Top lot status was awarded to this oil on panel of an Elizabethan noblewoman, 42 by 30 inches framed, which crossed the block for $28,125 ($1/2,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
FREEHOLD, N.Y. — More than 360 lots from a New England collection, as well as estates in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Guilderland, N.Y., made up the contents of Carlsen Gallery’s Pre-Holiday Antique Auction on December 7. The sale was an opportunity for bidders to “find the perfect one-of-a-kind holiday gift” before the onslaught of shopping in the coming weeks, and was “a decent sale,” according to owner Russell Carlsen. “The sale grossed $500,000 and had a 98 percent sell-through rate,” he reported.
Carlsen continued, “There was a lot of activity in the room; we were well attended. We handed out 60 buyer numbers, meaning there were around 98 to 100 people in-house. Our internet platforms and the phones were also very busy all day!”
An oil on panel of an Elizabethan noblewoman was wrapped up for the sale’s highest price, eclipsing its $1/2,000 estimate to make $28,125. Mounted on a cradled panel, the work measured 42 by 30 inches. The next highest-earning portrait was an oil on canvas of a “distinguished man seated in a yellow Sheraton fancy chair,” according to catalog notes. Painted by Ammi Phillips, the 30-by-24-inch work made $5,625. “The Ammi Philips was a little light, but that’s alright,” Carlsen added.
Other notable fine art included a Prior Hamlin School oil on canvas portrait of George Washington that “did well,” according to Carlsen ($5,000); Nelson Augustus Moore’s (1824-1902) 1895 “Lake Mohonk” ($4,375) and an unsigned oil on canvas depicting “Washington’s Headquarters, Newburgh, N.Y., The Hasbrouck House” ($4,063).
“Femme Indienne” by Emile Coroiolan Guillemin, bronze, 53 inches high, was cast by the Barbedienne Foundry and doubled its high estimate at $10,800 ($3/5,000).
Sculpture was led by a bronze figural torchiere lamp by Emile Coriolan Guillemin, titled “Femme Indienne,” which lit up for $10,800 against a $3/5,000 estimate. Standing 53 inches tall, the Orientalist work was cast at the Barbedienne Foundry. Crossing the block for $7,200 was a bronze bust study for the head of Melvin Memorial, otherwise known as “Mourning Victory,” in Concord, Mass., by sculptor Daniel Chester French. Signed with the artist’s initials and dated “Oct 1907,” the sculpture stood at 19½ inches high, including its marble base. Also selling well was a pair of Roman Bronze Works statues of Adam with an apple and Eve with a snake by Paul Manship, which sold together for $5,625.
Early American memorabilia was also a hot topic, with a waistcoat worn by a member of the New York State militia in the War of 1812 earning the highest price of the widespread category at $11,250. A George Washington inaugural button from 1789 was cataloged as “rare,” and featured the “Long Live the President” slogan arched above Washington’s initials, which were positioned on the center of the button. More than tripling the high end of its $1/2,000 estimate, the button was pinned down for $6,600.
A pair of satinwood five-legged card tables with pie slice and icicle inlays led the furniture category, going home with a phone bidder for $7,800. An early Nineteenth Century Boston Sheraton drop-arm sofa with birch panel inlays and medial stretchers ($6,000) and an Eighteenth Century American linen press with Ogee bracket feet ($5,700) also found new homes at high prices.
This pair of satinwood five-legged card tables with pie slice and icicle inlays stood tall for $7,800 ($1/2,000).
“Jewelry was well-received,” shared Carlsen. “We had a number of lots that made an excess of $3,000 hammer. The precious metals market is crazy! Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who you are, the value of the metal has now exceeded the value of the objects.”
Two lots of gold jewelry both led the category at $6,600. The first lot consisted of a decorative 18K gold necklace and a 22K gold filigree bracelet with turquoise and enamel beads. The second was a lot containing a Nineteenth Century 14K gold Jewelry Inc pin pendant, a slide chain and necklace, which weighed approximately 3½ troy ounces and had been chemical tested.
Necklaces seemed to continue to attract bidders the most, as the gold jewelry set was followed by a gold necklace with a 1908 $20 Double Eagle American coin pendant surrounded by a 14K gold frame. It surpassed its $3/4,000 estimate, cashing in for $5,400. Also crossing the block were a 14K yellow gold flat collar necklace marked “Italy 14K” ($5,100) and a 14K gold and diamond pendant on a 14K gold Omega chain ($4,500).
Carlsen noted a few surprising lots, including a circa 1830 Staffordshire group of a bull, two dogs and a man, titled “Bull Baiting.” “I priced it low [$100/300] mostly due to the missing pieces on the dogs, but it sold to Europe for $6,250, which was a surprise.”
Despite some condition issues on the dogs, this circa 1830 Staffordshire figurine group titled “Bull Baiting,” 13 by 9½ inches, far surpassed its $100/300 estimate, heading to Europe for $6,250.
“Early Wedgwood also did well, especially a covered urn, which made $2,700. It was nice to see action on that,” said Carlsen. The urn in question, made circa 1810, had a jasper relief, was attributed to Wedgwood & Bentley and measured 12 inches tall. Carlsen continued, “Another pleasant surprise was an Eighteenth Century band box labeled ‘Hannah Davis,’ which made $2,280. Quilts also did pretty well, which was surprising. We had two that earned $1,500 and $1,300 hammer.”
Other notable lots included a Louis Vuitton wardrobe steamer trunk made circa 1920s, which had an impressed brass and leather trim. The 44-inch-long trunk went to a live phone bidder for $13,200 — the second-highest price of the sale.
Carlsen’s next auction will be in March, featuring property from a single estate, including a selection of Old Master paintings. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 518-634-2466 or www.carlsengallery.com.
