From the initial 1843 casting, this bronze of “Theseus Battling the Minotaur” by Antione-Louise Barye, stood 18 inches tall, numbered 187 from an edition of 320 and realized the highest price of the sale, finishing at $132,000 ($50/80,000).

Review & Onsite Photos by Rick Russack

PLAINFIELD, N.H. — The day before William Smith Auctions’ May 28 sale, one had a pretty good idea that it would be successful, as indicated by plentiful potential bidders “watching” favorite items on LiveAuctioneers. Ahead of the sale, an 18-inch-tall bronze by Antione-Louise Barye (French, 1795-1875), which had the sale’s highest estimate, caught the attention of 43 bidders. A platinum ring with a bright blue Ceylon sapphire had 51 pairs of eyes on it and a Tiffany Studios Crocus table lamp was followed by 110 bidders. More than 80 people tracked the interest in an Eighteenth Century Dunlap highboy, about the same number as were keeping tabs on a 1988 Mercedes Benz convertible, while a Paul Sample painting appealed to 50 more. One gets the idea.

Certainly, the number of folks watching an item is no guarantee of its final result, but it’s an indication of the number of people who were drawn to this particular Smith sale. And, as we reported for Smith’s February 26 sale, the crowd in the gallery, especially by today’s standards, was large: close to 100 people. In-house bidders had to compete with active phone lines and those online but were successful on numerous lots and serious underbidders on others.

Auction reviews often use the word “eclectic” when describing a sale with varied merchandize. It could be used for this sale, but another descriptor for the items in this sale could be “quality.” The five highest prices of the sale were realized for unrelated objects: the French bronze ($132,000), a superb micromosiac table ($54,000), the Paul Sample painting ($51,000), a Tiffany Crocus table lamp ($48,000) and a platinum Riviera necklace set with more than 45 total carats of diamonds ($36,000). In all, more than 25 items sold for five-figure prices.

The star of the extensive jewelry selection was this platinum and diamond necklace, over 18 inches long and stamped “Riviera.” The final price was $36,000 and it went to a bidder in the gallery ($20/30,000).

The star of the day — “Theseus Battling the Minotaur,” by Antione-Louise Barye — was inspired by Greek mythology. It had been cast in 1843, was numbered “187 of 320” and had recently been on display at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H.

In February, William Smith successfully auctioned eight works by Paul Sample (1896-1974); another eight examples from the same collection were in the Memorial Day auction. Bidders reacted positively, with a signed oil on canvas, “Haying,” earning $33,000, more than five times the estimate. It was signed, titled and inscribed on the stretcher in pencil: “‘Haying’ Paul Starrett Sample 135 Arroyo Verde Rd, Pasadena Cal.” Another oil, “Two White Horses At Brownington,” also sold over its estimate, bringing $51,000. Bidders had strong competition, with some selling to those in the room, on the phone and on the internet.

American furniture offerings included a circa 1775 highboy attributed to the Dunlap workshops. The auction catalog described it as having the “classic” Dunlap scrolled apron and fan carving”; it realized $13,200. The buyers, who were bidding in person, said that they live in an early home in Jaffrey, N.H., and that this was the first piece of Dunlap furniture in their collection. The husband said, “one of the things that we really liked was the fact that it showed that it had been lived with. It has some minor condition problems and repairs but they’re all honest repairs. They didn’t try to hide the repairs or the day-to-day wear.” He also said, “I hope the measurements in the catalog are correct; I’ll only have a clearance of about one inch.”

This set of six Nineteenth Century bow-back Windsor side chairs realized $3,000 while a set of similar DR Dimes reproductions (not shown) brought less, reversing the trend of reproductions selling for more than originals ($600/900).

It was also refreshing to see a set of six early Nineteenth Century bow-back Windsor chairs in later dark green paint earn more than a set of six quality reproduction bow back chairs. The Nineteenth Century set sold for $3,000 while the DR Dimes reproductions sold for $1,680. It was also a pleasant surprise when a circa 1770 New England tiger-maple slant-lid desk sold for $8,400, well above its $1,500 high estimate. The strength of interest in furniture carried over to the painted cupboards and some Shaker pieces. A circa 1840 Mount Lebanon butternut tall chest with a cupboard top sold for $7,200 and an Eighteenth Century blue-gray raised panel cupboard earned $5,400. A large Nineteenth Century Vermont country store sorting and display table with a shaped, mustard base realized $4,200, more than three times the estimate.

The jewelry selection produced eight of the sale’s five figure prices. Leading the way, at $36,000, was a platinum and diamond necklace that measured more than 18 inches long and was stamped “Riviera”; it had more than 45 carats of brilliant cut natural diamonds that were graded G-H-I in color and had S1-I in clarity. Along with all the other diamond jewelry in the sale, these were stated to be natural, mined diamonds. Finishing at $30,000 was a Toi et Moi (You and Me) platinum ring set with two diamonds, each exceeding three carats. Also bringing $30,000 was a natural, deep blue Ceylon sapphire and diamond platinum ring that was accompanied by a GIA report certifying that the sapphire showed no indications of heating.

After the sale, Smith commented on the strength of the eight Sample paintings in the sale, and his wife Ann-Marie, concurred, “they did well. It was a good group and came from a knowledgeable collector. The Bayre bronze was a very early casting, and bidders recognized that. The Italian mosaic table was probably the best one we’ve ever seen and it went way over the estimate. Only about 15 lots were passed, out of more than 480, so together with the gross of over $1,600,000, we’re all quite pleased.”

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by thew auction house. For information, 603-675-2549 or www.wsmithauction.com.