The top lot of the auction was a trio of diminutive Emily Mason abstract paintings on clayboard from 1999 (“Mesa” shown) that attained $96,000 ($2/3,000).
Review by Andrea Valluzzo
PLAINFELD, N.H. — William Smith Auctions’ 60th annual Post Labor Day Live Auction on September 16 realized approximately $1.3 million and saw robust bidding in house as well as online for the well-curated selection of artwork, antiques and estate jewelry.
“The auction was very well attended with many in person bidders (maybe 75-ish) and tens of thousands of registered online platform bidders,” said the auction house’s director of marketing Matt Zayatz. “In general, the auction was a great success with more people returning to in house bidding, momentum pushing hammer prices higher than expected, a minor amount of passed lots and an overall thrill of excitement in the air.”
Fresh-to-market goods were sourced from several estates, ranging from a historic home in Gilmanton, N.H, that yielded early New Hampshire antiques and artwork, to the descendants of Hamilton Fish, who was the 16th governor of New York and collected American antiques and artwork. A world traveler’s Asian antiques also appeared in the sale, along with estate jewelry discovered in a safety deposit box.
The overall top lot was a grouping of three diminutive abstract paintings by Emily Mason that elicited robust bidding, as buyers drove the vibrant clayboard paintings, all from 1999, past the conservative estimate of $2/3,000 to $96,000. “The bidding on the Emily Mason paintings was primarily between several phone bidders and one group of ladies who traveled to the auction specifically to bid on this lot. The floor bidders ended up with the winning bid. We have never sold works by her before, and though there was a lot of pre-auction interest, none of us expected that result,” Zayatz added.
This antique Chinese watercolor scroll of a mountainous lakeside palace with figures brought $25,000 ($800-$1,200).
The fine art category was diverse with offerings ranging from the aforementioned contemporary paintings to an antique Chinese watercolor scroll depicting a mountainous lakeside palace with figures that earned $25,000 ($800-$1,200). “The scroll had a lot of interest pre-auction and a plethora of requests for additional images, primarily close-up silk condition requests,” he said. “Again, we knew this lot would do well, and with such interest in condition, that usually results in a high hammer price, but that was a rather large and unexpected number.”
Jewelry was also a strong category performing well in this sale, led by a 14K gold 5.5-carat diamond solitaire engagement ring that sold for $81,250. “The jewelry did well, and typically does, but watches, timepieces and coins held strong with some higher than expected watch hammer prices,” Zayatz noted. A fitting example was an 18K gold Rolex Presidential day/date man’s wristwatch that made $17,500, selling just over the high estimate.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. An online train auction is next on October 18, and the firm’s Annual Sporting Auction will be October 28. For information, www.wsmithauction.com or 603-675-2549.
