German salt glazed stoneware jug, dated 1594, stood at 9¼ inches tall and led the auction at $4,536 ($400/700).
Review By Z.G. Burnett; Photos Courtesy Pook & Pook
DOWNINGTOWN, PENN. — Pook & Pook’s Online-Only Decorative Arts auction was much like other sales of its kind, offering a diverse array of goods from all categories. Although the majority of objects were American-made, European and Asian art was also popular with bidders. Out of 813 lots, 810 sold; the auction brought $313,546 total, surpassing its $156,070/239,180 estimate.
There was a large stoneware selection of all kinds available, and a few stood out from the group. The top lot was a German salt-glazed stoneware jug that was bid to $4,536. The jug showed three heraldic escutcheons on each side of the body, profile cameos and a motto on the neck, as well as molded hatching and beading throughout. The highest-selling American stoneware piece, probably from New England, was a double-handled redware jar with a handsome green copper glaze. Both of these were in good condition with no repairs, and the jar achieved $2,520.
Fashion accessories and jewelry were also in abundance, and two lots in these categories tied at $3,780. First in the catalog was an 18K gold honeycomb brooch containing a pair of golden bees with diamond bodies. The brooch could also be worn as a pendant, and showed a stamp from Herbert Rosenthal (trademark active 1962-87). Rosenthal specialized in figural brooches, especially those with insect motifs.
Early Twentieth Century Louis Vuitton steamer trunk in good condition that closed at $3,780 ($1,2/1,800).
Next at this price was an early Twentieth Century Louis Vuitton steamer trunk with its removable tray. It showed wear and tear consistent with its age but presented well.
Most of the upper lots sold for multiples of their estimates, but the largest increase showed in an undated Chinese silk panel painted with four women on a grassy mountainside. The carved frame seemed original, and it sold for $3,528 against an $80/120 estimate. Similarly impressive was a massive Chinese export porcelain rose Fitzhugh charger with a center mountainside scene, rose colored chrysanthemums and other floriate patterns. The charger achieved $2,016.
Sterling silver was so popular with bidders that three groups reached the upper lots. An S. Kirk & Son flatware in good condition and monogrammed “NTS” sold for $3,528 ($2,6/2,800). Next was a group of sterling silver, including two pairs of weighted candlesticks, one by Ernest Gwilliam of Tuttle Silver Co, Boston, and a coin silver spoon by O.D. Seymour, Hartford, Conn., for $2,520. The most elaborate sterling set was from Towle, in the Diane pattern and inscribed “Singer,” which achieved $2,268 ($1,6/2,000).
This early Nineteenth Century cellarette on a later stand almost multiplied to ten times its $200/300 estimate to $2,394.
Furniture from the Eighteenth to the Nineteenth Centuries found favor, as is usual for this type of sale at Pook & Pook. An intriguing example was a circa 1800 mahogany cellarette with an inlaid keyhole and star decoration, resting on a stand crafted later, that sold for $2,394. Also from the Williams collection was a Pennsylvania Queen Anne chest on frame in walnut at $2,142; the catalog suggested that the base was “probably an early bench-made piece.” Slightly more simple in design was a painted pine raised panel cupboard from the Nineteenth Century that retained its old red surface and was in good condition, selling for $2,016.
Prices are quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Pook & Pook’s Americana & International auction will occur on October 6. For information, 610-269-4040 or www.pookandpook.com.
