Leading the sale was a sterling silver dressing mirror by William Comyns & Son, London, 1902, measuring 10 by 6¾ inches. It realized $3,680.
Review by Carly Timpson
VESTAL, N.Y. — Mapes Auctioneers & Appraisers conducted a 485-lot Spring Antique Auction, which closed on May 21. Aaron Everetts, Mapes’ appraiser and cataloguer, shared that the auction totaled $104,771 with 100 percent of lots successfully trading hands. He added, “The auction was held online, with competitive bidding from all over the continental United States and Canada.” The auction offered an assortment of goods spanning a variety of categories including smalls, silver, jewelry, advertising, furniture and art.
At $3,680 — the sale’s highest price — was a 1902 sterling silver dressing mirror with makers marks for William Comyns & Sons, London. The adjustable oval mirror was mounted on a single silver drawer and was cataloged as being in “excellent condition.”
Following the dressing mirror in price was a hornbook school primer with the English alphabet and numerals. Notably, the letters “J” and “U” were missing from the slate — a detail mentioned in an accompanying 1944 letter from a US soldier who found the piece and sent it back to his lover, who was a schoolteacher. The writer of the letter described the piece: “It was used as a sample primer back in the Seventeenth Century (note the lack of certain letters in the alphabet)” and joked, “No, I didn’t lift it from a museum!” The wooden hornbook and soldier’s letter sold together for $2,990.
An early Twentieth Century Tiffany & Co. 18K gold choker necklace, set with 1.3 carats of Old European-cut diamonds, seven sapphires and six rubies, 13 inches long, achieved $2,875.
Three pieces crossed the block for $2,875. One was an early Twentieth Century 18K yellow gold Tiffany & Co. necklace. The box link necklace, which was originally made to be a tennis bracelet, was set with 13 Old European-cut diamonds, seven sapphires and six rubies. Another lot at that price was a sterling silver flatware set by Wallace Silversmiths in the Grande Baroque pattern which was introduced by the Connecticut-based company in 1941. The set comprised approximately 83 pieces and was housed in a new Reed & Barton chest.
The final item to sell for $2,875 was an oil painting by James Owen Mahoney. The painting, done on canvas, was a study for his mural, “Allegorical View of South Texas,” which was completed in The State of Texas Building’s Hall of State for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. Against a lush green backdrop, the central woman sits dressed in white, besides representations of the bounty of both land and sea. Left blank in this study, the banner at the bottom of the mural would eventually read, “Witness the land and sea enriching with prodigal hand the tranquil South.”
A 14K gold Byzantine link chain bracelet with 12 gold charms brought $2,645. One of the charms, a gold castle, was 18K gold while all the others were 14K like the bracelet. Other charms included several dogs, a coin, a cheerleading megaphone, a wax seal, a boot-form house, a cross and a stein. A few of the charms, including the stein and the boot open, and the miniature wax seal is functional with a floral impression.
An Elizabeth Gage double-carved lapis lazuli and 18K yellow gold brooch, set with a single diamond at the top, 2½ inches, found a buyer for $1,783.
Another jewelry piece, an 18K Elizabeth Gage brooch also generated significant interest. With two carved pieces of lapis lazuli in an eight-form setting, the brooch made $1,783. The upper oval-shaped lapis was relief-carved with a seated griffin, while the lower piece was carved with the profile of a classical figure with a trident, possibly Poseidon or Neptune. At the top of the brooch was a small diamond set in a square frame and opposite it, at the bottom of the brooch, were three small, round gold adornments.
A sterling silver footed tray from 1902, made by the London-based Goldsmiths Company also brought success. The tray was engraved on the surface with a figural bust above a ribbon that read “Aquila Non Capit Muscas,” a Latin expression that translates to “the eagle does not catch flies.” According to the online resource Latin Is Simple, the phrase may be interpreted to mean “a noble or important person does not deal with insignificant matters,” or, more simply, “don’t sweat the small stuff.” The rear of the tray was inscribed “From a few of his brother officers / Dec. 1902.” It traded hands for $2,128.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.mapesauction.com or 607-754-9193.
