This folky portrait of Hambletonian, one of the most famous American racehorses, was the highest priced item in the sale, finishing at $6,250.
Review & Onsite Photos by Rick Russack
WESTMORELAND, N.H. — If people were asked to name three famous racehorses, their answers would probably include Seabiscuit and Man o’ War, while a third might be Hambletonian. Foaled in 1849, he was a Standardbred, better known as a trotter, used in harness racing. Hambletonian’s racing career was short, but his time as a stud was extensive; in fact, he is known to have sired at least 1,000 foals but possibly as many as 4,000. He is regarded as the “Father of the American Trotter” and he is the ancestor of most present-day harness racers. Flying Pig Antiques’ September 9 Multi-Estate Eclectic Collection of Antiques sale included a folk art portrait of the horse. Earning $6,250, it was the highest priced item in the sale. The unsigned, unframed painting had been extensively researched by the consignor, who was at the preview and told Antiques and The Arts Weekly they believe it had been painted in western Vermont or eastern New York It sold to a New Hampshire buyer.
The painting was not the only item in the sale to interest bidders. There was Mission furniture, a collection of Masonic and other fraternal memorabilia, blue Staffordshire, toys made from tin and other materials, stoneware and the painted woodenware and country furniture that one expects from a Flying Pig auction. A signed Stickley six-drawer tall chest was the second highest earner of the day, finishing at $4,375.
There was also a collection of carved Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century French furniture from a home in Watch Hill, R.I., a French-style chateau owned by William H. Andrews which had been the subject of an illustrated article in the April 1927 issue of The Architectural Record. The house was designed by Mott B. Schmidt, who worked for an upper-class clientele that included the Vanderbilt and Morgan families. The material from this home was in fine condition and there were some good buys to be had, especially with the larger pieces of furniture. The most popular item in the collection was an Eighteenth Century carved walnut pipe rack that realized $1,500. Of dovetailed construction and featuring a drawer in the base, it stood 20 inches tall. A tall, narrow and heavily carved wardrobe, known in France as a bonnetière, sold for $875. An Eighteenth or early Nineteenth Century walnut buffet, 85 inches tall, had plate racks over a storage cabinet and went out for $282. Roxanne Reuling, co-owner of Flying Pig, said that interest in this collection was widespread, with pieces going to Canada, Malta and Egypt.
The second highest priced item of the day was this signed Stickley Mission oak tall chest. In fine condition, it brought $4,375.
A collection of about 20 Masonic, Odd Fellows and other fraternal items were spread throughout the sale. A ceremonial 14K gold miniature trowel, one of the Mason’s symbols, earned $532. An engraving indicated that it had been presented to the “Isaac Davis Lodge of Perfection” in 1932. Small, it measured only 3¾ inches long and contained approximately 13 grams of gold. A Masonic sash and apron, cataloged as “attributed to President Andrew Johnson, Greenville Lodge #119” sold for $344. It was framed in a glass-topped case. Johnson was one of 15 Freemason’s who, according to the White House Historical Association, have been President of the United States. A painted Masonic apron with some condition issues, circa 1800, sold for $188. There were also several Odd Fellows items, including a selection of nicely framed painted aprons. These seemed like good buys, as two sold for $88 each and the third brought $50. The collection included items from other fraternal societies, such as the Antique United Order of Smiths, an organization founded to benefit blacksmiths.
Tin toys included a Marx Whoopee Car wind-up tractor with its driver, which realized $100. A penny toy horse pulling a carriage with a driver by Meier went out for $75, while a lot with two Japanese wind-ups — a mother with three ducklings, together with an acrobatic monkey — brought $31. The highest price in the category was earned by a Unique Art Artie & Jojo wind-up clown car, which sold for $156.
There will always be a good selection of firkins, painted pantry boxes, bowls and country furniture at a Flying Pig auction, and this sale was no exception. The first lot of the sale was a 10½-inch green-painted, covered pantry box with a large yellow and red star on the lid; it realized $313. A large, red-painted bowl, measuring just under 18 inches in diameter, realized $1,375. A large trencher more than 20 inches in length, also in red paint, topped off at $469. Furniture included a Nineteenth Century tavern table, measuring 50 inches long, with a two-board top and breadboard ends that sold for $125 and a 10-drawer gray-painted apothecary or spice chest, which finished at $500.
A portion of the Flying Pig gallery as it was set-up for the preview.
The blue Staffordshire selection included platters and several plates. The “Baltimore & Ohio Railroad” dinner plate, with a shell border and circular center by Enoch Wood & Sons, sold for $282. By the same maker, a slightly larger dinner plate, depicting the “Pine Orchard House, Catskill Mountains” with a circular center, brought $219. This hotel, which opened in 1824, was one of the Grand Hotels of the Catskills; it operated until 1941. A 13-inch light blue platter from the American Scenery series by Ridgway, in the “Columbia Bridge on the Susquehanna” pattern, brought $188.
After the sale, Reuling said there had been strong participation on the internet, with more than 500 registered bidders. As the sale got underway, there were more than 400 bidders online “We had a number of international bidders, which is always nice to see, and some of the stuff found buyers in several foreign countries. We were pleased with the results.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house.
For additional information, www.flyingpigantiquesnh.com or 603-543-7490.
