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Mesdag painting

Mesdag painting of fishing boats sells for $100,000 at Jackson’s

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Hendrik Willem Mesdag (Dutch 1831-1915), ‘Terugkeer van de vissersvloot’ (Return of the Fishing Fleet), circa 1900, oil on canvas. Price realized: $100,000. Jackson’s International image
Hendrik Willem Mesdag (Dutch 1831-1915), ‘Terugkeer van de vissersvloot’ (Return of the Fishing Fleet), circa 1900, oil on canvas. Price realized: $100,000. Jackson’s International image

 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The summer auction season started off with a bang at Jackson’s International’s auction of May 24-25. The multiple estate and collections auction featured treasures from around the world and attracted over 1,000 international bidders totaling $1.5 million in sales.

Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The auction opened with a small offering of paintings, works on paper and bronzes. A seashore scene (above) by Hendrik Willem Mesdag (Dutch 1831-1915), which came from a collection in Minnesota and sold to a phone bidder from the Netherlands for $100,000. That was followed by an interesting preparatory drawing (below) for an altar crucifix attributed to Etienne Delaune (French 1518-1595), which sold to a Parisian phone bidder for $63,750.

 

Attributed to Etienne Delaune (French 1518-1595), preparatory drawing for an ornate altar crucifix. Pen, ink and watercolor. Price realized: $63,750. Jackson’s International image
Attributed to Etienne Delaune (French 1518-1595), preparatory drawing for an ornate altar crucifix. Pen, ink and watercolor. Price realized: $63,750. Jackson’s International image

 

A charming painting by Frederick Soulacroix (French 1858-1933) depicting a young woman making a curtain call, sold for $20,000 and an oil on canvas painting depicting the Holy Family by Michael Rieser (Austrian 1828-1905) sold for $14,375. A pair of religious painting attributed to Luis Berruaco (Mexican 18th century) went to a buyer in France for $9,375 and a 17th century Dutch portrait of a gentleman sold to a buyer in the Netherlands for $8,125.

 

Frederick Soulacroix (French 1858-1933), ‘Curtain Call,’ oil on canvas. Price realized: $20,000. Jackson’s International image
Frederick Soulacroix (French 1858-1933), ‘Curtain Call,’ oil on canvas. Price realized: $20,000. Jackson’s International image

 

Some European works worthy of note include a 14-inch carved oak figure of the Virgin and Child (below) sold to a buyer in Belgium for $7,500. A small (7 inches) carved ivory figure of St. Anthony with losses sold for $4,250 and a Gustav Dore bronze of the Madonna and Child finished at $5,500.

 

Carved oak figure of the Virgin and Child, 16th century, retaining some original gilding and polychrome. Price realized: $7,500. Jackson’s International image
Carved oak figure of the Virgin and Child, 16th century, retaining some original gilding and polychrome. Price realized: $7,500. Jackson’s International image

 

The next session featured Russian works, beginning with a 10-inch by 12-inch icon of St. Alexei (below), which was gifted in 1914 to Czarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, the only son of Emperor Nicholas II, on the boy’s 10th birthday. It sold for $50,000. That was followed by an icon of the Mother of God Joy to All Who Sorrow, exhibiting an oklad by Ivan Tarabrov, circa 1900 which sold for $21,250. A small icon of Christ, 9 inches x 7 inches, with silver and enamel halo, also circa 1900, sold to a buyer in Moscow for $15,000. A pendant icon or panagia, measuring 6 inches in diameter, also sold to a Moscow buyer for $8,750, and a Russian icon of the Tenderness Mother of God sold to a Russian buyer for $10,000.

 

This 12-inch x 10-inch icon of St. Alexei given to Czar Nicholas II’s son on his 10th birthday in 1914 sold for $50,000 to a European buyer. Jackson’s International image
This 12-inch x 10-inch icon of St. Alexei, given to Czar Nicholas II’s son on his 10th birthday in 1914, sold for $50,000 to a European buyer. Jackson’s International image

 

In the Russian decorative arts category, the highlight was an enameled Easter egg measuring 2.7 inches in height produced in the workshop of Feodor Ruckert, which sold for $23,750. A silver and cloisonné enamel kovsh made $11,875 and a silver and turquoise blue enameled three-piece tea set sold to a buyer in Russia for $5,250.

The second session featured a wide variety of items, including antique porcelain, glassware, silver and coins.

European glassware and porcelain followed featuring a handful of hand-painted porcelain plaques including a lovely, albeit small, KPM plaque depicting Eve in the Garden (below). It sold for $9,375. That was followed by another KPM plaque depicting the Expulsion of Hagar which did $6,250.

 

Fine KPM hand-painted porcelain plaque, late 19th century, ‘Eve in the Garden,’ 6 1/4 inches x 9 1/4 inches. Price realized: $6,250. Jackson’s International image
Fine KPM hand-painted porcelain plaque, late 19th century, ‘Eve in the Garden,’ 6 1/4 inches x 9 1/4 inches. Price realized: $6,250. Jackson’s International image

 

Other decorative arts worth mentioning include an interesting Tiffany bronze Moorish table lamp, without the glass prisms, which sold for $5,500, a charming 4-inch Daum Nancy cameo glass dresser jar decorated with kittens which sold for $4,500, a partial set of Georg Jensen “Acorn” sterling silver flatware did $3,250, an Italian alabaster table lamp did $3,500, and a pair of Navajo rugs did $4,250.

The sale concluded with 154 lots of primarily U.S. coins, consisting for the most part of silver, but including some gold such as a U.S. 1929 $5 Indian gold half eagle which sold for $21,250 followed by a 1909-O $5 Indian gold half eagle which did $13,750. The remaining 152 lots comprising two estate collections totaled $181,774.

 

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.