Americana collectors were out in force for Skinner’s American furniture and decorative arts auction on June 7, and hefty prices were recorded throughout the session. Furniture seemed to be selling well, smalls continued to bring good money and the selection of artwork contained a few surprises.
The auction began with the third session in a series of sales liquidating the clock collection of Herbert Nilson and, as seen in past auctions, bidding was active for the select examples. Leading them was a mahogany regulator wall clock by J.N. Dunning, Burlington, Vt., with an eight-day brass movement and iron face painted with Roman numerals. Estimated at $15/20,000, the clock was actively bid, selling for $29,625.
Another Dunning wall clock, a mahogany gallery example with lower ogee-shaped box, sold well below the $15/25,000 estimate, bringing only $8,888. Also offered was an Empire balance wheel shelf clock by Silas Terry that brought $7,110.
The Americana session opened with a selection of nautical items with the first few lots consisting of scrimshaw whales’ teeth. The opening lot was a tooth decorated with a building flying the American flag and several ships. It listed a provenance of descending in the family of William and Henry Walters, who established Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum. The rare tooth sold at the high end of estimate, making $2,370. Another tooth listing Walters provenance was offered next, this one depicting a large monument with an American flag and an intricate village scene verso, with it selling above estimate at $4,444.
A series of marine paintings were offered next, and among the selection was a pair of harbor scenes attributed to French artist Adrien Manglard that almost slipped under the radar. Estimated at $4/6,000, the pair of oils on canvas applied to Masonite caught the attention of several bidders, with the lot bringing $30,810.
A monumental relief carving, “Striped Bass Fishing” by Leander Allen Plummer II, excited the crowd, and spirited bidding was witnessed. Plummer, a successful engineer, changed course in 1883 and left his job to become an artist, spending the next four years at the Academie Julian in Paris. He returned to paint the wildlife that he had seen in the New Bedford, Mass., area and eventually discovered a talent in woodcarving.
Measuring 35½ by 62 inches, the intricately carved panel depicted a hooked bass leaping from swirling waters with seaweed, shells and other fish appearing in its wake. Stained with pigments that the artist used to create a lifelike appearance, the masterpiece had descended through the family of the artist. The lot was accompanied by a brass-bound box filled with his gouges and woodworking tools. Several in the crowd hit the lot on its way to a selling price of $59,250.
The bird carvings of Charles Hart also did well, with an unusual painted plaque with several applied carved warblers selling well above estimate at $4,148, a carved robin measuring 7 inches tall brought $1,185, and a pair of penguins by the carver went out at $3,437.
American furniture saw a spurt in interest, with a Queen Anne walnut and walnut veneered dressing table from the Boston area, circa 1730, being the first furniture lot of merit to cross the block. The attractive case piece sold at $19,849. A diminutive Queen Anne drop leaf table in a nice old surface exceeded estimate, bringing $4,148, and a walnut Philadelphia Chippendale side chair with a shell carved crest and ball and claw feet also exceeded estimates, selling at $3,200.
The top lot of the auction came from the selection of furniture, as a mahogany blockfront desk, Boston, circa 1760, with shell carved interior was offered. Retaining its original brasses and with an old refinish, the bracket base desk had a provenance of purchase by Mrs Ernest Reuter from Israel Sack in 1919. Estimated at $40/60,000, the attractive desk sold at $71,100.
A blockfront Chippendale cherry chest of drawers with four graduated drawers and a pinwheel carved drop pendant sold at $15,405, while a Chippendale tall case clock thought to have been made in Montgomery County, Penn., sold between estimates at $13,035.
Also doing well was a Queen Anne tiger maple highboy with an old refinish and some original brasses, selling at $13,035.
A New England chest-on-chest in tiger maple seemed a good buy at $6,992, and a Queen Anne birch slant front desk with bandy legs brought only $1,422.
A pair of Federal arched back carved mahogany settees attracted quite a bit of attention. Thought to have been made in New England with shaped arms and square molded legs, the pair exceeded the $8/12,000 estimate, selling at $31,995. A Chippendale carved walnut upholstered wing chair with shell carved knees and ball and claw feet also topped its estimate, reaching $10,073.
Folk paintings did very well, with a portrait of a husband and wife seated in fancy red chairs and beneath a red drape shooting past the $8/15,000 presale estimate. A couple tears in the canvas and some paint loss did not deter interest as the lot crossed the block; the 19-by-24-inch double portrait realized $50,363.
The lot was followed by a Matthew Prior portrait of a baby in a white dress holding a bunch of cherries and flanked by multicolored swagged and tasseled drapes. Bidding on this lot was also spirited, with it also exceeding estimates, selling at $10,665.
A good selection of weathervanes was offered, with a large cow vane with verdigris surface, measuring 36 inches in length, leading the group at $14,220; a smaller cow with a worn gilt surface, measuring 26 inches in length, brought $3,555. A setter dog weathervane with gilt surface brought $8,295, and a cod weathervane by Washburne sold at $3,437.
A monumental painted galvanized sheet metal attendant, commonly referred to as a “muffler man,” stood some 7 feet tall and came from the collection of unusual items consigned from the estate of William Greenspon. Found in Jewett City, Conn., and constructed from industrial ducting materials, the painted figure was estimated at $8/12,000 and sold for $16,590. Also from the Greenspon collection was a cast iron bust of a man that stood almost 2 feet tall. Estimated at $3/5,000, the lot hammered down for a healthy $13,035.
A large group of prints were sold toward the end of the auction, with a Currier & Ives large folio litho of “The New York Yacht Club Regatta” leading the way at $10,073.
Prices include the buyer’s premium charged. For information, 508-970-3000 or www.skinnerinc.com .
