Here are a few notable prices of antiques sold recently at auction, as provided by press releases. All prices include the buyer’s premium when charged. We’re always looking for news of prices realized at auctions, particularly unusual or top lots. Send pictures, complete descriptions, and information to A.P.R., Maine Antique Digest, PO Box 1429, Waldoboro, ME 04572 or email them to [email protected].
Cloisonné enamel charger, Japanese, probably Meiji period (1868-1912), the center decorated with floral and bird motifs on a light blue ground enclosed within a floral and geometric border, the reverse decorated with various shaped cartouches with bird and floral decoration, with wear consistent with age and use, including rubbed and chipped enamel, 30" diameter, $7800 (est. $1500/3000). Winter Associates, Plainville, Connecticut, March 3.
Two-drawer blanket chest, New England, early 18th century, 41" x 41" x 18", pine in old red paint over the original red paint, nailed construction, original snipe hinges, the lid with interior supports over a molded edge, with double arch molding making two faux drawers over two drawers above the base molding, on spool and ball (or “turnip”) turned feet, round tenoned to the base. With sections of the double arch molding missing, splits to the lid, and feet that are possibly not original, it sold for $1920 (est. $250/500). Winter Associates, Plainville, Connecticut, March 3.
Blanket chest, Pennsylvania, circa 1800, 21" x 36" x 17", pine with blue, white, and red paint decoration, the lid with painted fylfot and compass decoration, the front with heart, compass, and sponge decoration, with a molded-edge lid, dovetailed construction, cast hinges, a lidded till, the original lock and a broken keeper, and base molding over applied bracket feet. The till lid hinge pin is broken, and the chest has a proper left foot old replacement, repairs, and wear consistent with age and use, including rubbed paint. It sold for $15,600 (est. $350/750) at Winter Associates, Plainville, Connecticut, March 3.
Alfred de Dreux (French, 1810-1860), oil on canvas depicting a hunt scene with two children on a horse and dogs running alongside, signed lower right and appearing to be dated 1859, canvas mounted to a board, 29½" x 35½" (sight size), from the home of Helen Scott on the Ardrossan estate in Villanova, Pennsylvania, $104,500 (est. $10,000/20,000). Briggs Auction, Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, January 31.
Henri Hecht Maik (French, 1922-1993), oil on canvas depicting various African animals and a walking figure in a blue moonlit landscape, signed lower right and dated “72,” with a label from Wally Findlay Galleries on the back, 50¼" x 75½" (sight size), $45,500 (est. $8000/12,000). Briggs Auction, Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, January 31.
This Arts and Crafts wrought-iron fireplace screen, with a saying on the crest from Macbeth, “Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble,” flanked by dragon heads and twisted shafts on paw feet, unsigned, 32" x 45" x 6", from a Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, residence designed by architect Wetherill Trout for C. Paul Ray Jr., 1921-22, $13,500 (est. $2000/4000). Briggs Auction, Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, January 31.
Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), Owl Trainer No. 2, 1947, oil on masonite, 12" x 16", sold for $825,500 (est. $200,000/300,000) at Rago, Lambertville, New Jersey, March 12. It is signed and dated and has been authenticated by Dr. Susan Weininger, professor emerita of art history at Roosevelt University, Chicago, and a leading scholar of Gertrude Abercrombie. It was first exhibited at the flagship Marshall Field’s department store gallery in 1947, the year it was painted. Abercrombie recorded two figures related to the price of the work—$100 and $75—perhaps referring to the asking price and the amount she would receive upon the sale of the work.
Weininger wrote in the catalog: “Although cats appear in some of Abercrombie’s earliest work, the earliest reference to an owl appearing in a painting is 1943 (Cat and Owl, location unknown). From that point the owl becomes ubiquitous in her work. Her interest in owls may have been inspired by an experience she recounted often. She was at a tavern in Joy, Illinois, with a friend and had to use the bathroom. She was told that there was no bathroom, everyone just went out back, but they didn’t want her to do that, so a waitress took her down the street to an empty building with a large bathroom on the second floor. There was a shelf in the room with a stuffed owl sitting on it. She thought about this owl often (and painted the scene frequently), and on a visit to Joy years later inquired about the stuffed owl, which she wanted to purchase. After finding the owner of the building, she was told there never was a stuffed owl in the room although many flew in and out through the window.” Abercrombie wrote in Joke Book, “He never blinked an eye all the time I was in the ladies room. It’s true.”
George Inness (1825-1894), Thunder Storm in Medfield, Massachusetts, oil on canvas, circa 1877, 12 1/8" x 18 1/8", signed, $11,875 (est. $12,000/18,000). Swann Auction Galleries, New York City, March 6.
Lyonel Feininger (German/American, 1871-1956), Locomotive, watercolor and ink on laid paper, 1942, 9 3/8" x 12¼", signed and dated, sold for $22,500 (est. $25,000/35,000) at Swann Auction Galleries, New York City, March 6. Achim Moeller, managing principal of the Lyonel Feininger Project LLC, has confirmed the authenticity of this work, which is registered under number 1931-07-24-24. According to Ernst Scheyer in Lyonel Feininger: Caricature & Fantasy (1964), Feininger’s childhood home was located near the newly constructed Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Transfixed by machines and industrialization, “Lyonel would stand on the footbridges that spanned the Fourth Avenue tracks and watch the locomotives and the endless perspective of silvery rails.... The locomotives had diamond smokestacks and jutting cowcatchers; their driving wheels were painted a bright vermilion.” These symbols of industry became part of Feininger’s personal iconography and appear often in his artwork.
Philipp Mainzer, Backenzahn stool, set of three, model St-04, circa 1996, oak, with the manufacturer’s branding label “E15,” each 18½" x 10¾" x 10", $4000 (est. $400/800). Rivich Auction, Chicago, Illinois, March 2.
Photographic print by Bill Doyle (1925-2010), Mairtin Folan and Paraic Choili Pheaidi O Conghaile, Inis Oírr, a photograph taken in Inisheer, Ireland, circa 1970s, signed, 24" x 19" x 1" (with frame, not shown), $2375 (est. $150/300). Doyle was a renowned Dublin-based photographer known for capturing Ireland and its people. The lot also included a signed copy of The Aran Islands: Another World by Bill Doyle. Rivich Auction, Chicago, Illinois, March 2.
David Johnson (1827-1908), Dollar Island, Lake George, oil on panel, 1873, 13 1/8" x 21", initialed and dated lower right, signed, titled, and dated on the reverse, from a Maine collection, sold for $81,250 (est. $15,000/20,000) at Swann Auction Galleries, New York City, March 6. Upstate New York is the subject of many of Johnson’s works; he frequently painted the Hudson River valley, the Catskill Mountains, and the Adirondack Mountains. His Lake George scenes, arguably his finest and most sought-after works, were mostly painted during the 1870s, when the area was already a popular resort destination, though it is very rare for these paintings to have any indication of human presence.
Shigeru Ban for Artek, 10-Unit System modular bench, manufactured by Artek, Finland, circa 2009, nontoxic, sustainable, and recyclable wood-plastic composite, 33" x 47¼" x 17½" with a 17½" high seat, $3625 (est. $800/1200). Rivich Auction, Chicago, Illinois, March 2.
Rare, untouched, and well-preserved original Confederate sword made by Thomas Leech, Memphis, Tennessee, referred to as the “floating C.S.” staff and field officer’s sword. The 30" long blade contains the engraving “Lieut. W. B. Spencer / 31st Regt. Tenn. Vols.” A fresh-to-the-market discovery, it sold for $22,000 (est. $10,000/15,000). Milestone Auctions, Willoughby, Ohio, January 18.
U.S. Marine Corps bell crown “tar bucket” shako of a type used by regular forces as well as militia units from 1820 to 1835, with the USMC rosette, star side rosettes, and an eagle plate, sold for $4182 (est. $2000/3000) at Milestone Auctions, Willoughby, Ohio, January 18. These were called “tar bucket” shakos because of the tarred black finish originally applied to the leather form.
This A2 flight jacket with patches was worn during World War II by J. B. Bass when he was with the U.S. 1st Combat Cargo Group, 1st Squadron, a heroic outfit that flew dangerous supply missions in Asian combat zones. Decorated with several China-Burma-India theater leather insignias on its front and a large American flag and blood chit on its back, this jacket was made in 1936. The date is significant, as it suggests Bass may have been an early member of the Army Air Corps. The jacket sold for $5535 (est. $3000/5000) at Milestone Auctions, Willoughby, Ohio, January 18.
Martin model 0-17 acoustic guitar, circa 1936, mahogany, serial number 66367, with a hard case (not shown), $6100 (est. $1000/1500). Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, Windsor, Connecticut, February 22.
Georges Charles Robin (French, 1903-2003), Hiver a Pont-Croix (Winter in Pont-Croix), oil on canvas, signed, titled on the reverse, 18" x 22", with a Newman Galleries label and a price of $650 on the back of the frame, $3050 (est. $800/1200). Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, Windsor, Connecticut, February 22.
Thomas Gibson (English, 1680-1751), Lady Bridget, Daughter of John First Earl Poulett and Wife of Polexfen Bastard Esqr., early 18th century, 68¼" x 44¼", oil on canvas, signed and titled lower left, ex-collection of Howard and Faye Yager, acquired from Depew Galleries, Atlanta, in 1987, scattered restoration and repairs, $36,300 (est. $2000/4000). Ahlers & Ogletree, Atlanta, Georgia, January 16.
Reed & Barton seven-piece sterling silver hot beverage service in the Francis I pattern (1907-2019), comprising a tilting kettle on stand, a coffeepot, a teapot, a covered sugar bowl, a cream jug, a waste bowl, and a tray, all marked appropriately, totaling 213.09 troy oz., $16,940 (est. $7000/9000). Ahlers & Ogletree, Atlanta, Georgia, January 16.
Baltasar Lobo (1910-1993), Sur la plage (On the Beach), conceived in 1977, patinated bronze, number 6 from an edition of 8 plus 4 artist’s proofs, signed and numbered, with foundry mark “Susse Fondeur Paris,” 12 3/8" x 24¼" x 8½", sold for $30,480 (est. $20,000/30,000) at John Moran Auctioneers, Monrovia, California, February 25. Lobo was a Spanish sculptor best known for his elegant, Modernist depictions of the female form and mother-and-child themes. Born in 1910 in Cerecinos de Campos, Spain, Lobo displayed an early talent for sculpture and trained in Valladolid before continuing his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. His career was profoundly shaped by the Spanish Civil War, which forced him into exile in France in 1939. Settling in Paris, he became part of the vibrant artistic community, forming connections with figures such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Laurens. Lobo remained in France until his death in 1993.
Continental currency $20 bank note, mentioning a resolution of Congress in Philadelphia, May 10, 1775, printed on marbled polychrome paper supplied by statesman Benjamin Franklin, the face and back emblems plus the mottos sketched by Benjamin Franklin, serial number 7262, $7865 (est. $1000/2000). Ahlers & Ogletree, Atlanta, Georgia, January 16.
George Nakashima (1905-1990), carved walnut dining table, 1956, unmarked, a freeform table with two beveled edges, raised on four turned wood attenuated legs, 28½" x 54 1/8 " x 52¾", sold for $9900 (est. $8000/10,000) at John Moran Auctioneers, Monrovia, California, February 25. The table was accompanied by authentication from the Nakashima Peace Foundation on its letterhead, as well as a signed letter dated June 15, 1956, from Marion Nakashima, George Nakashima’s wife, to the original purchaser.
After Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), a Sillón Leda armchair by BD Barcelona, circa 1990s, titled and attributed on a metal plaque “Salvador Dalí / 1935 / b.d. ediciones de diseño / 145,” a polished brass chair after a chair depicted in Dalí’s 1935 painting Femme à tête de roses, 35½" x 24¼" x 20½", sold for $11,430 (est. $10,000/15,000) at John Moran Auctioneers, Monrovia, California, February 25. Manufactured by BD Barcelona, the chair is crafted from polished cast brass. In the mid- to late 1930s, Dalí collaborated with designer Jean-Michel Frank on a collection of furniture designs. However, not all these designs were realized during their lifetimes. It wasn’t until the 1990s that a team of designers, led by Oscar Tusquets and supported by The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, worked to bring the Dalí/Frank collection to fruition. BD Barcelona subsequently took on the manufacturing of these pieces, including the Sillón Leda.
André Hambourg (French, 1909-1999), Préparation de régates (Regatta Preparation), oil on canvas, signed lower left, initialed and titled in ink on the reverse, 10 5/8" x 18 1/8", ex-Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida, and ex-collection of Barbara and Frank Batsch, $20,320 (est. $2000/3000). John Moran Auctioneers, Monrovia, California, February 25.
Boston Chippendale carved birch secretary bookcase, 1770-80, attributed to John Cogswell, inscribed on the back “December 27 1804,” with a broken-arch pediment, finials, shaped paneled doors, a slant-front lid with a fitted interior, a serpentine case with four graduated drawers, and ball-and-claw feet, 101" x 42" x 21½", in a later old finish with good patina, old repairs to the panel doors at the joints, sold for $31,200 (est. $5000/7000) at Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 24.
Gothic Revival carved mahogany bureau bookcase, circa 1830, attributed to Meads and Alvord, New York, the back inscribed “B Bourne Glen Cove,” with a stepped cornice, arched frieze, columnar supports flanking glazed doors, a foldout writing surface, a frieze drawer, incurvate paneled doors with flanking columnar supports, carved feet, and casters, 93¼" x 52¼" x 25½", sold for $8125 (est. $2500/3500) at Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 24.
Rare pair of Louisiana Federal bronze-mounted carved mahogany armoires, each 94" x 65" x 21", 19th century, each with a molded cornice, inset paneled doors, left and right side panel doors with a hanging interior, a central reeded stile, a row of drawers, and lobed and turned tapered legs on brass ball feet, $47,500 (est. $7000/10,000). Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 24.
Originally published in the May 2025 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2025 Maine Antique Digest
