Morphy Auctions’ November 22 sale of the Arthur Richmond Americana Collection maintained a steady course to finish at $495,000. The 534-lot, single-consignor event featured a 39-year collection of early clocks, mirrors, needlework and blacksmith-forged ironware, as well as a selection of American paintings from Richmond’s historic 1780 residence in Purcellville, Va.
Many outstanding clocks were offered, from banjos, shelf and mantel styles to regulators and tall clocks. The auction’s top lot was a circa 1785 Massachusetts Federal tall clock by Simon Willard. In a figured mahogany Roxbury case with eight-day, time and strike brass movement, it retained its original Simon Willard label and also included a dated 1829 note hand signed by the famed clocksmith. Estimated at $40/60,000, it sold to a bidder in the room for $63,250.
A circa 1800 Federal shelf clock by Aaron Willard, in a mahogany case with pierced fretwork, decorative inlays and flaring French feet, achieved the second-highest price of the day at $23,000. Another Federal shelf clock of the same period by the same clockmaker featured wavy metal hands and a painted iron dial signed Aaron Willard, Boston. It landed within estimate at $11,500.
Smaller-scale Southern furniture †such as sugar chests and bottle chests †has never gone out of style with collectors. A beautiful late Eighteenth Century Southern Chippendale mahogany cellaret from the Richmond home had been entered in the sale with a $2/4,000 estimate. It more than doubled expectations to settle at $8,625.
The fine art category was highlighted by a specialty grouping of George Washington portraits and other Washington-related items. A 44-inch-tall, Nineteenth Century cast plaster bust of America’s first president was presented on a white marble and ormolu decorated pedestal. Against an estimate of $1,5/2,000, it sold to an Internet bidder for $4,600. A French papier mache snuffbox with Washington’s half-length painted image, ex-Lamont du Pont Copeland Collection, moved on to a new owner for $3,450.
Washington paintings, as a whole, performed on or near par. The widely publicized Nineteenth Century oil on canvas portrait of Washington wearing a crimson jacket missed its $12,000 low estimate when it realized $10,350; but a full-length 361/3-by-25-inch “Lansdowne” portrait attributed to Jane Stuart (American, 1812‱888) achieved expectations at $7,475.
Antique textiles were led by an Eighteenth Century English Queen Anne mahogany tabletop fire screen. Standing 23 inches tall, it displayed a framed multicolor crewelwork design of flowers and leaves on a tripod base. It handily surpassed its $1/1,500 estimate to stitch up a winning bid of $4,888.
Auctioneer Dan Morphy noted that the Internet played a significant role in the day’s results. “There was a lot of online bidding,” he said. “That, together with the strong crowd in-house, resulted in more than 650 registered bidders. It was a very busy day.”
The sale of the Arthur Richmond collection represented the first dedicated sale of Americana to be conducted at Morphy’s. “Many of those who attended were new to us †it was their first time to visit our gallery,” Morphy said. “We heard nothing but positive feedback from them. They really liked the gallery’s layout, the way the goods were displayed and the courtesy of our staff. This was very gratifying to us, since we put so much effort into the marketing and presentation of every one of our sales.”
Prices reported include the 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Morphy Auctions has scheduled its spring antiques auction for March 5‷ at the Morphy Auctions/Adamstown Antique Gallery. For information, 717-335-3435 or www.morphyauctions.com .
