NEW YORK CITY — Thomas Sully’s (American, 1783-1872) 1839 portrait of Commodore James Biddle, sold as part of the Christine Biddle Wainwright Collection that was offered during Doyle’s May 3-4 sales of American silver, Pacific Trade, American paintings, furniture and decorative arts, was the top lot and achieved $94,500. It had, in the words of American furniture and decorative arts department director Chris Barber, for whom the event was his inaugural sale with Doyle, “everything that people want a Sully to have.” By that, he meant exceptional provenance, an extensive publication and exhibition history, and an attractive and historically important sitter. It was one of many highlights sold over the course of two days that achieved more than $1.9 million in sales and saw 92 percent of lots sold by lot. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium; a more extensive sale recap will follow in a future issue.