“Mother And Child, La Couture” by Le Pho (French/Vietnamese 1907-2001), circa 1946-62, oil on silk laid on board, 38 by 48¾ inches framed, exceeded estimates to achieve $106,230, the sale’s highest price ($40/60,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — Nye & Company’s two-day Chic & Antique auction, January 22-23, presented more than 540 lots of artwork, Americana, ceramics, jewelry, coins and furniture. According to company president Andrew Holter, “The sale fell within the pre-sale estimate range. There was competitive bidding from around the world and we had a fair number of new bidders participating.”
“Mother and Child, La Couture” by Le Pho was the star of the sale, surpassing its $40/60,000 estimate to achieve $106,250. The work, done during the artist’s Romanet period (1946-62), was signed at the center left and was stamped and bore a label for Galerie Romanet on its reverse. It also bore an export stamp and was inscribed “No. 516 40P” and “La Couture.” It came from a wealthy collector’s estate in Princeton, N.J., and sold to a private overseas collector.
A set of four small Chinese porcelain and ceramic table articles were bid to $16,640. The set comprised a small green porcelain bowl or teacup with leaf details, a diminutive green ceramic vase, a mauve porcelain shallow bowl and a round mauve porcelain box, minus its lid. Two of their pieces had labels, one for Parke-Bernet Galleries and the other for Warren E. Cox Associates. Despite minor cracks, chips and surface stains, the set was aggressively contested and soared well beyond their $400/600 estimate range.
“Figure” by Bruno Caruso (Italian, 1927-2018), oil on board, 25 by 24¾ inches framed, was bid to $10,625 ($800-$1,200).
Also selling well above estimates was “Figure,” an oil on board by Italian artist Bruno Caruso. Against a gray background, Caruso depicted a long and narrow white figure among miscellaneous tall white items. Signed to the center bottom, the piece had various inscriptions to the rear, including one for a New York City Gallery and another for one in Palermo, Italy. The painting had provenance to Hugh and Condict Hyde; Spook Farm Gallery, Bedminster Township, N.J.; and a private collection in Gladstone, N.J.
The highest price of the second day was earned by a set of contemporary wallpaper panels from Zuber. This French scenic wallpaper, titled “Les vues d’Amérique du Nord” or “The Views of North America,” is “still printed today ‘à la planche’ with the 1690 antique woodblocks, carved in 1834 by the manufactory’s workers,” according to the Zuber website. The wallpaper in this sale was mounted on 19 plywood panels of various sizes and shapes to account for doorways, windows and other room details. The panels were approved for deaccession from the Fraunces Tavern by Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc., and sold for $10,880 — more than double their high estimate.
William Mason Brown’s Nineteenth Century oil on canvas “Still Life of Fruit and Goblet” was in good condition and brought $9,375. The catalog emphasized Brown’s artistry, noting that this was a “very fine painting with accurate rendering of respective textures.”
An Old Master portrait of an unidentified lady was bid to $8,320. Done by Dutch artist Nicholaes Maes in 1671, the oil on panel was exhibited at The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, N.H., and was featured in Franklin W. Robinson’s “A Portrait by Nicholas Maes,” published in the gallery’s Autumn 1970 bulletin. It had provenance to the collection of Martin Wunsch, New York City, and H. Shickman Gallery, New York City.
“Hand Sculpture from the Tomb” by Peter Hujar (American, 1934-1987), 1967/2010, pigmented ink print, 26¾ by 20½ inches framed, earned $8,960 ($1/2,000).
Prints also found success, with the category being led by “Hand Sculpture from the Tomb” by Peter Hujar. Dated “1967/2010,” this pigmented ink print was edition 3 of 10 and had provenance to the estate of Theodore A. Bonin. It crept from its $2,000 high estimate to finish for $8,960.
Despite a spurious “Andy Warhol” signature, an offset lithograph after the artist’s “Flowers,” dated “‘64” was bid to $8,750, ignoring the conservative $500/700 estimate range. Taped to the backside was a black-and-white printout of six editions from the “Flowers” series.
Holter added, “We were pleased with the results and are enthusiastic about the market and the direction it is moving. We are confident that 2025 is going to be a good year and we remain optimistic that buyers young and old will see the value in owning terrific pieces that speak to one’s soul and enrich their lives with the feelings they emote.”
Next, Nye & Company will auction luxury fashion and accessories from the estate of Susan Chalom on March 19. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.nyeandcompany.com or 973-984-6900.
