A rare oversized watercolor by Jacob Maentel attracted a great deal of attention during Pook & Pook’s two-day auction this past weekend, May 12 and 13. The unusual watercolor, a portrait of hatter John Mays of Schaefferstown, Lebanon County, Penn., depicted the well dressed shop-keep within the confines of his millinery. Posed in a blue suit and holding a top hat in one hand, the merchant stood proudly before shelves of top hats in a variety of colors. The watercolor, offered near the end of the second day, attracted a host of telephone bidders including Woodbury, Conn., dealer David Schorsch as well as numerous people in the gallery including Massachusetts dealer David Wheatcroft. Estimated at a generous $60/90,000, Schorsch and Wheatcroft quickly established themselves as the primary players with the lot finally going Wheatcroft’s way at $420,000. A complete review of the sale will appear in a future issue.
17 May 2006 / 0 Comment
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