The top lot in the sale was this 1926 bronze statuette, “Right To The Jaw” by Mahonri MacKintosh Young. Measuring 14 by 19¾ by 8 inches, it sold to a Midwestern buyer for $52,800 ($30/50,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
MARION, MASS. — On May 4, Marion Antique Auctions conducted its Spring Extravaganza auction, featuring nearly 650 lots of artwork, silver, jewelry, clocks, coins, furniture, rugs, ephemera and other notable objects. Nick Taradash, the assistant manager at Marion Antique Auctions, reported that the sale was a success overall, stating that bids were down across the board, but those that did come in, came in strong. The sale grossed $590,000 and had a 97 percent sell-through rate.
The lot that packed the most punch for bidders was “Right To The Jaw,” a 1926 bronze statuette by Mahonri MacKintosh Young, the grandson of Mormon leader Brigham Young. The figure, a depiction of two boxers in action, one failing to block a punch to his jaw, had sleek detail and a deep patina. Inscribed “Mahonri No. 3” on the top of the base and with the seal and stamp, “A. Valsuani Cire Perdue,” from the Parisian foundry, the fighters were displayed on a painted rectangular wooden plinth. After several rounds of bids, the statue was claimed by a Western dealer for $52,800.
A Herbert A. Taylor for Arthur Stone (1847-1938) sterling silver trophy that read “Eastern Yacht Club Cruise 1913: Prize For First-Class Schooners: Won By Elena” made $25,200 ($5/10,000). Measuring 11½ by 12½ inches, it was awarded to Morton Plant and descended in his family.
Several items in the auction were consigned by the grandson of financier and yachtsman Morton “Commodore” Plant, who is best known for the 1917 trade of his Fifth Avenue, New York City, home for a double strand of pearls from Pierre Cartier. Today, that Fifth Avenue property, now known as The Cartier Building, is the location of Cartier’s flagship store. The top lot from this collection achieved $25,200 — the second-highest price of the sale; it was a sterling silver yachting trophy made by hollowware specialist Herbert A. Taylor for Arthur Stone. The “first-class schooners” trophy from the Eastern Yacht Club Cruise was awarded to Plant’s Elena in 1913 and has been in the family ever since. With a wave and shell rim and flared body, the classical design trophy featured imagery of galleons at sea and foliate wreaths. Another yachting trophy, this one an .800 silver figural Scandinavian-style sailboat made by J. Wagner and Sohn for the “Krupp Erinnerungspreis” (Krupp Memorial Prize) winner of the June 24, 1904, “Seewettfahrt am Freitag” (Sea Racing on Friday) competition: Plant’s schooner Ingomar. Mounted on a custom mahogany base, the trophy had a gilt finish and was sold to an internet buyer from the Mid-Atlantic region for $5,250.
Another significant consignment included items from the estate of Mary Jean McLaughlin, a notable wicker dealer and collector, who passed in January of this year (an obituary ran in the February 16 issue of Antiques and The Arts Weekly). The top lot from this collection was a set of Tiffany & Co. sterling silver flatware. With approximately 180 pieces in the Bamboo pattern, the mid-Twentieth Century set was in excellent condition and sold to a trade dealer for $18,000. Another set of silverware, that was not from McLaughlin’s estate, was won by an internet bidder for $5,250. From a Midwest collection, the sterling silver Georg Jensen flatware set included around 80 pieces and was in the Pyramid design.
This early Nineteenth Century hand-painted shelf clock by Aaron Willard (1757-1844), Boston, mahogany case with brass adornments, 36 by 13 by 6½ inches, achieved $15,600 ($2/4,000).
Striking bids well beyond its high estimate of $4,000, an early Nineteenth Century shelf clock by Boston maker Aaron Willard was sold for $15,600. Taradash told us that this clock, which came from a New Hampshire estate, generated so much interest due to its “practically untouched condition, which is unusual” in addition to the fact that Willard’s shelf clocks were far less common than his tall case clocks.
Various framed waterfront paintings claimed the next few spots, with a circa 1877 oil on canvas by Charles Henry Gifford claiming the top spot in that category. Signed and dated to the lower left, “Sunset on the Coast,” a moody orange fishing boat scene, was consigned by a local collector and sold to another for $8,700. With a similar story, Chauncey Foster Ryder’s “Day at the Beach” also came from a local collector and sold to another for the same price of $8,700. This late Nineteenth or early Twentieth Century American impressionist oil depicts colorful figures on the beach and wading in the ocean and it appeared to be in its original frame. Displayed in the “Painted Air: American Impressionism” exhibition at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Ogunquit, Maine, in 2000, the painting still had its loan label affixed to the reverse. Another beach scene, this one by Lemuel D. Eldred, came from a Westport, Mass., estate and sold to a local private collector for $7,200. Signed and titled “Naushon” on the bottom left, the scene shows figures walking along the beach with sailboats and rocks in the background. It was housed in a carved gilt frame.
This Chan coffee table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, circa 1960s, acid-etched brass over pewter over wood, 17¾ by 47¾ inches, brought $6,720 ($4/8,000).
A Philip and Kelvin LaVerne Chan coffee table was claimed by a New York buyer for $6,720. According to Taradash, the acid-etched brass over pewter table was consigned by “a South Florida collector who purchased the table directly from the design center after visiting with his father.” Sitting atop an octagonal base, the patinated bronze top surface featured delicately etched Chinese motifs.
At $5,500 was the Nineteenth Century “Venetian Scene” by Félix Ziem. Completed in oil on canvas, laid down on board, housed in an ornate carved and gilded period frame with a Parisian maker’s mark, the twilight scene showed a Venetian canal with gondolas and palaces. The painting was consigned by a collector and sold to a Florida-based trade buyer.
Estimated just $500/700 but selling to the trade for $4,920 was an Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century ovoid redware lidded jar. Despite its modest estimate, Taradash said, “It was a rare piece so we thought it might do that,” when asked about the success of the piece. Coming from a local collector, the jar likely originated from Bristol County, Mass.
Making a new world record for the artist, Herbert A. Fish’s (1855-1932) circa 1890 oil on canvas landscape painting of three cows in a stream, 22 by 18 inches framed, achieved an impressive $4,600 ($200/400).
Though the jar going for more than seven times its high estimate was nice to see, one of the best — and most surprising according to Taradash — finishes of the day was that of Herbert A. Fish’s circa 1890 oil on canvas landscape painting of three cows in a stream. Modestly estimated at $200/400 and finishing at $4,640, the cows achieved a new world record for a painting by the artist. Housed in a contemporary gold gilt frame, the painting was from a Rhode Island collector and sold to a private local buyer. Also from that Rhode Island consignment was another “big surprise.” Bearing the same estimate range, a portrait of a young man attributed to Alexander Francis Harmer sold to a Southern collector for $4,440. This oil on canvas painting was most likely a study and was initialed and dated “AFH/1886” to the bottom right. In an old gilt oak frame, the painting was in decent condition and the folks at Marion were “pleased with how it did.”
Also making $4,440 was an early Twentieth Century sterling silver bowl that was made by Herbert A. Taylor for Arthur Stone Associates. This Arts and Crafts-style bowl was signed on the bottom. The 10-inch-wide bowl had an embossed rib and floral design with repeating berry in calyx motifs. From a New Hampshire collection, the bowl had some light surface scratches but was in overall good condition and sold to a local collector.
Two Pennsylvania stoneware pitchers from a Melbourne, Fla., estate sold to an internet bidder in the Mid-Atlantic region for $4,320. Of similar size and form, the Nineteenth Century pitchers were both decorated with typical blue motifs, and one bore a stamp that read “G.I. Williams & Co. / New Geneva, PA.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, www.marionantiqueauctions.com or 508-498-7136.
