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An oil on canvas of “Saint Roch with a Dog,” depicting the patron saint of dogs, the sick and invalids, was unsigned but cataloged as Circle of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Its consignor was in the gallery when the painting, inscribed verso “Brauer Tiepolo,” ignored its $600/900 estimate and soared to $95,000, going to the domestic trade.
Review by W.A. Demers; Photos Courtesy Clarke Auction Gallery
LARCHMONT, N.Y. — It was a New Year, New Auction for Clarke Auction Gallery on January 14 in a sale that included a number of significant pieces of fine art, sterling and jewelry, Asian, midcentury and decorative arts. The top lot in a sale that, according to Peter Schweller, Clarke’s director of fine art, had several strong results for Old Masters and contemporary works, was an oil on canvas of “Saint Roch with a Dog,” depicting the patron saint of dogs, the sick and invalids. Unsigned but cataloged as Circle of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770), the painting was inscribed verso “Brauer Tiepolo.” Dwarfing its $600/900 estimate, the 17 5/8-by-12¾-inch work, stemming from a Ridgefield, Conn., estate, soared to $95,000, going to the domestic trade.
What was most pleasing to owner Ronan Clarke was the steady pace of selling the nearly 500 lots. “There were strong prices and surprises in every category,” he said, adding that the event totaled $900,000 with about a 95 percent sell-through rate. “Internet and phones were very active, and we had about 50 people in the gallery, including the consignor of the Tiepolo,” said Clarke. “She was obviously very pleased.”
Attributed to Dutch Golden Age landscape painter Pieter Wouvermans, this winterscape with skaters and kolf players found favor with bidders who pushed it from an $800-$1,200 estimate to finish at $32,500.
A winter landscape with skaters and kolf players attributed to Dutch Golden Age landscape painter Pieter Wouwerman (1623-1682) found favor with bidders who pushed it from an $800-$1,200 estimate to finish at $32,500. Well-suited to long Netherlands winters, the kolf game is played by four people who hit the ball over a certain distance. The first people to reach their opponents’ starting point win. The oil on panel was monogrammed lower right and verso bore a label for Museum Art Gallery Leeds, Loan Collection of the Works of Old Masters Schools, 1889, and an unknown collector’s seal. From a Bronx, N.Y., estate, it measured 9¼ by 11¾ inches.
The sale’s Asian category was led by a Hasui Kawase Japanese woodblock print titled “Starlit Night, Miyajima.” From a White Plains, N.Y., estate, it sold for $2,375, its sheet dimensions measuring approximately 15¼ by 10¼ inches.
Militaria enthusiasts pursued a pair of imperial Japanese binoculars that were cataloged as “substantial” owing to the accompanying French Gitza removable telescoping tripod stand. The Toko (Hattori Tokei Ten) (Tokyo Optical Company) “Big Eye” 20-by-3-degree No. 450 binoculars came from a Westchester, N.Y., estate and went out at $3,000.
This pair of imperial Japanese binoculars accompanied by a French Gitza removable telescoping tripod stand came from a Westchester, N.Y., estate and went out at $3,000.
From a Garrison, N.Y., estate came a 15-by-11-foot-6-inch Heriz carpet that realized $5,250.
Notable furniture across the block included a Spanish vargueno chest from the Sixteenth/Seventeenth Century with a cabinet base. The chest decorated with iron hardware, the chest’s writing surface was designed to fall forward and rest on two pull-out supports. Its interior carved and gilt-decorated sections complemented a cabinet base fitted with two drawers over two doors with diamond moldings, surrounded by relief carved geometric design, all painted and gilded. From a Long Island, N.Y., estate, the 56½-by-16-by-38-inch abundantly appointed chest elicited an equally abundant $5,250 price.
A Chinese export silver tall presentation cup — ornately decorated with dragon-form handles and the body displayed with standing robed figures and warriors at battle — earned $18,750.
Finally, two silver and jewelry items were notable. An Asprey carved rock crystal, 18K gold and diamond elephant trampled its $3/5,000 expectation to settle at $15,500, while, from a local Larchmont estate, a Chinese export silver tall presentation cup — ornately decorated with dragon-form handles and the body displayed with standing robed figures and warriors at battle — earned $18,750. The body of the vessel was set atop bamboo stalks with leafy tops and a circular base depicting a nautical design with fish, shells and crabs. On its lid a dragon-form finial was surrounded by ruyi clouds and a nautical border of shells. Stamped to the underside with Chinese characters signifying silver and an unidentified maker’s mark of “CC,” the 12¾-inch-high cup’s total approximate weight was 32.38 troy ounces.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. Clarke’s next sale is scheduled for February 11. For more information, www.clarkeny.com or 914-833-8336.
