It was standing room only at Sotheby’s sale of Important Americana Saturday afternoon, starting at 2. The sale grossed $6,183,500, including the buyer’s premium, with $1,762,500 of that number for lot 174, the important Captain Edward Allen Chippendale carved and figured mahogany bombe chest-on-chest, probably from Salem, Mass., circa 1780. It carried a presale estimate of $800,000․1.2 million and sold to C.L. Prickett Antiques of Yardley, Penn.
“We bought both the bombe pieces in the sale,” Todd Prickett said, also referring to lot 247, a Chippendale figured mahogany bombe chest of drawers, Boston, circa 1770, that sold for $302,500 against a presale estimate of $300/600,000.
The most important piece of folk art in the sale was a large weathervane, full bodied of the fireman “Old Jake” that was made for the Union Fire Hall in Winchester, Va. It measures 72 inches tall, dates circa 1860 and carried a presale estimate of $3/5 million.
Prior to the sale, word in the trade was the estimate was too high, major collectors were not pleased with the old silver-gray painted surface, and that it probably would not sell. Auctioneer William Stahl Jr opened bidding at $1.5 million and it was passed at $2.1 million.
A complete review of this sale, and the property of Dr and Mrs Henry C. Landon III, sold Saturday morning, will appear in Antiques and The Arts Weekly shortly.
‼i>R. Scudder Smith
