This oil on canvas of a woman doing chores outside of a French farmhouse by Theodore Robinson (American/French, 1852-1896), 23 by 19½ inches framed, led the auction at $7,875 ($10/15,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
REHOBOTH, MASS. — Summer at Americana Auctions was in full swing on July 20, when the firm conducted its 521-lot Splendid Summer Estates Auction, which featured fine art, silver, jewelry, coins, scrimshaw and nautical items, antique weapons, canes, Asian items, glassware, furniture and rugs, among others.
The day was topped by an untitled Impressionist oil on canvas by Theodore Robinson. Depicting a woman doing chores outside of a French farmhouse, the painting was signed “Th. Robinson, Paris” and earned a $7,875 finish.
Twenty additional lots of paintings sold, ranging in price from $88 for a still life of strawberries by Barbara Chaisson, to $3,654 for “The Apple Barn Homestead,” an Impressionist oil on canvas by Curt Walters. Walters’ painting depicted a building in the middle of woodland, was signed and titled to the reverse and also had a label from Linda McAdoo Galleries, New Mexico. According to catalog notes, Walters “resides in Sedona, Ariz.,” and is “noted for western landscapes.”
Sifting up a $3,150 finish was this impressionist oil painting of a woman quahogging, or clamming, with a long-handled rake, signed “L. Tanqueray,” 34 by 40 inches framed, which included a label from the Madison Gallery in Atlanta ($1,2/1,600).
An oil on canvas of a young woman quahogging, or clamming, with a long-handled rake signed “L. Tanqueray” and a folk art painting depicting a busy village scene by Maxwell Mays also had high results, landing $3,150 and $2,772 finishes, respectively.
A 35-inch-long carved and painted wooden sperm whale plaque by Clark Voorhees led a group of 20 sculptures that went to new homes during the sale. Stamped “C. Voorhees,” it was bid to $3,402. The sperm whale example was not the last plaque by Voorhees to sell, as a 19-inch-long blue whale plaque by the artist also realized $1,638. Also earning over $1,000 was a black and white painted and carved sperm whale plaque signed “Wick Ahrens 1999,” which finished at $1,260.
While most of the nautical plaques were in the form of whales, a select few were carved into different sea animals, such as a narwhal ($473) and a codfish ($284), which were both carved by Ken Beckenhaupt of Cape Cod, Mass.
Asian art and antiques were led by a Nineteenth Century carved Chinese rosewood library table. Fitted with a removable top, the table also had pawed feet, a floral carved skirt and stylized dragonhead corners; it was raised to $3,276. A Nineteenth Century Chinese occasional hardwood table with an abalone inlay and pink marble top made $410, while a Nineteenth Century two-part Chinese desk carved with dragons, birds and flowers earned $378.
This Nineteenth Century carved Chinese rosewood library table with a floral carved skirt and dragonhead corners, 57 inches wide 28 inches deep 31 inches high, almost quadrupled its $700/900 estimate at $3,276.
A Danish Midcentury Modern black leather and rosewood lounge chair with a matching ottoman designed by Charles Eames led the non-Asian furniture category, which consisted of 94 lots. Featuring a circa 1960s Herman Miller label, the chair came with its original bill of sale, which totaled $600. Its current retail value is $7,000, and a lucky bidder secured it on sale, for $6,300. Three other chairs found new homes to furnish, including a lot of four outdoor iron chairs with floral crests ($189), a lot of two Nichols & Stone black lacquer hardwood armchairs with the emblems of Smith College and Princeton on their crests ($126) and a child’s twig chair ($126).
Furniture offerings were diverse, however, with additional top-selling lots ranging from a Nineteenth Century two-part campaign chest with a drop front desk which was bid to $1,260, to an antique Heriz room-sized carpet with a center medallion which rolled up for $882.
Silver and vertu lots ranged from $189 for a collection of sterling and silver-plated items, to $5,418 for a 137-piece Georg Jensen flatware service in the Acorn pattern; most pieces of the silverware had a small, light “Z” monogram on their backs. Fourteen more lots of flatware will set buyers’ tables, including a monogrammed 94-piece Durgin set in the Fairfax pattern ($3,402) and a “G” monogrammed 65-piece Reed & Barton set in the brushed Dimension pattern, made in 1961 ($3,150).
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 508-771-1722 or www.americana-auction.com.
