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This George II giltwood over-mantel mirror with a Nineteenth Century Dutch painting was one of the two top-selling lots of the sale. The 58-inch-tall by 64-inch-wide Georgian mirror blew past its $10/15,000 estimate to achieve $28,800.
Review by Kiersten Busch
NEW YORK CITY — Doyle Auctions had a homey start to their fall season on September 11 with A Prominent Pennsylvania Collection, a 222-lot sale featuring the property of a Montgomery County, Penn., lady. Her 10,000 square foot home was decorated by well-known Philadelphia-based interior designers Bennett and Judie Weinstock. Popular offerings came from categories including fine art, Asian works of art and furniture and decorative arts, to name a few.
“The sale was okay,” reported Sal Trupiano, furniture and decorative art generalist at Doyle, in a phone conversation with Antiques and The Arts Weekly after the sale. “We were happy that the decorative items did fairly well. There is always a good demand for decorative accessories; it proves that they are still a strong part of the market.”
Not delving into too much detail, Trupiano also mentioned that at least one expensive item went to a Midwest collector, while another made its way to Charleston, S.C., with “a client who has a good collection.”
Two lots, both pieces of furniture made in the George II period (1727-1760), earned $28,800, the highest price of the sale. The first was a George II giltwood over-mantel mirror which contained an early Nineteenth Century Dutch painting depicting a group of figures on a riverbank in its upper half. The 58-inch-high piece had a mid-Eighteenth Century giltwood frame and three divided mirror plates on its lower half.
One of two lots that achieved $28,800, the highest price of the sale, this pair of George II walnut side chairs with needlework upholstery were made circa 1740 and had provenance to Kentshire Galleries in New York City ($12/18,000).
The second lot to earn $28,800 was a pair of George II walnut side chairs with needlework upholstery that were manufactured circa 1740 and had provenance to Kentshire Galleries (New York City). The auction catalog noted that the 40-inch-high chairs had “very nice patina on the walnut carving.” Despite some repaired needlework and fading in some areas, the pair skyrocketed over their $12/18,000 estimate.
Other notable chairs sold included a pair of circa 1765 George III carved mahogany library armchairs attributed to John Cobb ($19,200); a pair of circa 1823 George IV solid rosewood lyre-shaped bergères made by Gillows for the second baron of Newborough (Glynllifon, Wales) ($10,880); and a circa 1790 pair of George III needlepoint-upholstered mahogany open armchairs also with provenance to Kentshire Galleries ($7,040).
Trupiano explained that many of the English furniture pieces returned to their country of origin with various collectors and dealers. “Usually, pieces are worth the most in the country they were made in; it’s not unusual to see that in the marketplace.”
Two oil on canvas paintings from the Continental school were sold consecutively near the beginning of the auction. “A Still Life of Fruit and Flowers, with Rabbits, a Parrot and a Frog in a Landscape” was dated circa the Seventeenth or Eighteenth Century. The 53½-by-61-inch work earned $10,240. “Still Life of Fruit and Flowers with a Hen and her Chicks in a Landscape” finished right behind its Continental School counterpart, blooming to $9,600. The still life was painted in the Eighteenth Century and measured 62 by 52 inches framed.
“A Still Life of Fruit and Flowers, with Rabbits, a Parrot and a Frog in a Landscape,” Seventeenth or Eighteenth Century, oil on canvas, 53½ by 61 inches framed, was attributed to the Continental school and hopped to $10,240 ($6,000-$10,000).
In a similar vein, an Italian school painting from the Nineteenth Century, titled “View of the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice,” crossed the block for $8,960. The oil on canvas was signed indistinctly and dated “1824” on the lower righthand corner.
In preparation for the holiday season, Doyle is conducting its Doyle at Home auction on October 2, which will be a general sale of furniture, lighting and decorative accessories, among others.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, 212-427-2730 or www.doyle.com.
