William Birch’s The City of Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania North American as it appeared in the year 1800, a book of 28 plates is an extremely rare item indeed. This first edition, published in 1800, creates a visual record of Philadelphia, depicting homes and public buildings. William Russel Birch (1755-1834) was the first person to successfully publish engraved view books in the United States. Among the 156 original subscribers to the work were Gilbert Stuart and Thomas Jefferson. There are only a few copies of this book extant, with few known still in private hands. The phones were full and the bidding was active establishing a record for this volume, which was estimated at $70,000-$90,000.
The seats at Pook & Pook’s gallery were filled and there was standing room only both sessions. Of the 773 lots, only 16 lots failed to sell. The sales totaled over the high estimate of $1.78 million. The auction encompassed a myriad of objects including fine art, silver, American and Continental furniture, carpets, textiles, historical Staffordshire and decorative accessories.
On Friday night the sale began with a selection of English and Continental furniture and accessories primarily from the estate of Margaret M. Peters of Nazareth, Pa. Highlights included an English mahogany and silver mounted tea caddy bearing the touch of Pierre Gillios for $7,110, a pair of Dutch marquetry chairs for $1,422, a Georgian mahogany and walnut veneer looking glass for $2,370 and an impressive ormolu mounted porcelain three-piece garniture set brought $16,590.
From a Vergennes, Vt., collection and the estate of Margaret Peters came a collection of American and European silver. An important group of English pieces by Hester Bateman included a dome lidded tankard for $5,589, a teapot and stand for $3,081, a tea caddy with elaborate overall engraved floral and swag decoration for $5,451, a bread basket with reticulated border for $3,402, a coffeepot for $4,503 and a master salt for $2,187. Other pieces included a pair of Georgian silver candlesticks by William Café for $7,110, a coin silver coffeepot by Bailey & Kitchen for $1,125, an English coffeepot by John Kentenber for $1,458 and a tea caddy by Peter and Ann Bateman for $1,303.
A rare United States $10 gold coin dated 1796 was offered to a full bank of phones together with bidders in the sales room and on the Internet. This stunning coin with draped bust, small eagle, reeded edge and 16 stars brought $42,660.
The Friday night session also featured a selection of fine art. A very attractive pair of oil on canvas landscapes by Charles Sullivan soared to four times the high estimate to reach $16,590. Another fine New England still life painting by Cullen Yates again went well over the high estimate to bring $13,035. A watercolor by Arthur Burdett Frost did very well at $3,318, a still life with apples by Thomas Henry Hope at $5,688 and an oil on canvas New York landscape brought $4,503.
Many of the pieces of New England and New York furniture arrived from the Vergennes, Vt., collection and one exceptional piece from the Titus Geesey collection. From the Mancius family of Boston, this rare William and Mary maple chair with a scroll and foliate carved crest and branded “W. Mancius” on the rear rail had a history of the descent of this chair from Wilhelmus Mancius of Ulster County, N.Y., to Robert Rose Johnson accompanying the lot. With multiple buyers interested, it sold over the high estimate to $77,025. A Massachusetts Chippendale figured birch chest of drawers, circa 1777, with a serpentine front top and ball and claw feet was bid to $16,590. A New England Queen Anne tiger maple tall chest with a fan carved drawer and period brasses brought $8,295. Other New England furniture included a painted pine bench table for $6,517, a Queen Anne walnut dressing table for $7,702 and a Massachusetts Federal mahogany bed went for $7,110.
A Pennsylvania or Maryland Chippendale walnut dining chair, circa 1770, was an outstanding piece with a serpentine crest with central cabochon flanked by tassels, pierced acanthus carved splat, cabriole legs and ball and claw feet. An identical side chair is illustrated in Downs American Furniture Queen Anne and Chippendale, fig. 123. It garnered $26,070. Several Pennsylvania tall-case clocks were offered on both sale days. These included a Northampton County Chippendale cherry clock by Christian Bixler of Easton, which did well at $11,257; a Queen Anne cherry musical clock inscribed “Tho. Woods London The Happy Clown: A Minuett,” $8,887; and a Federal clock with an eight-day works by Jacob Guthart of Lebanon at $3,792. A fine Pennsylvania Queen Anne walnut tall chest of drawers, circa 1760, having four arched upper drawers over five short drawers and four long drawers was bid to $37,920. Three painted dower chests were offered, one being a Lehigh County example with cloverleaf panels with stylized flowers on a blue/green ground, which brought well over the high estimate at $17,775. Other Pennsylvania furniture highlights included a diminutive walnut chest of drawers for $8,887, a Philadelphia Chippendale dining chair with cabochon crest for $18,960, a Delaware Valley dressing table for $10,072 and Berks County dower chest with panels of potted tulips for $8,887.
From two New Jersey collections and the estate of Margaret Peters, come many pieces of historical blue Staffordshire porcelain. Platters included “Alms House, New York,” “Pennsylvania Hospital,” “The Capital Washington,” “Troy from Mt. Ida,” “Hoboken, New Jersey,” and a group of various pieces depicting “Lafayette at Franklin’s Tomb” composed of coffeepots, teapots, creamers, cups and saucers, pitcher and basin, etc. Prices ranges from $118 to $7,110 for a fruit bowl “The Capital Washington.” Other pottery and porcelains included an unusual four-color purple, yellow, green and black rainbow spatter teapot with did well at $7,702, a Delft plate dated 1728 for $3,081 and one dated 1734 for $2,844.
A wide range of specialty items were incorporated into the sale. An Allentown, Pa., collection offered a group of sailor’s ivory pieces including jagging wheels, rolling pins, whimseys, busks, etc. The highlights included a bone and ivory cane with fist grip for $4,740, a scrimshaw decorated busk inscribed John Coggeshall for $4,029, a scrimshaw whale tooth dated 1833 for $4,266 and an ivory pierced jagging wheel for $9,480. An elaborate Chinese carved and painted ivory and wood model of a junk labled “Model of the Canton River-Boats, The Property of A.E. Graves New-Ross” attracted the attention of the audience and it soared to $21,870. A group of seven Chinese painted porcelain plaques brought $3,645. A massive Pennsylvania carved mahogany spread winged eagle, circa 1870, crossed the block on Saturday. The eagle had been gifted to the Gettysburg YWCA by Annie and Irene Danner in 1926. It carried an estimate of $5,000-$10,000 but brought a rousing $59,250. An unusual vibrant Lancaster County fraktur birth record with elaborate decoration with fish with spotted faces and sharp teeth fetched $10,665.
For details please contact Pook & Pook Inc., 610-269-4040, info@pookandpook.com or visit their website pookandpook.com.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
