Clocks, fine art stoked bidding at Alderfer Auction

HATFIELD, Pa. – As the temperature was rising under the August sun, so were the prices at Alderfer Auction, especially for 20th-century fine art and antique clocks. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

The top lot, a painting by American artist Paul Cadmus, soared to $30,000. The 1956 egg tempera painting titled Male Nude TS12, measured 17¾ by 11½ inches and was featured in the 2002 DC Moore Gallery exhibition. The painting (below) was part of the Hellyer Collection of James “Jay” Hellyer Jr. of Wyndmoor, Pa. Hellyer was the founder of Hellyer Lewis Inc. an architectural and interior design firm in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Rittenhouse Club and Franklin Inn Club. He was an avid gardener and kept an impressive English garden on his grounds. He was a bibliophile enjoying a variety of writings in his free time. He also had a love for animals and was a great supporter of the Pennsylvania SPCA.

This single-owner cataloged auction featured over 320 pieces from various artists and collections including books, decorative arts, sterling silver, clocks, furnishings and fine art. The feature of his collection included over 100 lots of fine art and over 80 tall-case and mantel clocks, which attracted an audience from around the world.

American, English and French timepieces such as the 1810 French Allegorical seated figure bronze mantel clock (lot 49), the 1800 French Hercules fighting the Nemean Lion mantel clock (below) and the Martin Schreiner (Lancaster, Pa.) walnut tall-case clock (lot 125) realized prices reminiscent of the past at $6,600, $6,300, $10,200 respectively.

Attracting a lot of attention was Sirocco a fantastic trompe-l’oeil painting by David Adel (lot 267) that realized $8,400. Jar of Green Olives on a Dark Grey Background by Robert M. Kulicke (lot 228) achieved $7,800 and Suspension of Disbelief by Wes Hempel (lot 226) amazed the crowd at $7,200.

Other auction highlights included a bronze sculpture by Louis-Albert Lefeuvre titled Les Fondeurs du Moyen Age (below), which sold for $6,000.

The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens; The Lutyens Memorial Volumes (lot 5) sold for $2,520 and Jacob A. Pfeiffer’s whimsical still life of asparagus and red licorice (below) raised $4,500.

For details contact Alderfer Auction at 215-393-3000.