Review by Carly Timpson; Photos Courtesy Stair Galleries
HUDSON, N.Y. — On November 8, Stair conducted its auction of “The Collection of Niall Smith.” Smith, who passed away in April 2023, was a lifelong antiques enthusiast. By the 1980s, Smith had made a name for himself as a rather exclusive dealer and his involvement in the business only expanded his personal tastes. Culled from Smith’s private home collection, the Stair auction offered a range of Biedermeier furniture, Neoclassical and Attic pottery, Grand Tour souvenirs and books with topics akin to his personal design palette. In total there were 811 registered bidders, most of whom knew Smith personally. Resulting in a white glove sale and generating around 35 percent more than the high estimate, the collection of Niall Smith realized $372,704.
The Fine Sale conducted by Stair on November 9, showcased offerings of fine and decorative arts primarily from British, European and American origins. Spanning centuries of stylistic movements, the Fine Sale had 1,349 bidders registered and realized a total of $1,258,976. Pottery, porcelain and glass expert Lauren Anderson shared, “We enjoy having these sales and the decorative arts are really important to us at Stair, so it’s great to see them do so well.”
The Collection of Niall Smith
The highest lot of the Niall Smith sale, a Neoclassical-style painted pottery two-handle urn, 32 by 15½ by 11½ inches, was won at $10,240 ($2/3,000).
Colin Stair, president and founder of Stair Galleries, remarked that the Niall Smith sale was special in a lot of ways. “It’s sad when you’re doing this for somebody who is a friend, and it just motivates you to work that much harder…It was kind of a memorial service for his things, you know. We passed them out and made sure they went off to good, loving homes. I think all that stuff made about 50 percent more than it would have in a normal sale because it belonged to Niall. We just sold his inventory two years ago and it did really well, but this was his personal collection of everything that he lived with so that made a big difference.”
Muffie Cunningham, director of decorative arts at Stair, added on saying, “[Smith] started his business in the 70s and really came into his own in the 80s when he promoted Biedermeier furniture and Grand Tour objects. He let his passion pull him and his clients along with the whole ride. He really was a unique character.”
Emblematic of Smith’s refined taste, and the highest selling item in the sale, was a Neoclassical-style painted two-handle urn. Decorated with a classical frieze and measuring 32 inches tall by 15½ inches wide, this ceramic urn closed at $10,240. Anderson commented that this urn was grand in scale and very sensitively painted. Though it was unmarked, there are indications and shades of Wedgwood in the work’s stylistic components. The urn will be staying in New York.
Standing at 12 inches tall and 13 inches wide, a bronze model oil lamp marked “B Boschetti, Roma” sold for $7,040. Cunningham reported that this piece was “very large in scale for a typical Italian oil lamp, but it was copying an oil lamp based on ancient Roman design. It was really the quality, scale and condition — as well as being from Niall Smith’s collection — that brought buyers out for this. I have been in the business since 1986 and I have never seen one that large.”
Faux porcupine quill table, ebonized wood and glass, 18 by 42 by 22 inches, closed at $7,040 ($400/800).
One lot that saw success and surprised the folks at Stair was a faux porcupine quill table. Delicately crafted with ebonized wood, this table was painted to emulate porcupine quills since it is illegal to sell them. The glass top table is framed by a chic design of faux quills in a black and tan pattern with legs to match. Cunningham shared that this table was bought by a good friend who frequently attended Smith’s dinner parties and wanted something to remember him by. It realized $7,040.
Multiple lots of Attic ware, pottery from ancient Greece, performed well at the auction. One such lot featured two urns with lug handles. According to Anderson, the larger urn in this set, measuring 18 by 10½ by 7 inches, was “very expressive and unusual.” She also noted that they were both “very finely painted and are really exemplary pieces for Niall who, unlike other dealers that sell their best pieces and keep their second best, he really kept the best at home.” This pair of urns realized $7,040.
A covered Attic ware jar also realized $7,040. Paired with a stone stand, this large jar measuring 11 inches tall by 13 inches in diameter, had an “unusual form and the scene on it is painted in a very lively way with this chariot race — there seems to be a lot of movement,” according to Anderson.
Another set of Attic ware urns finished at $6,080. Besides being part of Niall Smith’s personal collection, Anderson shared the Attic ware did well because, “a lot of the Attic ware you see on the market is smaller in scale and this has a very robust stature to it.” The larger of the two urns in this set measured 14¼ by 15½ by 11½ inches and was in good condition barring a few minor abrasions.
Pair of Egyptian-style patinated metal canopic jars, 15¼ by 6 by 6 inches, achieved $6,080 ($700/900).
The item with the greatest number of bids in the whole sale was a set of patinated metal canopic jars. Originally used in Egyptian tombs to store and preserve the precious organs during the mummification process, canopic jars were a crucial part of religious afterlife customs. Cunningham noted that jars such as these seldom cross the auction block. Making them even more desirable was the fact that these two were prominently displayed on top of tall pedestals in Smith’s apartment and were frequently the subject of his dinner party stories. After running up $6,080, these jars, like many of the other lots, went home with a friend.
A pair of bronze tripod stands turned out to be just as rare and desirable as they were charming. The matching 20-inch-tall stands were each topped with a falcon perched atop a platform with a griffin beneath it. When cataloging, Cunningham realized she could not find any with similar design and was struck by the lack of comparable items. “I think people just appreciated the uniqueness and rarity of these pieces.” Ultimately, the falcon tripod stands flew home for $6,080.
Cunningham left us with this closing remark: “There was just a lot of depth in the sale, and I do attribute that to Niall’s reputation as a great dealer and character in New York. I mean, he’d throw great dinner parties, he was always out every night, and if not, he was reading the New York Times. And he was really well revered. He’d been in the business for so many decades. He knew a lot and loved what he did, and it showed.”
The Fine Sale
Earning $48,000, the top lot of the Fine Sale was a Chinese copper red glazed porcelain vase, measuring 15 by 8½ inches ($800-$1,200).
The grand performance of a 15-inch-tall-by-8½-inch-wide copper red porcelain vase of Chinese origin was quite the surprise to everyone at Stair in the Fine Sale on November 9. Anderson shared that Stair’s “Asian market is very robust, and this was a fine example of Chinese copper redware.” Despite being unmarked and having a hairline crack in its neck, the vase was otherwise in good condition and skyrocketed to $48,000, substantially past its $1,200 high estimate.
Crossing the block as the second-highest sale of the day was a painting, “Three Hounds in a Stable Interior,” by John Emms. This work shows three brown and white hunting dogs resting together in a dark stable with straw bedding strewn about. Lisa Thomas, the director of the fine arts department at Stair, shared that Emms’ paintings of hunting dogs have the most value and this one falls into that category. Additionally, Thomas noted that this work’s value was further increased because it “had good provenance coming from Richard Green in London, it is in very good condition, and its relatively small size makes it easy to add to a collection.”
Tiffany lamps are always hot on the block, but one in such an unusual form and good condition as the seven-light “Lily” chandelier offered in this sale is sure to be a collector’s dream. Each of the seven Favrile glass lily shades were signed, indicating their originality. The sunset-colored shades of this chandelier hang from a band of swirling gilt bronze. The chandelier ran up to $30,720.
Another set of Tiffany lights performed well in this sale. With six vibrant, green and white shades each, a pair of two patinated bronze and Favrile glass ceiling lights went out for $29,440. Buyers were enticed by the 12 perfectly matching shades, each etched “L.C.T.” Not only were they an original set, but Anderson also noted that they were in beautiful condition as well.
George III ormolu-mounted cut glass eight-light chandelier, 4 feet 4 inches tall by 28 inches in diameter, brought $21,760 ($10/15,000).
Another remarkable piece of decorative art was the George III ormolu-mounted glass chandelier which found a buyer at $21,760. Cunningham has not seen a period George III chandelier come on the market in a long time and commented that this particular piece was exceptional in quality, proportion and elegance. “The quality of the ormolu mounts was really quite good and so was the quality of the cut glass. The glass had a high concentration of magnesium which made it very sparkly. The quality was just there, and it got recognized.” She happily added, “It had been in a private collection for about 30 years, sitting in a crate, so now it is getting a new home.”
Earning $20,480, well over the high estimate of $1,500, was a pair of Louis XV celadon porcelain ewers. This set showed an interesting crossover in buyers where some people were more interested in the Chinese porcelain while others were interested in the European ormolu. According to Anderson, this created great competition and helped to drive the price.
An incredibly rare Persian carpet from the Bakshaish village came across the block in this sale. Cunningham reported that this carpet was even more special due to its antiquity, quality and condition. “Collectors and dealers look for the quality and condition of carpets. They look for color, and that it hasn’t been cut down.” As this carpet met all the criteria, it commanded $20,480.
“An English Flagship Saluting” by Willem van de Velde (Dutch, 1633-1707), ink and wash on paper, 13 by 12½ inches framed, realized $17,920 ($6/9,000).
Realizing $17,920 was Willem van de Velde’s watercolor rendering of “An English Flagship Saluting.” Thomas reflected, “It is on paper with a good watermark and the noble provenance makes it of particular interest. The artist is known for his maritime works. At auction, almost twice the amount of works on paper have been offered than paintings, they are quite desirable when the condition and provenance are good, as here.” The painting’s history is shown with a partial Arms of London watermark and the Earl of Warwick collector’s mark on the bottom right corner.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium. Stair’s next auction will be December 7, with diverse offerings of traditional and modern decorative and fine art from “interesting collections and estates.”
For additional information, www.stairgalleries.com or 518-751-1000.
