NEW YORK CITY – Paddles were in the air for N.C. Wyeth’s 1906 oil on canvas painting “Hands Up,” auctioned by Christie’s on November 22 for a record $4,951,500. The illustration, which nearly doubled its high estimate, accompanied C.P. Connolly’s “The Story of Montana,” published in McClure’s Magazine in August 1906. William W. Haas of San Francisco owned the widely exhibited work in the 1940s. It was acquired by Christie’s consignor from the Valley National Bank of Arizona. In all, Christie’s American Art sale equaled $36,728,000 and was 75 per cent sold by lot. The firm also lodged new records for paintings by Frederick Carl Frieseke, Edward Moran, John Leslie Breck, Richard Edward Milller, Gaston Lachaise and Jewett Campbell. Watch for a complete review in Antiques and The Arts Weekly.