobalt and turquoise and highlighted with a raised gilt floral motif. As he sold it for $5,580, he said, “I’d hate to have to pack this for shipping. I’d hope it gets wrapped in a blanket and carried to wherever its going.” A 25-inch-tall covered urn with beautifully painted floral panels, raised acanthus leaves and gilt female-head-form handles sold for $1,984. Although unmarked, the catalog stated it was of “KPM quality,” referring to the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin.
This 46-inch-tall porcelain pedestal was decorated with a semi-nude woman in a landscape, bore the Royal Vienna marks and sold for $5,580.
Speaking of KPM, there were numerous hand-painted porcelain portrait plaques. One, a framed example of Cupid, after Anton Raphael Mengs, sold for $4,030. There were more, but the most impressive was a 19-inch portrait of Louis XVI, signed “Goutier.” It was set into a 32-inch diameter tabletop and was surrounded by 18 unsigned miniature porcelain medallions, presumably depicting members of his court. The table itself was one of the most impressive items in the sale and had an ebonized base with heavily gilded bronze mounts. It sold for $9,920 to a woman in the room who also purchased several of the hand-painted porcelain pieces.
European and other furniture in the sale included a large American Aesthetic Movement rosewood dressing mirror which sold for $5,890. Almost 9 feet tall, it was carved and inlaid with decorative designs and had an inlaid Sèvres porcelain plaque. A marble-top Louis XIV-style buffet with an overall inlaid diamond pattern reached $4,650. It had lion-paw feet, heavy ormolu mounts and a single door opening to a mirrored set of shelves. One of the more elaborate pieces of furniture was a 6-foot-wide ebonized French ormolu-mounted credenza. It had a variety of carved hard stone inlays depicting floral sprays, cherries and pears with a central oval medallion of a bird perched in potted fruits and flowers; it sold for $4,340.
A bronze counterbalanced Tiffany Studios floor lamp with a craquelure finish and an 8-inch diameter iridescent shade marked “L.C.T. Favrile, #619,” brought $8,680. A modern leaded mosaic glass table lamp stamped “Crist Studios” on the rim earned $4,960. Tiffany-inspired Paul Crist Studios has been in business since 1972 and, in addition to making their own lamps, they also repair and restore vintage leaded glass lamps.
This photo shows a very small portion of the hand-painted porcelain pieces included in the sale. The Twentieth Century brass mirror sold for $1,736; the French ormolu-mounted ebony credenza below the mirror had carved hardstone detailing and achieved $4,340.
There were plenty of good buys to be had. An Adam-period serpentine server with painted classical and floral scenes brought $620. A large Eighteenth Century tavern sign, measuring more than 5 feet square that had a painted panel depicting a variety of provisions, brought the same price, $620. A pair of late Nineteenth Century Chinese ancestral paintings went out for $62. A set of six Royal Vienna cabinet plates, each with transfer designs of maidens and village scenes went out for $310. The plates were 10 inches in diameter and had beehive marks.
After the sale, McInnis commented on the current market: “I’ve been doing this a long time and it’s sometimes hard to bring my expectations down to today’s market. There are so many new people coming into the market now and they’re buying very selectively. Many of the dealers who used to be very active buyers are buying fewer items today. They often say to me, ‘I’m not sure what’s going to sell.’ They want to be sure they have a customer. That’s different than it used to be. It makes providing accurate estimates really tricky; many things can blow away estimates and other things sell for less than I’d expected. At the end of the day, it all works. The consignors and our customers are happy and that’s what counts. But sometimes we’re getting there differently than we used to. We’re pleased with the total of $617,000 and that’s likely to increase over the next few days, as we’re getting offers on things we passed.”
For information, 800-822-1417 or www.mcinnisauctions.com. All prices include the buyer’s premium.
