SARASOTA, Fla. – Sarasota Estate Auction had another extraordinary sale on January 7 and 8. Exceeding $550,000, multiple lots performed extremely well, and some significantly outperformed their estimates.

The top-performing piece was a charcoal-on-paper portrait by John Singer Sargent of Elisabeth Mills Reid. With an estimate of $10,000-$20,000, this piece brought $69,300 and went to a phone bidder in Virginia. Reportedly, the consignors were thrilled with the results. Coming in second, Hunt Slonem’s Toco Toucans had nearly 100 bidders watching and ultimately realized $37,800.

Another high-profile lot was a portrait of George Washington attributed to Gilbert Stuart. Originally purchased in 1991 from Hessney’s auction house in Geneva, New York, the painting had previously been in a private collection in Auburn, New York, in the home of an ambassador in foreign service. After 1991, the portrait hung for many years at the consignor’s bed and breakfast in Chincoteague, Virginia. The George Washington portrait achieved $26,460 and was claimed by an in-house bidder.

A work of art that greatly surpassed its expectations was Fernando Botero’s Man on Horse. This carved wooden sculpture of a gentleman seated atop a horse, riding crop in hand, had a starting price of $300 and an estimate of $600-$900. Prior to auction day, there was an internet bid of $550. When all was said and done, this piece brought $5,040.

The Jorge Blanco sculpture Thinker performed very well. With a starting bid of $6,000, the piece sold in-house for a total of $11,340. The artist was in the audience – other artworks of his sold as well – and he thoroughly enjoyed the auction experience.

Many of the articles of jewelry were outstanding. Among them was an elegant 18K gold and diamond rope necklace that earned $2,520, a sum that was above its estimate of $1,500.

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