The auction grossed more than $4 million dollars, with excitement starting on Saturday with the sale of the collection of Priscilla and Howard Richmond, Connecticut antiquarians; and Sunday seeing the property of various owners including furniture deaccessioned by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Connecticut Historical Society, as well as the estates of Mrs. John Creem and Emily Myers.
The crowd of previewers on Saturday was so large, it turned into something of a crush. This editor wouldn't be surprised if a thousand people came, went or stayed during the preview on Saturday afternoon... Everywhere dealers just arriving for Antiques Week in NH broke into groups to discuss the upcoming shows. Many were overheard to remark along the lines, "This looks good...We're going to have a hell of a week. Look at the people." Of course, once the auction began, the same people began to discuss the prices. "I don't believe the prices." was the most common quote I received. Second most common quote: "No one puts together an auction like Ron Bourgeault. This is some of the best stuff I've seen in years, probably since the 80's."
The large and lively crowd for the "Richmond" Saturday single-owner sale pushed up the prices for a range of Americana for a gross of just under $1 million, including the 15% buyers premium. Third most common quote received, by the way, was from dealers who told me they were attending their first Bourgeault auction and then, everyone of them, said, "I didn't know he charged 15%."
We'd suggest that folks start reading auction ads a little more carefully.
Many of the pieces at this Saturday auction were colorful and unique, generating much bidding and strong prices. Personally this editor had attended to view the wonderful collection (maybe a 100 or more) wallpaper covered hatboxes. When the first lot of them, Lot 22, a group of 12 miniatures estimated in the catalog to bring $1,200-$1,800 sold for $5,000, not including the premium, I knew I wasn't going to be buying any hatboxes this day...but we can all dream!
A New England Queen Anne oval dropleaf table with a black painted base sold for $34,500; a New England William & Mary red painted side chair with Spanish feet brought $24,150; an American yellow painted oval top candlestand on an urn turned standard with webbed slipper feet sold for $22,425; and a large and important tin chandelier with crimped leaf motifs and 24 candleholders made $29,900...while the huge crowd in the room slowly grew silent to the spell of Bourgeault's chant.
The Richmond collection had an interesting range of decorative accessories that appealed to the Antiques Week buyers: a Jewell prancing weathervane in gold leaf, $12,650; a pair of Salem carved and polychrome painted wall mounted fruit bocage, $17,250; a primitive carved and painted doll, $12,075; three lots of mortars and pestles, 22 in total, mostly in colors, brought $10,637.50 in total. Besides the hatboxes, other big draws at this sale included gameboards, King's Rose tableware, games, toys, and any type of painted or decorated country box.
I was unable to attend the Sunday sale, but the following prices were supplied to us by Northeast Auctions. The Sunday portion grossed almost $3 million (without the buyer's premium) with the top lot of a primitive watercolor portrait by the Shutes of Adeline Bartlett of Lowell, Mass., that sold for $92,700. Interest in this piece was no doubt heightened by the addition to the sale of a miniature portrait of this same sitter, also by the Shutes, which sold for $23,650 to the same telephone bidder.
Some of the highlights of the furniture included pieces deaccess- ioned from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, including a New England Chippendale carved mahogany wing chair, $76,750; a Weathersfield, CT Queen Anne carved cherry highboy, $51,750; an American inlaid maho- gany and gilt mirror with eglomise panel, $12,075; and a NY classical carved and stenciled sofa, $16,100.
Furniture from the Creem estate included the Dill family Penn. Queen Anne carved walnut lowboy with an Israel Sack provenance, $54,625; a RI Queen Anne maho- gany porringer-top tea table, also with a Sack provenance, $60,250; a MA Federal inlaid mahogany Roxbury tall case clock by Simon Willard or an apprentice, again with a Sack provenance, $34,500; and a Boston Chippendale mahogany camelback sofa by John and William Bright, with a John S. Walton provenance, $34,500.
Other consignors items also brought solid prices, including a CT Chippendale cherry chest of drawers, $33,350; and a MA Queen Anne walnut bonnet-top highboy from the Williams-Brown families, $55,200; a rare cobalt blue lacy Sandwich glass candlestick from the L.L. Bean collection, $26,550; and a painting of the Capt. George Burnham house in Melrose, MA which brought $32,200.