Achieving the sale’s highest price was this Tiffany & Company Japanesque sterling and mixed metal pitcher, late Nineteenth Century, 8 inches high. It sold to a New York buyer online for $40,960 ($5/6,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
SARASOTA, FLA. — Sarasota Estate Auction conducted a two-day auction, August 16-17, comprising 1,962 lots of fine art, design, jewelry, fashion, furniture, movie ephemera, silver, Asian antiquities and a lifetime collection of Sèvres urns. In total, the sale realized more than $600,000 and had an 85 percent sell-through rate. Mia McDermott shared, “We had a good in-house crowd of between 30 and 50 bidders, and there were over 8,000 online bidders between all platforms. Bidding was consistently strong across all platforms, with spirited competition both online and in-house. We are always fortunate to present a remarkable selection of fresh-to-market works, a hallmark that continues to draw serious collectors and new buyers alike.”
Selling on Sunday, day two, was an antique Tiffany & Company Japanesque sterling silver and mixed metal pitcher that claimed the highest price for either day. The hand-hammered pitcher had copper-toned koi fish on its body, swimming among an engraved bed of seaweed. This piece was produced in the late Nineteenth Century and bore a “Tiffany & Co Makers” mark with the number “256” on its underside. McDermott reported, “There was a lot of interest on this piece prior to the sale. We had an internet bid of $6,500 leading up to auction day. There were four [live] bidders and multiple bidders online once we started the lot.” When all was said and done, the pitcher sold to a LiveAuctioneers bidder based in New York for $40,690 — a significant improvement on its $5/6,000 estimate — and McDermott added, “We’re very happy with the results of this piece!”
This three-piece Indian sterling silver tea set, 10½ inches high (largest), served up a $5,120 result ($1,2/1,800).
Another silver lot to exceed expectations was a three-piece Indian tea set. The sterling silver trio rose beyond its $1,800 high estimate, topping off at $5,120. McDermott noted, “There were many bids on this prior to auction day and we got lots of questions about it. It ended up selling to a bidder on LiveAuctioneers.” All three pieces —tea pot, sugar bowl and creamer — were ornately detailed with foliate metalwork, medallions and elephants. The auction catalog described the style: “Ornate Indian metalwork is a dazzling expression of cultural heritage and artisanal mastery, characterized by intricate patterns, symbolic motifs and a profound attention to detail.”
Several fine art lots were surprises as well. Leading the category was an abstract wooded scene by American artist and art historian Samella Lewis, the “Godmother of African American Art.” The ominous scene featured dark red, blues, black and a glowing light green, said to depict Lewis’ childhood trauma, according to the auction catalog. “We had many questions on this prior to auction, and many came in to view in person. There were bids online and on the phone. It sold to a phone bidder, and we believe it is going to a Museum in St Petersburg (Fla.),” reported McDermott. After a handful of bids back and forth, the painting earned $13,440, besting its $9,000 high estimate.
An expressionist scene, “Heaven of Ao,” by Contemporary Vietnamese artist Trinh Cung was bid to $8,960. McDermott shared, “We were surprised by this one! It had a couple questions leading up to auction day. The bidding was done on all bidding platforms and sold to a bidder on LiveAuctioneers.” The work was signed and dated “1963” and was exhibited in the 1964 spring painting exhibition organized by the Department of Culture in Vietnam.
Rising well above expectations was “Heaven of Ao” by Trịnh Cung (Vietnamese, b 1938), 1963, oil on canvas, 28¼ by 42 inches framed; it brought $8,960 ($1/1,500).
After significant pre-sale interest, “Old Woman at Prayer,” an oil on canvas portrait attributed to Jozef Israels brought $7,680, selling to a phone bidder. Though the work, depicting an elderly woman kneeling with a rosary, appeared to be unsigned, it was attributed and titled on a plaque affixed to its frame.
Exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1920, Philip Leslie Hale’s 8-foot-tall “Spirit of Night” found a new home for $7,680, selling to an in-house bidder. The oil on canvas showed a tasteful nude allegorical figure of Day embracing her sister, Night. In addition to being signed and titled to the reverse, it also bore a gallery label from Christie’s.
Competitive bidding continued for a serene view of “New York Harbor” by James Hamilton, an Irish-born American landscape and seascape painter. “There was some competition for this one on the phone and bidding platforms,” McDermott told us. For $6,720, it sold to a bidder on LiveAuctioneers. The signed sunrise painting had provenance to a private California collection and was still in its original frame. Another seascape, this one by Henry Prellwitz in shades of blue showing the moonlight glistening off the water, brought $5,440.
In its original frame, “New York Harbor” by James Hamilton (American, 1818-1878), oil on canvas, 33 by 40½ inches, brought $6,720 ($4/8,000).
Sculptural art also made an impression on bidders, with a mixed media spiritual figure by Christina Bothwell rising beyond its $1,500 high estimate to achieve $5,120. Titled “While You Were Sleeping,” the ceramic and glass statue showed a sleeping girl laying flat while a depiction of her soul rose from her body. Sold to benefit students at the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, the contemporary work was unsigned but attribution papers were included.
Another three-dimensional piece to draw interest was Susan Gott’s horseshoe-shaped art glass sculpture titled “Beromina.” Described in the catalog as a whimsical Surrealist sculpture, its frosted green surface was molded with leaf and swirl motifs, and a circular section of clear glass toward the bottom showed a molded green pre-Colombian-style face. Standing on a round deep green marble base, the piece was taken to $3,840, far exceeding its $600 high estimate. There were two other glass sculptures by Gott, both of which also exceeded their estimates. McDermott said, “All of the Susan Gott Sculptures did very well. There were bids for them on all platforms, including phone bidders and in-house.”
While jewelry and accessories made up only about 10 percent of the auction, one ring finished in the top 10 lots overall. After seeing pre-sale interest, including early bids, and considering its quality, it was no surprise that an 18K rose gold opal and diamond ring rose well beyond its $1,750 high estimate. Ultimately finishing for $5,120, coming down to a competition between two in-person bidders, the vibrant Australian opal ring weighed a dazzling 13 grams with an 18-by-15-millimeter oval opal surrounded by a halo of round-cut diamonds that spanned down the band’s shoulders.
“The sale was a resounding success and underscores the continuing strength of the market. We look forward to continuing this momentum at our next auction on November 8 and 9,” McDermott concluded.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.sarasotaestateauction.com or 941-359-8700.
