One of a pair of folk art portraits by American Nineteenth Century artist Joel Parks. “Minerva,” 1838, was bid to $3,548, topping the sale. Her husband Isaac Hayes, also the subject of a portrait by Parks, brought $3,225. Both portraits were in the owner’s family for 200 years.

Review by W.A. Demers

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — The top lot of the day at the Benefit Shop Foundation’s July 10 Red Carpet auction was one of a pair of folk art portraits by American Nineteenth Century artist Joel Parks. “Minerva,” 1838, was bid to $3,548. Minerva Hayes was age 49 when this oil portrait was painted. It was marked by artist Joel Parks on the backside, “J. Parks Portrait and Miniature painter. Depicts Mrs Hayes seated in black with a lace collar and bonnet with high detailing to lace, she wears a lavish brooch and gold ring on her hand and holds a red book. Possibly a Bible in the other hand.” Framed in a gold leaf wooden frame, the portrait measured approximately 37 by 31 inches.

Part of the firm’s series of Red Carpet sales, this event featured property of local estates, including jewelry, luxury fashion, antiques and decorative arts. With no reserves, it had a sell-through rate of around 98 percent, according to the firm’s owner Pam Stone.

As for Minerva Hayes’ husband, Isaac, his portrait by Parks brought $3,225. It was marked on the backside, “Isaac Hayes, age 61, 1838.” Parks further described the likeness on the backside with “J. Parks Portrait and Miniature painter. Depicts Mr Hayes seated with a tall collar, with envelope in hand, which identifies him by name and date on envelope, and place, Unadilla, N.Y., with a pair of glasses in his other hand.” Both portraits had been in the possession of a Greenwich, Conn., family for 200 years. Luckily, they were not split up, going to the same bidder.

One of a pair of folk art portraits by American Nineteenth Century artist Joel Parks. “Minerva,” 1838, was bid to $3,548, topping the sale. Her husband Isaac Hayes, also the subject of a portrait by Parks, brought $3,225. Both portraits were in the owner’s family for 200 years.

Folk art was further on display with a life-size 1861 Jago Black boxing folk art sign from a Bedford, N.Y., estate that also took $3,225. Standing 5½ feet tall and 16 inches wide, the hand-painted wooden panel of Jago Black modeled as a boxer poised to fight had a painted inscription along its right edge: “Jago Black 1861.” Black is shown with yellow trousers, green socks and black shoes. “We were very pleased. He [the boxer] was a very striking piece,” said Stone.

Folky in nature, if not in fact, was a hand-painted antique White Hart Ales & Spirits wooden sign that settled up its tab at $645 against an $100/200 estimate. An image of a white buck and hand-painted floral motifs its the bottom embellished the 46-by-39-inch sign, with the deer measuring 27 by 29 inches.
Fine art — classical, pop and contemporary — was also notable in the sale. An Andy Warhol (1928-1987) lithograph of a close up of a cow’s head in orange against a purple background was bid to $903. The piece was marked on the margins, “Andy Warhol, Whitney Museum, May 1-June 13, 1971.” Another margin inscription read “Copyright Factory Lithograph, 1971.” With no frame, the litho measured approximately 41 by 30 inches.

Fetching $839 was Giovanni Battista Salvi’s (Italian, 1609-1685) “Madonna,” an oil on copper, depicting the Virgin Mary in a pensive pose, draped in blue and looking down with hooded eyes. It was housed in a wooden gold leaf frame with carved foliate motifs on the outer edges, measuring approximately 19 by 17 inches.

Giovanni Battista Salvi’s “Madonna,” an oil on copper depicting the Virgin Mary in a pensive pose, fetched $839.

A painting, signed on the lower right corner, by Paul Grimm (South African, 1892-1974) depicted a vast landscape with a body of water and trees with blue mountains in the distance. In a gold leaf wooden frame, approximately 37 by 45 inches, it went out at $774.

Notable sculptures included a white bronze fine art sculpture by Ernest Trova (American, 1927-2009), a contemporary abstract artist. The limited-edition sculpture, capturing a $968 price, incorporated “The Falling Man figural” — Trova’s trademark image. The falling man measured 3 inches tall, standing armless with a bulging belly on the base of the sculpture. It was signed on the underside, numbered 73 of 99 and dated “1987.”

An Art Nouveau bronze of “Galatea,” the Greek sea nymph, was draped in seaweed and lured bidders to $839. Unsigned but after Eduardo Rossi (Italian, 1867-1926), the 29-inch sculpture had holes on its base — evidence that it was once secured to a fountain or other structure.

In the jewelry category, a vintage 14K gold and diamond heart necklace sold for $968, while a signed 14K yellow gold sapphire ring took $769.

A vintage 14K gold and diamond heart necklace sold for $968.

Furniture enthusiasts chased a vintage Stickley wooden china cabinet to $1,677. The piece was light brown and featured four windowed doors and four columns of glass shelves within each area. It measured approximately 83 inches tall by 75 inches long by 20 inches deep. An antique wooden Chippendale chest with a leather-lined pull-out shelf settled at $645. The dark Chinese Chippendale-style chest had eight drawers, each with gilt metal handles, keyholes and hand dovetailing. Most of the keyholes had gilt metal escutcheons. With a footed base, the chest measured approximately 70 inches tall by 32 inches wide by 20 inches deep.

Decorative arts were led by a heavy Moser crystal bowl earning $903, and a set of 14 antique Mintons porcelain dishes made in England for Tatman Chicago, which left the gallery at $645.

Decorative arts were led by this Moser heavy crystal bowl with a 24K gold border, realizing $903.

The signed Moser thick-walled and heavy faceted crystal centerpiece bowl was embossed with a 24K gold band. Made of hand-cut crystal, the bowl measured 10½ inches wide by 5½ inches tall. The dishes, each 10 inches in diameter, were adorned with raised embossed gilt on their edges with scroll patterns on the outer edges and hand-applied gold accents against a cream-toned porcelain. They were in “good condition,” noted the catalog, “practically never used.”

“For us, it’s always what sells best, and this auction was right on track,” Stone concluded.

Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. The next Red Carpet Auction is set for August 14. For information, 914-864-0707 or www.thebenefitshop.org.