Top-lot status for the two-day sale was awarded to this Donald Dunlap-style tiger maple highboy, 75 inches tall by 40 inches wide by 19 inches deep, which surpassed its $3/5,000 estimate to make $6,250 on day two.
Review by Kiersten Busch
BEVERLY, MASS. — January 10-11, Kaminski Auctions conducted day one and two of the sale of property from the estate of Dalia Zikas, a post-WWII German immigrant and former consultant for the Office of Personnel Management at Hanscom Air Force Base. The sale offered nearly 1,000 lots over the two days and earned a combined 88 percent sell-through rate.
The auction catalog added detail about Zikas’ collection, explaining, “Her methodical intellect translated into a highly personal collecting philosophy: an ‘instinctive appreciation for artists who were lesser known or underrecognized.’ … In its entirety, the estate offers captivating objects chosen with integrity and profound respect for the stories they hold, paying tribute to a life defined by cultural heritage and the pursuit of beauty.”
Day one was headed by a hand-executed tiger maple sideboard by D.R. Dimes, which surpassed its $800-$1,200 estimate to achieve $2,750. The sideboard had a pegged and dovetailed construction and had both a branded mark and a paper label. Two additional pieces of D.R. Dimes furniture crossed the block: A Hepplewhite-style tiger maple console table earned $1,625, while a hand-crafted tiger maple side chair sat at $1,188.
The highest price on day one went to this D.R. Dimes tiger maple sideboard, 38½ inches tall by 57 inches wide by 18 inches deep, which stood at $2,750 ($800-$1,200).
Also of interest to bidders was a Paine Furniture leather-top mahogany two-drawer desk ($2,250) and a hand-crafted tiger maple chest on a two-drawer stand ($1,250). The former had paw feet and carved Egyptian woman on its legs, while the latter had a pegged and dovetailed construction.
Several woolwork pieces, or woolies, were offered on day one, ranging in price from $125 for a circa 1840 English example of a mother and her children, to $2,625 for a Nineteenth Century example depicting three named ships at sea. Also illustrating ships were a Nineteenth Century woolie done with thread and cord depicting one sailing ship ($2,000) and a Nineteenth Century English woolie with a beaded crown embellishment, a British ship, the English rose and the flags of England, America and France ($1,188).
Ships seemed to be a popular theme for bidders on day one, as a few additional nautical-themed items earned high prices, including an Aaron Willard-style nautical motif shelf clock with Boston-style dish dial ($2,250), a cased ship model of the brig Snow ($1,250), a 113-piece Wedgwood partial dinner set in the Flying Cloud Rust pattern ($1,250), a collection of six pieces of Nineteenth Century transfer-decorated nautical themed creamware pieces ($1,063) and a pair of oil on board ship paintings in figured maple frames ($1,063).
Sailing to $2,625 was this Nineteenth Century woolwork depicting three ships at sea, 19 by 20¾ inches framed ($300/500).
Fine art on the first day was led by an untitled oil on canvas portrait of an older woman by George Luks, which eclipsed its $250/350 estimate seven and a half times to make $2,625. A 1904 watercolor and gouache winter street scene by Everett Shinn (American, 1876-1953) and “Summer Ride,” an oil on canvas by Ken Stark (American, Twentieth Century), both finished at $1,375, exceeding their estimates.
A Donald Dunlap-style tiger maple highboy and “Arey’s Cove,” an oil on board by William Lester Stevens, each reached the two-day event’s high price of $6,250 on day two. The highboy measured 75 inches high and had provenance to a Cohasset, Mass., collection and the landscape painting was signed to the lower right.
After “Arey’s Cove,” the second-highest earning painting was an Impressionistic oil on canvas of a young girl sitting among grass and wildflowers by Edward Potthast, which was signed lower left and bloomed to $2,875 ($500/700). Two additional portraits achieved high numbers on day two, including a Nineteenth Century folk portrait of a girl in a pink dress and an oil on canvas portrait of a young woman with a young child, both of which achieved $1,250.
This Impressionistic painting of a young girl by Edward Potthast (American, 1857-1927), oil on canvas, 13 by 10¾ inches framed, bloomed to $2,875 ($500/700).
Furniture and fine art continued to be the trend on day two, with both categories encompassing the majority of the top selling lots. A vintage painted drop-front desk with chinoiserie decoration and brass pulls closed its drawers for $2,750, eclipsing its $200/300 estimate. It was marked “Osborn and Irwin Inc. Boston.” The desk was followed closely behind at $2,625 by a tiger maple six-drawer chest, cataloged as “vintage” and in good condition.
Other notable furniture included a D.R. Dimes oak fan-back Windsor armchair ($1,500), a pair of vintage Kittinger mahogany two-drawer stands ($1,500), a Midcentury Modern Dunbar Berne desk designed by Edward Wormley ($1,250) and three Legacy double-arched carved pine bookcases by Ethan Allen, which sold separately for $1,250, $1,188 and $1,000, respectively.
Two watercolors by John Worf (American, 1903-1959) also attracted bidder attention. The first, “Boston Street Scene,” was signed to the lower right and sold for $2,500. The second, “The Green Door,” was housed in a gilt frame and made $1,625.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, 978-927-2223 or www.kaminskiauctions.com.
