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A bidder in Australia won the sale’s top lot, a Nineteenth Century terrestrial floor globe, which finished at $15,000 versus an $800-$1,200. Key to its performance may have been its dedication to Nineteenth Century naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, who accompanied Captain James Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific as botanist.
Review by W.A. Demers; Photos Courtesy Copake Auction
COPAKE, N.Y. — Copake Auction’s July 29 estate sale offered up more than 800 estate-fresh lots, including estate furnishings and garden and outdoor items. The sale totaled $200,000 with a 90 percent sell-through and a total of about 3,000 registered bidders. “It was a very active sale,” said Copake co-owner Sethe Fallon. “We had 3,000 left bids going into the sale and about 100 bidders on the phones. Overall, I’d say all categories did well, and the outdoor stuff did phenomenal.”
Standing tall in the lineup was a Nineteenth Century terrestrial floor globe, which spun way past its $800-$1,200 estimate to finish at $15,000, purchased by a bidder in Australia. That may be because the 42-inch-high globe was marked “Sir Joseph Banks, Bar K.B.,” “The New British Terrestrial Globe,” providing some historical context. Banks (1743-1820) was president of the Royal Society in London and had served as a botanist on Captain James Cook’s first voyage in the ship Endeavour (1768-1771), giving Banks the opportunity to collect plants from previously unexplored habitats.
Among the estate furnishings, an Empire Boston box sofa went four and half times its high estimate to sell for $3,240 to a dealer in the room. With a mahogany frame, dark green upholstery and quality bronze mounts, the sofa, in good condition, stretched to 80 inches long, with a 27-inch depth.
This Empire Boston box sofa sold for $3,240, nearly five times its high estimate. With a mahogany frame, dark green upholstery and quality bronze mounts, the sofa, in good condition, stretched to 80 inches long, with a 27-inch depth.
A crescent teak settee, 88 inches wide, also surpassed expectations, bringing $1,680 against a $100/200 estimate. “Almost every house we call on has teak furniture,” observed Fallon, so we have it and cast iron for nearly every sale. It’s popular for second home owners in this area.”
When fine art came to the podium, it included a painting that was attributed to Dutch artist Caspar Netscher (1639-1684). The formal mother and child scene, an oil on canvas, sported a Christie’s sticker on the stretcher and measured overall 31 by 27 inches. It nearly doubled its high estimate, bid to $2,040. Netscher, specialized in portraits and genre scenes and was a master in depicting lush interiors with Oriental rugs, silks and brocades.
Fetching $1,920 was an Andy Warhol screenprint t-shirt bearing the likeness of fellow Pop artist Keith Haring, who Warhol mentored. Exhibiting Warhol’s silkscreen printmaking with characteristic hard edges and flat areas of color, it was in a frame, measuring overall 29 by 21 inches.
An Andy Warhol screenprint t-shirt bearing the likeness of fellow Pop artist Keith Haring exhibited Warhol’s silk-screen printmaking with characteristic hard edges and flat areas of color, Framed, it brought $1,920.
Decorative arts highlights included an Art Deco statue of a “Danseuse Aux Boules” signed “Denis,” 11 inches high reaching more than 10 times its high estimate at $1,200 and a copper Native American weathervane in verdigris patina, 27 inches high, which swung to $1,080 from a $100/150 estimate.
One interesting lot in the sale was a group of vintage microphones, eight of them in a variety of styles and shapes. Estimated just $50/75, they found a collector’s favor, going out at $1,080.
Then there were items that were just plain fun, like a large collection of Transformer toys, vaulting from their $50/75 valuation to finish at $2,520. Around for at least 75 years, the storied Pelham Puppets were represented by a group diorama that included Pinocchio. They left the gallery at $540.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. The next sale for Copake is September 9. For information, www.copakeauction.com or 518-641-1935.
