Folk art dealer Allan Katz, who purchased this carved and painted deer, called it a “masterpiece”; it sold for $19,680, far exceeding its estimate.
Review & Onsite Photos by Rick Russack
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — When auctioneer Carl Nordblom was picking up items for CRN’s April 6 Annual Spring Auction, he saw a folky carved and painted deer and he told the consignor, who had not planned on selling it at this time, that he could probably get $2,000 or $3,000 for it, and she agreed to part with it. However, by the time a rapid bidding battle between two phone bidders who appreciated it was over, the deer had realized $19,680. The buyer was well-known Connecticut folk art dealer Allan Katz, who has appeared frequently as an appraiser on The Antiques Roadshow. Katz, discussing the carving with Antiques and The Arts Weekly after the sale, said, “One word sums it up: ‘Masterpiece.’ It’s got everything going for it.” The deer was about 29 inches tall, its antlers appeared to have been made from small twigs and it retained an original, white crackled surface. It stood on its original oval pine base, which retained traces of paint. Exactly when or where it was made was not known. After the sale, Nordblom said, “Once the word got out, there was a lot of interest, and I knew it would do well.” This was an auction with a varied selection of items, as most CRN sales are, and one needn’t have spent a lot of money to bring home a treasure or two. The cataloging by Nordblom’s partner, Karin Phillips, was detailed and informative.
The deer, and numerous other items, came from the estate of well-known antiques dealer and folk art collector, Gary Langenbach, who passed away in 2024. However, the deer was not the highest-priced item in the sale. That honor would go to a large Paul Storr (1770-1844) silver covered soup tureen, with hallmarks on the lid, body and handles, dating it to 1812-13. It was decorated with overall gadrooning and chased decoration, with lion heads and shells, as well as scrolling acanthus leaf feet; bidders ran it to $22,140. It was the highest result of more than 30 other silver lots. Bidders also liked a 215-piece Reed & Barton flatware service which earned $7,073. There were two Elizabeth II sterling swans — both made by C.J. Vander — that varied in size, and the larger of the two realized $4,920. A marked Tiffany & Company sterling silver double-handled vase, 19 inches tall, topped off at $2,706.
The silver in the sale came up towards the end, but the category included the sale’s highest-priced item: a circa 1812-13 English Regency covered tureen by English silversmith Paul Storr that brought $22,140.
Items from the Langenbach collection demonstrated the esoteric interests of the collector. Those who are interested in odd Nineteenth Century machines might have liked a commercial apple peeler. The large hand-cranked gadget was made by the Bonanza/Godell Company of Antrim, N.H., in 1891. It was made of iron, with several different gears, measured 23 inches wide and 15 inches tall and sold for $430. Cobalt-decorated stoneware collectors might have liked a crock marked “W.H FARRAR & Co./ GEDDES, N.Y,” that had a blue rooster and flowers. It was bid well beyond the estimate, finishing at $2,952. Gameboard collectors had two to choose from: one with orange and black squares for checkers that sold for $1,107, or another with cream and black squares, which brought $923. On the back of the latter example was a photograph of a house and the notation, “This is the house the gameboard came from. Gameboard was made and used by Mr Torrey during the Civil War. He was a private…George Haviland Torrey 3/1/1831, died 11/3/1913.”
A primitive Eighteenth Century oval drop-leaf table brought $431, and a mahogany Nineteenth Century hanging shelf with whale-form sides realized $923. The catalog described Langenbach as “a fervent Red Sox fan, an avid and extremely knowledgeable collector of baseball memorabilia.” Part of this collection was sold in the auction, led by a circa 1880 Spalding bat with red bands, which sold for $2,091. The early baseball cards in the collection included a Sovereign cigarette card for Cy Young; that featured the slogan, “Fit For a King” and was bat to $1,968. The sale included 11 other bats (sold in four lots) and four additional lots of baseball cards.
Identified as “school of Joseph Wright” a portrait of a young man eating lunch brought $9,840. Provenance for the unsigned oil on canvas included the Santa Cruz, Calif., gallery, McNaught Fine Art.
The sale began with about 60 American and European paintings. One was an unsigned English portrait of a simply dressed young man eating his lunch, with portions of mining equipment in the background. The catalog identified it as from “the school of Joseph Wright (1734-1797).” It was the most sought-after of the paintings and finished at $9,840. Bidders also liked an unusual scene of the Ramses columns at the Temple of Luxor, Karnak, circa 1920. It was done by Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950), and had labels on the verso for the Boston gallery Doll & Richards, Inc., as well as the McNay Art Institute; it sold for $8,610. An amusing scene by Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878-1960) of a hunter and his dog, surprised by a skunk, sold for $6,765.
An armchair, one of only 262 made, earned $6,150. The number of chairs that were made is well documented, as it was one of the chairs commissioned for the 1857 renovation of the House of Representatives in Washington, DC. It was designed by Thomas U. Walter, who was the architect of the US Capitol building. New York City cabinetmakers Bembe & Kimball made the set of ornately-carved oak chairs, which descended in the estate of New Hampshire governor Person Colby Cheney (1828-1901); it brought $6,150. Other furniture included early Nineteenth Century American and English examples. A circa 1725 English cocuswood gaming table earned $3,075. The catalog noted that cocuswood, which was imported from the West Indies, was called West Indian ebony by some at the time. The table had a striped parquetry inlaid top, original leather gaming surface and carved knees; it went out for $3,075. An Eighteenth Century Boston or Salem, Mass., mahogany lolling chair sold for $3,690, while a grain-painted hanging wall shelf, measuring 41 inches tall, that retained a layer of old red paint, sold for $3,075.
After the sale, Nordblom said, “the deer was a pleasant surprise, and overall, the paintings did well. Brown furniture is still disappointing — there’s so little interest. That makes it a great time to buy. Great quality furniture can be bought for less than new furniture and some savvy buyers are taking advantage of that. All in all, it was a good sale, and there will be more stuff from the Gary Langenbach collection coming up in future sales.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, 617-661-9582 or www.crnauctions.com.
