Neal Auction Company said its December 1′ holiday estates auction was a huge success, with strong bidding in all categories. Offerings of fine art were especially outstanding, with results underscoring the current market strength and collectors’ enthusiasm for high-quality pieces.
A remarkable early painting by the highly sought-after Western artist Eanger Irving Couse (American, 1866‱936) led the day. Hidden from public view since its 1907 exhibition at Knoedler Gallery in New York City, the Couse painting titled “The Evening Camp” created a stir when it hit the auction block. With Western art dealers, private art collectors and a Western art museum competing on the telephones against several private clients who flew in from Colorado and New Mexico in order to bid in person, “The Evening Camp” sold amid fierce competition to a long-standing local collector of Southern art. Against a presale estimate of $150/250,000, the 1905 oil painting sold for $257,000, making it the most expensive Couse painting to have been sold in years.
Also witnessing fierce competition from the telephone bank, but selling to a local collector within the salesroom, was a French painting by Françoise Auguste Biard (1798‱882), a court painter during the reign of King Louis-Philippe. Though best known for his portraiture, Biard’s preferred subjects were scenes of social and political history. Depicting Carnival revelers in a melee with officers of the municipal guard, the offered Biard painting was an enigmatic mix of both. Against a presale estimate of $12/18,000, “A Carnival Scene” saw competition between four phone bidders, two absentee bids and a collector within the room, selling for $73,500.
Andres Molinary’s (American, 1847‱915) “Portrait of Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard” also fared well. Against a presale estimate of $12/18,000, the handsome young general achieved an impressive $48,175 †a record price for a portrait by the artist.
The auction also offered an engraving by John James Audubon (American, 1785‱851), “Black-Bellied Darter,” No. 64, Plate CCCXVI, from Birds of America . With lots of interest from the telephone, the piece realized $29,400, the second highest price ever paid at auction for the work; the first being an example with royal provenance from the magnificent Sachsen-Meiningen sale in New York City several years ago.
The auction also featured many important examples of Nineteenth Century American furniture, including many pieces by premier makers, including John Henry Belter, Alexander Roux, Anthony Quervelle, John Meads and J&JW Meeks.
Leading Belter lots included a mid-Nineteenth Century rare American carved and laminated rosewood dresser bearing the label “J.H. Belter Patent August 19, 1853,” which realized an impressive $47,000 against significant interest on the telephones.
An American carved rosewood and laminated armchair attributed to J.H. Belter, New York, also performed commendably, selling for $22,325 to a collector within the salesroom.
A New York rococo carved and laminated rosewood sofa, circa 1850‶0, in the design commonly referred to as the “Bird” pattern, also performed well, achieving an impressive $23,500 against two active phones and competition within the room.
The firm’s offering of English and Continental furniture also fared well with interest coming from overseas on many lots. A circa 1765‸0 pair of George III carved giltwood mirrors in the Chippendale taste, doubled its presale low estimate. With interest within the room and on three telephones, the pair of mirrors sold for $30,550.
Several important clocks garnered lots of interest. Against a presale estimate of $18/25,000, a circa 1895 Waltham Clock Company rococo revival carved walnut nine tube tall case clock, retailed by Smith Patterson Company and playing Whittington and Westminster chimes, sold for $51,700 to a telephone buyer.
In sculpture, a small Boris M. Frödman-Cluzel (Russian, b 1874), bronze titled “Dancer with Drum,” which was inscribed “S. Petersberg, 1911,” on the base achieved $23,500 against a presale estimate of $2,5/3,500.
A 1912 Newcomb College art pottery transitional glaze plaque, decorated by Anna Frances Simpson with a landscape of moss-laden live oak trees, in dark blue and green underglaze, sold for $19,975.
Memorabilia was represented by a July 1, 1969, Apollo 11 final flight plan, signed on the title page by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. With an estimate of $2,5/3,500, the flight plan achieved $22,325 †a record price for an unflown example.
Prices realized include buyer’s premium. For information, 504-899-5329 or www.nealauction.com .
