“Portrait of Caroline Allport” by William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916), 1897, oil on canvas, 34 by 30 inches framed, signed upper left, was the highest-selling lot of the auction, going home with a private collector for $120,650 ($80/120,000).

Review by Kiersten Busch

MILFORD, CONN. — Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers continued to prove its strength as one of the leading auction houses in the sale of historic American art through their Spring Fine Art auction, which took place on May 2. Realizing a total of $2.4 million, the sale was composed of fresh-to-the-market works from a variety of important private collectors. A spokesperson for Shannon’s told Antiques and The Arts Weekly, “Overall we are very happy with the results. We had a sell-through rate of more than 80 percent with many lots exceeding their presale estimates.” Additionally, they shared, “There was great participation in this auction with close to 750 viewers watching the live sale as well as hundreds of telephone bidders. We had buyers from Spain, the United Kingdom, Greece, Japan, France and numerous states near and far, including Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Montana and Georgia.”

Coming out on top was an 1897 portrait by American-born artist William Merritt Chase, titled “Portrait Of Caroline Allport.” The oil on canvas painting was signed “Wm. M Chase,” and descended in the family of the sitter. It had additional provenance to Madron Gallery LLC in Chicago, and a private collection in Michigan. The most unique aspect of this portrait was the original handwritten letter that came with it, from the artist to the parents of the sitter. Bidders pushed it to $118,750, after competitive bidding between dealers and collectors. A private collector eventually placed the winning bid.

“Dressing” by Frederick Carl Frieseke (American, 1874-1939), oil on canvas, 28½ by 32½ inches framed, signed lower right, sold for $114,300 ($50/75,000).

Figure paintings continued to draw in bidders, with the second-highest selling lot going to “Dressing” by Frederick Carl Frieseke for $114,300. The oil on canvas painting was signed “F.C. Frieseke” lower right. It had extensive provenance beginning in 1939 with the estate of the artist in France and concluding with a private collection in North Carolina, before being auctioned by Shannon’s. The painting was exhibited in Blowing Rock, N.C., at the Blowing Rock History Museum in 2013. It sold to a private collection in the Midwest, to a couple who were new buyers at Shannon’s.

“Low Tide” by Maurice Brazil Prendergast, watercolor and pencil on paper, signed “Prendergast” lower right, sold just above its low estimate for $82,550. The painting, depicting a beach scene in vivid colors, was exhibited in New York City at M. Knoedler & Co. in November 1966. It also had provenance to Charles Prendergast, the artist’s brother; Mrs Eugenie Prendergast, his wife and Brooke Astor (New York City), from whose estate Sotheby’s sold the painting in 2012. The painting resided in a private collection in Michigan before heading to its new home.

Landscapes and various nature-related scenes were also popular with bidders. Known for her exotic, highly decorated bird studies — especially elegant plumages of peacocks — Chicago-born Jessie Arms Botke’s “White Peacocks And Blue Delphinium” captivated bidders, leading the oil on board painting to sell for $63,500. It had provenance to the estate of Louis W. Hill Jr in St Paul, Minn.; Sotheby’s, New York City and a private collection in Michigan.

Trading hands just over its high estimate was “Morning In The Adirondacks” by James McDougal Hart (American, 1828-1901), circa 1863, oil on canvas, 52 by 79¼ inches framed, signed lower left ($30/50,000).

“Morning In The Adirondacks,” an oil on canvas by James McDougal Hart, previously owned by Thomas Colville Fine Art, LLC, and a private collector in Michigan, went for just over its high estimate, at $53,340. It was signed “James M. Hart” lower left. The painting was exhibited in Petoskey, Mich., at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in 2009, and in 2010 in Savannah, Ga., at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Pushed to two times its high estimate to sell for $50,800, “Brittany Field With Figure” by Arthur Wesley Dow was previously owned by the Spanierman Gallery LLC in New York City, then was auctioned by Heritage Auctions on November 14, 2014, after which it made its way to a private collection in New York. The oil on canvas was signed and dated “Arthur W Dow April 1887” lower left and inscribed “Ipswich / Mass” on the reverse.

With provenance to the artist and a private collection in Connecticut, “Foliage Study” by Lynne Mapp Drexler traded hands for $48,260, just under its high estimate. The 1962 watercolor and gouache on board painting is titled, dated and signed on the reverse.

“The Coal Elevator, New York” by Milton Clark Avery, signed lower right, landed comfortably within its estimate, selling for $45,720. The oil on canvas painting was sold by Christie’s New York in September of 2009, then had homes at Hollis Taggart Galleries and a private collection in North Carolina. It was also shown in the same exhibition as Frieseke’s “Dressing.”

“The Coal Elevator, New York” by Milton Clark Avery (American, 1885-1965), circa 1930, oil on canvas, 34¾ by 40 inches framed, signed lower right, traded hands within estimate for $45,720 ($40/60,000).

American-born Abbott Fuller Graves’ “Hunnewell Gardens,” with provenance to Collins Auction Galleries in Kennebunk, Maine; Babcock Galleries in New York City and a private collection in Michigan, bloomed to $45,720, comfortably within estimate. The oil on canvas painting was signed lower right.

Modern and contemporary paintings also turned heads during the sale, with “The Ringing And The Ringing” by Alice Baber rounding out the top three best-selling lots. The seller of the acrylic on canvas painting “picked [it] up at a local shop in the Pacific Northwest decades ago because he liked it. He noticed our previous sale in October and contacted us. We were able to have the authenticity verified by the Alice Baber project and achieve a strong result,” reported a spokesperson for Shannon’s. The colorful painting flew past its estimate, heading to its new home for $101,600.

“Untitled,” a 1953 collage by Esteban Vicente sold for $82,550. According to a spokesperson at Shannon’s, the piece was “sold at Berry-Hill in New York City in 1992 to a private collection in Idaho. That person gifted the collage to our consignor in California…it is now on its way to Spain.”

Agnes Martin’s geometric abstraction, “Untitled,” signed and dated verso, was pushed to $82,550, over its high estimate. A spokesperson for Shannon’s attested that “The market for Martin has soared in recent years and we had a lot of interest in this work.” The ink on paper piece was purchased by the Robert Elkon Gallery of New York City in 1970. It was also part of several private collections.

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.shannons.com or 203-877-1711.