Scenic Marblehead pottery vase.

Miniature watercolor on ivory by Laura Coombs Hills.

ANDOVER, MASS. – Two international records were broken at the Kaminski Auctioneers’ two-day auction – held on August 10 and 11, according to auctioneer Frank Kaminski.

Selling for $37,000 was a miniature watercolor on ivory by Laura Coombs Hills of her instructor Mrs Alice J. Morse, who taught Hills at the Museum School, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This miniature, painted by Hills in 1897, and is portrait number 64, as noted in her diary which is owned by the Historical Society of Olde Newbury, Mass. The work was purchased by Stephen Score of Boston, Mass.

The sale continued with a rare multi-colored scenic Marblehead pottery vase, which sold for a record-breaking price of $97,000. Bidding was active on eight phone lines as well as numerous bidders present in the audience.

The vase is decorated with Ipswich marsh scenes and stamped ‘MP’ on the bottom. The paper label had the original $10.00 price and is initialed ‘HT.’

Marblehead pottery was founded by Herbert J. Hall in 1904. The vase was owned by Benjamin Tutt, brother of Hannah Lucy Tutt. This rare piece of pottery is now in the collection of Dr Rappaport of New York.

A full report of this sale will appear in an upcoming issue.