Left, the highest-selling lot from the Joan Bogart collection was this marble bust of Proserpine attributed to Hiram Powers (1805-1873) that sold for $58,950 ($15/20,000).
Review by Andrea Valluzzo
HUDSON, N.Y. — Stair Galleries wrapped up its American Week sales with four strong sessions August 19-20 that together attained $1.8 million. Each session performed better than its estimate, with one doubling its high estimate.
“I’m thrilled with the results of this week and grateful for all the hard work of the Stair team. We curated a sale week that put four very distinct groups of property together over a two-day period. We had one of the busiest in-person preview periods of recent memory,” said Colin Stair, founder and president of Stair Galleries. “We were delighted to see clients bidding across sessions. This may be the way the game is played in the future — and reminds me of the old days at an August sale at Northeast Auctions.”
The combined auction boasted robust results for all four sessions with a 99 percent sell-through rate. Stair saw thousands of bidders from over eight countries and across platforms, in-person and in its virtual salesroom. Private collectors and members of the trade across the United States were among the most successful bidders, but the sales also saw institutional bidding across all four sessions.
Ornaments of the Natural World: Collection of Joan Bogart
The series kicked off on August 19 with Ornaments of the Natural World: The Collection of Joan Bogart, which outdid expectations to total $475,268. An antiques dealer since the 1970s, Bogart has been a trusted source for exemplary Nineteenth Century furniture, lighting and decorative arts with many private collectors and museums among her regular clients. She has long had a passion for the Victorian era and any fears that this genre of merchandise has lost its allure today were quickly dismissed given the results seen in this sale.
The collection of nearly 200 lots from Bogart’s inventory and personal collections, curated by Bogart and a team at Stair, saw strong results. “This sale exceeded our expectations, and Joan is very happy with the results. Now more than ever, we’re committed to this type of material and were thrilled to see so much activity from members of the trade, alongside meeting many new private collectors,” Stair commented.
The top lot in this session was a marble bust of Proserpine, attributed to Hiram Powers (1805-1873) that sold for $58,950, well over its $15/20,000 estimate.
While Bogart might be downsizing a bit and slowing down as a dealer, she rightfully points out that few ever truly quit the business, and she plans to keep a hand in it. However, the time was right to let some items go, as wrenching as that was, she said. “I had so many wonderful things and I enjoyed them for so many years. I just felt it was time to do this,” she explained.
A highlight from the Joan Bogart collection was this John Henry Belter laminated rosewood double chair tête-a-tête that sold for $20,320 ($4/6,000).
After the sale, Bogart admitted to missing some of her items, and although she knew better than to attend the auction in person, she did follow it online for a while. When a favorite pair of metal dogs that had been in her home sold, she said she was tempted to call up and buy them back. “It’s hard; these are things I loved.”
A happy outcome was learning that her track record with institutional buyers remains strong, as the Lyndhurst Mansion in nearby Tarrytown, N.Y., acquired a few of her garden antiques in this auction. “It’s very exciting because Howard Zar, who is the executive director, has done wonderful things with Lyndhurst since he took over, and he is about to restore the conservatory,” she said. “I had a cast iron Rococo center table that I loved. It was in my home. I kept plants on it, and that’s exactly what I think Howard’s planning on doing with it. And he bought some other ‘garden-y’ type things from the sale that are all going to Lyndhurst. That makes me very happy and I think the Stair company did a wonderful job.” That Victorian cast iron conservatory table raised on casters sold for $2,489.
Zar, who has bought other pieces from Bogart over the years at antiques shows, feels lucky to have been able to acquire a few pieces at this sale for the mansion, which has a major collection of Gothic Revival furniture, a primary genre Bogart dealt in. “She is the last of an era…and you won’t see those things again,” he said. “When I was aware the sale was happening and saw the things, there were some really significant pieces that made sense for Lyndhurst.”
This cast iron conservatory table that sold for $1,900 was used by Joan Bogart to hold plants. She was happy that it is going to the Lyndhurst Mansion (Tarrytown, N.Y.), where it will likely be used in the conservancy for the same purpose.
The conservancy table is the only one of its type in existence, Zar said. “I have literally never seen another.” He also cited rare pieces of Bogart’s he acquired, like a cast iron birdhouse in the form of a Gothic Revival house, a Thomas E. Warren cast iron and metal centripetal “spring” armchair retaining the original Japanned decoration and a cast iron tilt top in pristine condition with unusual decoration.
American Fine Art
The next session that same day focused on American fine art, comprised a mere 100 lots, but attained $491,866 with interest across the United States and saw active bidding from private collectors, dealers and institutions. It also saw the week’s highest-selling lot. That distinction went to a Tiffany Studios leaded and plated memorial glass window that was part of the Nicoll Family Memorial at the former St Thomas Church in New Windsor, N.Y. Spirited phone and internet bidders pushed the window, estimated at $40/60,000, to $196,500, selling to a California collector. The signed window was inscribed, “There is a green hill far away, without a city wall. Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all. / In memoriam / Leonard Francis Nicoll M.D. / Born Nov. 3rd 1876 – Died Nov. 25th 1906.”
The top lot overall at $196,500 was this Tiffany Studios leaded and plated Nicoll family memorial glass window that was sited on the former St Thomas Church in New Windsor, N.Y. ($40/60,000). American Fine Art.
“This sale came together very quickly for us, and I was happy to offer American Fine Art as a standalone session within our American Week at Stair lineup. The bidding pool was highly engaged, with a mix of private lots of private buyers, dealers, and historic institutions,” Colin Stair commented.
Many of the paintings elicited strong interest from discerning private collectors, said Lisa Thomas, director of the fine arts department. “I was very pleased to see renewed interest in Nineteenth Century American painting, especially the views of the Hudson Valley, which we see out our windows every day and never cease to amaze in their beauty,” she said. “It was also fun to see some of the unattributed works find new owners based on subject matter and quality.”
Property from the Collection of Roger S. Wieck & Jean-François Vilain
The second day began with the collection of Roger S. Wieck and Jean-François Vilain, sold to benefit the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. The session was designed to honor a life devoted to scholarship, beauty and the art of collecting. Known for his career as a curator and department head at the Morgan Library, Wieck was widely respected in the worlds of rare books and illuminated manuscripts. Alongside his longtime partner of more than 50 years, the pair assembled a deeply personal collection informed not only by academic rigor but a genuine passion and curiosity for the material, and longstanding relationships with artists, makers and fellow collectors.
A standout Walker Hancock bronze was “Reclining Nude,” which made $31,440 ($1/1,500). Collection of Roger S. Wieck and Jean-François Vilain.
“This sale outperformed all expectations, and we were delighted to see records set across sculpture and paintings. We are so glad to be able to assist in raising funds for The Morgan, one of New York City’s greatest institutions,” said Colin Stair.
Interest in the collection was reflected in feverish bidding between private collectors, dealers and institutions, with competition for the bronzes. Thomas reported that record-setting prices were achieved for Walker Hancock (1901-1998), and 16 of his bronzes crossed the block in all. Campbell Glynn Paxton saw a record result for a bronze depicting Hercules, and records for paintings were set for John Lear and Dennis Stuart.
“We were so pleased to be able to shine a light on art by queer artists that explores queer identity and history. With a focus on the male form, Wieck and Vilain amassed an impressive group of bronzes and works on paper that brought together academic art history with the exploration of homoerotic imagery from often-marginalized communities,” Thomas said. “The strong sale results serve to underline how important queer art and artists are to art history as a whole.”
Americana
Closing out American Week in the final session on August 20, the Americana auction featured more traditional fare across furniture, fine and decorative arts. Bringing nearly $300,000 overall, this session saw highlights from important collections, including weathervanes and folk art sculpture like windmill weights and whirligigs from the New York estate of Dr Lawrence Gordon. Also crossing the block was property from the collection of Lee B. Anderson, New York City, led by Gothic Revival furniture and Native American pottery.
This pair of Sheffield plate and jasperware single-arm Argand lamps lit up the Americana auction at $17,030 ($600/800).
Leading this session and performing robustly was a pair of Sheffield plate and jasperware single-arm Argand lamps, which took $17,030 against an estimate of $2/4,000; a Chinese export black lacquer and parcel-gilt chest-on-stand sold ten times over estimate at $12,445; and a distinctive American pine captain’s desk, possibly English, brought $7,860.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Stair’s next auctions will be a Mid-Week at Stair on September 16, followed by The Collection of Simon Parkes on September 17. For information, www.stairgalleries.com or 518-751-1000.
