Spring Auction at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine

Spring Auction at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries

by Mark Sisco

Some fine ship paintings and other artworks were at the heart of the March 31 and April 1 auction at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Thomaston, Maine, but it was a little carved cup that drew the most gasps when it topped the sale.

Two paintings of a paddle-wheeler by the same artist fared well. An 18" x 23" (sight size) oil on canvas side view of the paddle-wheeler Ho-Nay was signed in the lower left "NC, Canton, 1890," indicating Russian-born Australian artist Nicholas Chevalier (1828-1902). Family history and a previous appraisal provided the Chevalier connection, according to auctioneer Kaja Veilleux. The well-traveled artist painted in numerous countries on four continents, but we were unable to place him in China in 1890, nor could we locate any other ship portraits ascribed to him. The detailed work on this painting did seem well matched to Chevalier's style, and it sold for $7700 (includes buyer's premium).

Another view of the paddle-wheeler Ho-Nay, also signed "NC, Canton, 1890," showing the ship docked in Kowloon Harbor behind Chinese junks and other vessels, sold for $12,100 to the same phone bidder who purchased the other Chevalier work.

A 24" x 36" (sight size) oil on canvas of the bark Thomas Killam of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was signed "G.A. Barr" and dated 1856. Killam is an important name in Nova Scotia maritime history. Thomas Killam was a Yarmouth shipyard owner who built his first vessel in 1839. Over a nearly 30-year career he had ownership interest in about 57 vessels. Curiously, the Web site for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (www.yarmouth.org), includes the same painting but fails to mention the ship on a list of Killam-owned vessels. The painting is listed on Tall Ships of Atlantic Canada (www.atlantictallships.ca). The auction catalog listing noted that the painting came from a Pemaquid, Maine, estate and also reported that the ship was lost in 1866 on a voyage from Antwerp to New York. The work brought $7700 and was reportedly headed back to a Nova Scotia museum.

It was the second voyage for a ship portrait of the Robert Porter. We first saw it at an Andrews & Andrews auction in Northport, Maine, in October 2006. The painting came from the estate of Searsport, Maine, captain Daniel Clark Nichols, where, along with some old insurance documents, a sterling watch fob, and a ledger, it sold for $5500, despite a long repaired rip running through the upper right corner. It didn't appear that anyone had spent serious money restoring it, and when it came up here, with the same documents, fob, and ledger, it hammered down at $5500, not enough to sell it.

An unsigned 22" x 27" (sight size) oil on canvas portrait of the bark Ariel had an old label on the back identifying the ship and noting that it was built in the "Bungtown" section of Warren, Rhode Island, and fitted with a propeller just before the painting was made. Veilleux noted that after the catalog had gone to press, they identified the artist as Clement Drew, and it sold for $4730.

The biggest lot, to the surprise of nearly everyone, turned out to be one of the smallest. It was approximately 5" x 4" x 2½" high and was a Chinese Qing Dynasty libation cup in rhinoceros horn, the base in the form of deeply carved leaves and branches. The darkly patinated little vessel drew a staggering $24,200.

For more information, call (207) 354-8141or visit the Web site (www.thomastonauction.com).

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