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Doyle Boston concluded its final auction at its current Clarendon Street location on February 7, 2024, with a successful sale titled Boston Collects. The auction, which featured nearly 200 carefully curated lots, achieved a total of more than $208,000, exceeding expectations with a 90 percent sell-through rate. The sale attracted both local and international interest, with 25 percent of buyers being new to Doyle and 60-70 percent of lots remaining in the Boston area. The auction house is set to relocate to a new venue nearby in the spring, marking a fresh chapter while maintaining its strong connection to the local market.
The top lot of the sale was a pair of late Eighteenth Century Irish George III cut glass oval mirrors, measuring 23¼ by 15¼ inches, which sold for $11,520—nearly four times their high estimate. The mirrors, dating to circa 1790, drew significant interest from Irish bidders and came from a private local collector who had acquired them from top dealers in New York City and London in the 1990s and early 2000s. The mirrors’ standout features included their large glass beads, which Chris Barber, Doyle’s specialist, described as “really nice, good examples.”
Another notable lot was a pair of wrought-iron andirons crafted by renowned French metalworker Edgar Brandt in the first half of the Twentieth Century. These andirons, consigned from a local collection, sold for $3,200 to a Boston-based buyer who discovered them in Doyle’s gallery bay window. The sale’s emphasis on local connections and provenance was evident in this and other lots.
Artworks also performed strongly, with a gouache on paper by Scottish artist Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) leading the category at $7,680. Titled Sea Eagle and painted in 1883, the piece’s meticulous detail and provenance—tracing back to the Glenbow Foundation in Calgary, Canada, and New York City gallerist Graham Arader—contributed to its success. The buyer was a longtime Doyle client.
Another artwork of local interest was Down Easter Harvey Mills in the Lower Inner Harbour, Boston. “Governors Island” in the Distance by British artist Henry Scott (1911-2005). This piece, consigned from a Greenwich, Connecticut, collection, sold for $5,120. Its Boston-themed subject matter made it a fitting inclusion in the sale, and it had provenance to London dealers MacConnal-Mason & Son, Ltd.
A painting titled Picture Gallery of the Boston Athenaeum by Enrico Meneghelli (American, 1853-after 1912) also drew attention. Consigned from the collection of Alan W. Feld and Suzanne C. Feld in New York City, the piece sold for $4,480—nearly four times its high estimate—to a Midwest-based Doyle client. Its depiction of a significant Boston cultural institution resonated with bidders.
The sale also included a selection of jewelry and decorative objects. A group of ten 14K gold small spoons by J.E. Caldwell, consigned through Doyle’s New York office, sold for $5,760 to a buyer outside the Boston area. This lot, offered at the end of the sale, underscored the diversity of the auction’s offerings.
Doyle’s efforts to engage younger audiences were evident in a private preview event held for individuals in their late 20s and early 30s. The event, which included a discussion about bidding at auction, was well-received, with two attendees becoming new clients. This initiative aligns with Doyle’s broader strategy to attract a younger, diverse clientele.
As Doyle Boston prepares for its relocation, attention turns to upcoming sales in its flagship New York City gallery. These include Doyle + Design on March 12 and Asian Works of Art on March 18-19. The firm’s commitment to presenting well-curated sales with strong provenance and local appeal continues to drive its success in the competitive auction market.
For more information, Doyle can be reached at 212-427-2730 or through its website, www.doyle.com.
