Carousel Horse Tops Virginia Auction

Green Valley Auctions, Inc., Mt. Crawford, Virginia

by Walter C. Newman

Green Valley Auctions held its semiannual sale of antiques, Americana, and decorative arts on November 10, 2007, at its Mt. Crawford, Virginia, facility. A subheading in the 944-lot catalog noted that this sale featured a "focus on Virginia and the South." Many of the sale's top-performing lots fit squarely within those parameters.

This sale was Green Valley's first large-scale Americana and collectors auction since it included the Internet as one of its sales channels. To this observer, the sale went smoothly. There were no significant glitches, and although the pace was a bit slower than usual, the sale moved smoothly. Consignors are most likely the biggest benefactors of on-line sales, as Internet bidding was active, and several items from each general category sold over the Web. In particular, a large selection of Staffordshire figures undoubtedly realized higher prices than they might have otherwise, with active Internet bidding for each of those lots.

Top lot of the sale was a magnificent carved carousel horse from the northern Shenandoah Valley. The horse was featured on the cover of the sale catalog and was offered with an extremely well-documented provenance. The animal was one of an eight-horse traveling carousel that toured the Shenandoah Valley at the turn of the 20th century, setting up at various county and town fairs as well as at reunions of Confederate veterans.

This particular horse has been pictured in several folk art publications and was exhibited in various folk art venues over recent years. A copy of an early 20th-century photograph of the disassembled carousel being transported by horse-drawn wagons was included as part of the auction lot.

Jeffrey Evans opened the bidding from his book with an absentee bid of $22,000. In less time than a carousel ride, the horse sold for $55,000 (includes buyer's premium). The estimate was $30,000/50,000.

Evans smiled at the sale and said, "That's nice. I know it is headed for a good home."

This auction included several items from a previous Green Valley Americana sale. M.A.D. readers may recall that one year ago Green Valley was faced with the awkward situation of having to reclaim several high-dollar items from a bidder who was unable to pay. At this sale, four of those items were reoffered without reserve. A salt-glazed "strawberry" jar, an earthenware basin by Anthony Bacher, an earthenware spaniel figure, and a Prior-Hamblin school portrait all sold, though at substantially lower prices than they had at the earlier sale.

A 500-piece lot of Lincoln family archival material sold to a determined individual in the room. The group consisted of documents from several generations of Lincoln relations, but the bulk of the documents pertained to Colonel Abraham Lincoln (1799-1851), cousin of the 16th President. The items included receipts, inventories, tax receipts, and general correspondence. Colonel Lincoln's family had settled at Linville Creek, in Rockingham County, Virginia. The Lincoln ephemera brought $8250 (est. $2000/3000).

A group of etchings and watercolors by Antoinette Guerard Rhett (1884-1964) was offered. Rhett was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but spent most of her life in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was a prolific artist as well as a key figure in the so-called Charleston Renaissance. In 1923 she helped found the Charleston Etchers' Club.

The works offered at Green Valley were recently discovered as part of a Baltimore estate. The 42 images included street scenes, landscapes, and botanicals and were grouped into 16 lots. All were without frames. Each of the lots sold to one of two telephone bidders. Prices realized for the items were strong, and each was in excess of its published estimate. For example, two watercolors sold for $6050 each, against estimates of $800/1200 and $500/800; while two other watercolors made $5225 each, against estimates of $500/800 and $300/500.

Ten photographic images by Doris Ulmann (1884-1934) were consigned from a Kentucky estate. Ulmann was well known for capturing images of rural Appalachian life among what she called the "Vanishing Types" of that region. With only one exception, the images offered were platinum prints. Each of the pictures is of a single individual posed in a portrait-like setting within familiar surroundings.

Green Valley sales are absolute auctions, but for the first time in memory, each of the Ulmann lots carried a reserve price. That fact did not enter into the equation, however, as all ten images sold either within or exceeding their estimates. The majority of the Ulmann photographs went to Internet bidders.

For additional information, contact Green Valley Auctions at (540) 434-4260; Web site (www.greenvalleyauctions.com).

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