These two Eighteenth Century American pewter tankards, one a dome-top baluster form (left) and the other a kettledrum form, were attributed to John Andrew Brunstrom and John Freyer, respectively. Formerly property of the Helen M. Juling trust, the two tankards earned top lot status at $11,160 ($300/500).
Review by Kiersten Busch
ROCKVILLE, MD. — On June 6, Weschler’s Auctioneers & Appraisers conducted its Gallery Auction, which offered 241 lots of fine art, furniture, decorative art, Asian art and antiques and collectibles. “Considering the size of the sale, we were pleased with the results and felt that bidders connected with the notable lots,” explained marketing coordinator Allison Mulholland. She also shared that most of the bidding took place online and that the sell-through rate was 86 percent.
A lot of two Eighteenth Century American pewter dome-top tankards led the day, selling to an out-of-state bidder for $11,340. The baluster-form tankard was attributed to John Andrew Brunstrom of Philadelphia (active 1783-1793), while the kettledrum-form mug was attributed to John Freyer of Newport, R.I. (active mid Eighteenth Century). “Our specialist Jonathon Weber was surprised by this result, considering they were listed as attributed, but these two pieces were part of a larger, very well-known and respected collection of pewter from the Helen M. Huling trust,” said Mulholland. “There was significant competition on the internet for the pewter, plus a few phone bidders.”
Twenty-two additional lots of pewter crossed the block during the sale. A Boston pewter moon-faced-handled jug and two star-handle mugs sold in the same lot for $5,952, the third-highest price of the sale; the moon-faced-handled jug was possibly made by Robert Bonynge (1731-63) and the other two were attributed to John Skinner (1733-1813). Other notable pewter lots included a group of three late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century American pewter mugs ($4,216) and an American pewter assembled ecclesiastic service from the Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century ($3,720).
“It sold for $10,685 to a local bidder who is in love with this pattern! It was a huge set!” said Allison Mulholland of this 235-piece sterling silver flatware service designed by Ernest Meyers for Reed and Barton in the Francis I pattern ($4/6,000).
Seven sterling silver lots were led by a 235-piece Reed and Barton flatware service in the Francis I pattern, which set the table for $10,685, the second-highest price of the sale. Introduced in 1907, the Francis I service was designed by Ernest Meyers.
Furniture on offer, consisting of 81 lots, included a wide range of items, from tables and stands to cabinets to chairs to carpets and mirrors. A set of eight George III-style burl walnut balloon seat dining chairs attracted bidders’ attention, as they more than doubled their estimate to achieve $4,216, leading a group of six lots of chairs. The set was made post-1950s and comprised a pair of armchairs and six side chairs, all of which were upholstered with tan leather seats.
The tables, stands and consoles category was also popular with bidders, as 18 of the 20 lots offered found new homes. The star of the group was a rosewood and teak sideboard made in the mid Twentieth Century by Skovby Møbelfabrik A/S. Designed by Egon Kristensen, the sideboard had three pin-adjustable shelves in its interior, and measured 86¾ inches in length. It was won by a local bidder for $4,006.
Designed by Egon Kristensen in the mid Twentieth Century, this rosewood and teak sideboard by Skovby Møbelfabrik A/S measured 86¾ inches long and sat pretty for $4,006 ($800-$1,200).
Mulholland noted a few additional pieces of furniture that did exceptionally well, including a Chippendale mahogany ox-box slant-front desk that sold to a local buyer for $2,838, a Federal satinwood inlaid walnut hunt board that went home with an out-of-state buyer for $2,772 and a Chippendale walnut quarter column slant-front desk that also went out of state for $2,580.
Clocks also populated some of the higher prices of the sale, led by a French gilt brass Grand Sonnerie Westminster carriage clock with an alarm, which sounded off at $3,720. Made in the early Twentieth Century, the 6¾-inch-high clock was an eight-day repeating example with a quarter striking movement. “This clock sold to an out-of-state bidder who also bought several other carriage clocks in the sale,” shared Mulholland. “There was significant interest in these lots before the sale. This group of clocks made up the last of a collection from the property of a well-known Virginia trust. This was the nicest clock in the sale and the bidding reflected that!”
Paintings made up 64 of the 125 fine art lots in the sale and ranged in price from $186 for a watercolor European landscape by Tadeusz Lapinski (Polish/American, 1928-2018), to $3,472 for Guy Coheleach’s “Leopard on a Log.” The latter, won by an out-of-state bidder, was an oil on canvas signed by the artist which was consigned from a Maryland trust. Coheleach’s leopard wasn’t the only exotic animal that bidders were interested in: John Seerey-Lester’s (American, 1946-2020) “Gorilla and Baby” climbed to $1,054, while Zimbabwean artist David Langmead’s (b 1965) “Stampede,” depicting a herd of elephants, ran to $930.
Weschler’s holds online auctions every Tuesday and the firm’s next Capital Collections Auction will take place on September 12. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 212-628-1281 or www.weschlers.com.
