Skinner breaks record for sale of folk art portrait
American School, 18th Century, Portrait of Abigail Rose, North Branford, Connecticut, 1786, at the Age of Fourteen. Unsigned. Provenance: Family descent to the late wife of the consignor. Estimate $150,000-250,000. Sold for $1,271,000.
The rare 18th-century portrait of Abigail Rose of North Branford, Conn., sold for $1,271,000. The portrait broke the previous record for American folk art portraiture, set in January 2007, and is one of three folk art portraits to have passed the million-dollar mark at auction. The painting, from 1786, depicts a 14-year-old Abigail seated in a Queen Anne chair next to a table on which rests a group of books and a Battersea patch box. The asymmetrical composition is unique for the time period. Well-preserved, in original condition, and not seen publicly since the 1930s, the portrait descended through the family of the sitter.
According to Stephen Fletcher, director of American Furniture and Decorative Arts at Skinner, “I knew the portrait of Abigail Rose had potential, as it is the finest early American folk portrait offered here at Skinner in 40 years. There were a couple of quiet predictions in the trade that the picture might well bring a million dollars, and we were delighted that it brought a record-setting price.” Fletcher continued, “Apart from the success of the portrait, this sale showed strong results across the board and demonstrated that the market for rare and distinctive American antiques and art remains healthy.”
The landmark Rod MacKenzie collection of early photography did especially well. The 150 lots of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes realized over $220,000. As a collector, Mackenzie has a sophisticated taste for images that speak to the viewer emotionally, historically and artistically. Rare portraits of a class of school children and an architect at work each sold for $15,405, and a daguerreotype of two hunters with their dog brought $18,960. The picture was carefully composed in a painterly manner—truly the work of a daguerreian artist. Portraits of military officers, soldiers, men at their occupations, young couples and families, and children at school showed strong results.
American furniture also did well. A Queen Anne cherry scroll-top high chest of drawers sold for $33,180, and a pair of Federal mahogany carved and flame birch inlaid card tables, attributed to the cabinetmakers Joshua Cumston and David Buckminster, with excellent provenance, sold for $28,440. A rare Chippendale carved mahogany reverse serpentine bureau made in the Boston area sold for $94,800.
Drawn in by an alluring history, bidders drove the price of a carved and painted Indian princess tobacconist figure, attributed to Samuel Robb of New York, circa 1880, well past the high estimate, to sell for $71,100. Tobacconist figures, which attracted buyers into tobacco shops, were common in their day, yet few have survived. This carved Indian, which has an old weathered painted surface, was acquired from the estate of Helena Penrose 50 years ago.
Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
American School, 18th Century, Portrait of Abigail Rose, North Branford, Connecticut, 1786, at the Age of Fourteen. Unsigned. Provenance: Family descent to the late wife of the consignor. Estimate $150,000-250,000. Sold for $1,271,000.
Quarter Plate Daguerreotype Picture of Students in a Classroom, in original pressed-paper/leather case, (edge tarnish, minor dust). Estimate $1,000-1,500. Sold for $15,405.
Rare Chippendale Carved Mahogany Reverse Serpentine Bureau, Charlestown or Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1760-70. Provenance: Direct descent in the family of a prominent 18th century Boston merchant; Skinner, American Furniture and Decorative Arts, June 16, 1990, lot 154, to a private collection. Estimate $75,000-150,000. Sold for $94,800.
Carved and Painted Indian Princess Tobacconist Figure, attributed to Samuel Robb (1851-1928), New York, New York, c. 1880, on original base, old painted surface, (imperfections), figure ht. 56, overall ht. 80 in. Provenance: Acquired from the Estate of Helena Penrose, New York, New York. Other trade figures formerly in the collection of Helena Penrose were sold at Christie’s in October, 2007. Estimate $30,000-50,000. Sold for $71,100.
