The star of the sale, selling for $52,360, was Audubon’s double elephant folio, hand colored aquatint engraving, “Fish Hawk or Osprey.” It was from the Havell edition and was watermarked 1833.
Review and Onsite Photos by Rick Russack, Additional Photos Courtesy Tremont Auctions
SUDBURY, MASS. – Brett Downer and his team brought together a varied selection of good merchandise on April 24, mostly from local estates and nearly all being sold without reserve. An Audubon aquatint topped the day at $52,360; an abstract blue and white painting by a Korean artist earned $47,600; and a strong selection of jewelry, silver, Asian items and a select grouping of historical firearms and related material did well. Perhaps not bringing the highest prices of the day, a pristine selection of Mathew Brady Civil War photos was a historically significant addition to the sale.
About 1,400 people were viewing the sale on the internet platforms as the sale began. There was a small group of buyers in the room, typical of sales these days, several phone lines were in use, and absentee bids were smoothly processed. The catalog descriptions were detailed, usually including condition statements, and multiple photographs were posted online. The sale grossed $792,000 but would have been significantly higher. Late on the night before the sale, an attorney representing one of the estates that had consigned about 40 paintings, called and said the lots had to be withdrawn due to a dispute among the heirs.
Audubon’s double elephant folio, hand colored aquatint engraving, “Fish Hawk or Osprey,” led the sale. It was plate #81 from the Havell edition of Birds of America, watermarked 1833, in fine condition, and was chased to its final price by five competing phone bidders. Audubon began painting watercolors of birds in America in the 1820s. He was unable to interest American firms to publish his paintings as engravings, so in 1826 he took his collection of more than 400 paintings to England, where there was much more interest. Between 1827 and 1838, the engravings were published. A total of 435 hand colored engravings were issued, mostly by Robert Havell Sr and his son. Pages were watermarked, as was this one with an 1833 date. Eventually, only about 175-200 full sets were issued. In 2010, Sotheby’s sold a complete four-volume set for more than $11 million.
The price $3,094 was the highest achieved by any of the group of pristine albumen Civil War photographs. This one depicted a large group of soldiers of the 21st Michigan Infantry, and noted on the back was “Shermans Vets. 21st Mich Co D.” Bringing the same price was a photograph identified as “Chickamauga transport steam on Tennessee River.” It depicted a sidewheeler with a cannon mounted on the deck, African Americans on the deck, well-dressed women and two smokestacks.
The large selection of paintings and other artworks included material from two local collections. Of most interest to buyers was the abovementioned 1983 abstract blue and white painting by Korean/Japanese artist Ufan Lee (b 1936) aka Lee Ufan, which was inscribed on the reverse, possibly a title, “From Winds No. 8392101.” His works hang in several major museums, and some of his work has brought six-figure prices.
“Adriatic Harbor,” depicting large sailboats at a dock by Edgar Payne (1883-1947) brought $29,750. Another harbor scene, this one in Florida, done by Emile Gruppe (1896-1978), earned $5,712. Uncharacteristically for the artist, who is better known for his New England coastal and harbor views, this scene included a large passenger ship, a speed boat and palm trees. A limited-edition lithograph by Grant Wood (1891-1942), “Tree Planting Group,” signed and dated 1937 in pencil, sold for $2,856. A 1932 etching by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) “Tete d’Homme a la Pipe,” Geiser #32, 1912, reached $9,520. A gallery label affixed to the back gave it a date of 1920.
With the addition of Keith Downer to the company, expect more sales with quality military material. For this sale, there were Revolutionary and Civil War firearms, uniforms, swords and more. Of most interest to collectors, and bringing the third highest price of the day, was a Courtney & Tennant S.C. Confederate naval officer’s sword and scabbard made by Robert Mole in England. The catalog, praising the sword, stated, “This sword speaks for itself and needs little information of production. An outstanding addition to any collection”; and apparently collectors agreed. Mole often included the name of the officer for whom a sword was made, as many were custom-made depending on the height of the owner. This one had three legible letters, “Bel…” and had descended in the family of a man who had served in the Civil War, but nothing else was known about the previous owner. It sold for $32,130.
Cameron Ayotte, left, and Matt Buckley, round out the Tremont team. Jim Callahan, who directs the Asian sales, was out of the building.
Numerous other Civil War-era items included a rare Wesson & Leavitt dragoon revolver made by the Massachusetts Arms Company. They were produced only in 1850 and 1851, with about 800 known to have been made. Samuel Colt successfully sued for infringement of his patent for revolvers, and production was halted. It was marked “Wesson & Leavitts Patent” and the top strap was marked “Mass Arms Co Chicopee Falls.” It realized $2,261. An unusual offering, which sold for just $89, was a lot of six Civil War field cutlery items belonging to Colonel David R. Kenyon. The lot included four forks of different sizes and two knives. Buttons also were offered with a pre-Civil War silver plated Republic of Texas infantry button with a large embossed star surrounding the letter T. The catalog emphasized that this was not a “dug” button but was complete with shank and stamped “Scovills Waterbury.” It measured 19.60 millimeters and was most likely from an 1837 order to Scoville from Texas. It sold for $3,094, well over the estimate.
The sale included an important group of large, pristine, Civil War albumen photographs that had descended in the family of Civil War General Samuel C. Lawrence, of Medford, Mass. Lawrence (1832-1911) was commander of the Lawrence Light Guard during the Civil War and had other commands. He was the first mayor of the city of Medford in 1895. He amassed a collection of more than 3,500 Civil War photos, most of which were donated to the Medford Historical Society more than 70 ago. However, several were retained by the family. The photographs were taken by Mathew Brady and his associates, most notably Alexander Gardner, George Barnard and Timothy O’Sullivan, who together photographed many war scenes, camps, towns and people touched by or serving in the war. Brady’s photographs included iconic, frequently reproduced portraits of Abraham Lincoln and his generals. Many were issued as stereographs.
The catalog described this covered jar, drilled as a lamp base, as Chinese from the transitional period, circa 1620. It had Wu Tsai decoration of foo dogs with flowers. It was one of a pair, sold individually, and earned $3,808. Its mate brought about $200 less.
Lawrence’s collection of larger prints almost never saw the light of day, so the albumen prints, which can fade when exposed to light, were in pristine condition. Two each sold for $3,094. A notation on the front of one, identified it as the “Chickamauga transport steam on Tennessee River.” It depicted a sidewheeler with a cannon mounted on the deck, African Americans on the deck, well-dressed women and two smokestacks. Bringing the same price was a photo of a large group of soldiers of the 21st Michigan Infantry, and noted on the back was “Shermans Vets. 21st Mich Co D.” The catalog stated that it was probably by Brady. Brady’s iconic image of General William Tecumseh Sherman taken in Washington DC, May 1865, shows Sherman wearing a black band in mourning for Lincoln. It realized $2,040. A photo of Major General Philip H. Sheridan seated in front of a tent, also likely by Brady, brought $833, and another, of Major General George G. Meade standing at his headquarters tent in June of 1864, realized $1,309. There were more than 20 in all. Many of these photos are well-known, appearing on the Library of Congress, and other websites and many have been published. The consignment included Lawrence’s commissions, also pristine, and some groups of letters.
After the sale, Matt Buckley and Brett Downer both said the sale had gone well, in spite of the 40 lots that had been withdrawn. Downer said, “There were some good paintings in those lots that were withdrawn. I’ve never had that happen before. We may get a chance to sell them at an upcoming sale, but it won’t be the same. We still hit the number we were shooting for, even without those paintings. It’s just a shame to have to explain to phone bidders and others what had happened.”
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, www.tremontauctions.com or 617-795-1678.
