MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — Each auction brings something new and unexpected. The Benefit Shop Foundation’s Red Carpet sale Feb. 21 was no exception. Absentee and Internet bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
“Every auction is a surprise. Just when we think we have our fingers on the pulse of what Internet buyers want, there are always surprises. That’s one of the things I love about this business — every auction is a new adventure,” said founder and president Pam Stone. “There was a great mix of nice items that did better than expected.”
Items sold well across the board from Asian arts and mid-century modern to fine art and Continental.
While the occasional item is consigned here, the majority of the auction is made up donations from area estates and the sale profits benefit local charities.
The auction got off to a good start, with the very first lot across the block, a life-size gold toned painted Oriental female statue, possibly vintage or antique, 65 inches tall, that more than doubled its high estimate to bring $285, and a few lots later, the top lot of the sale — a bronze Art Deco statuette (above) of a nude woman reclining inside a crescent moon, 23 by 20 by 9 inches, that went to a phone bidder for $1,905, well over its $200-$400 estimate.
The Asian art category performed well overall. Leading the way were a pair of imperial yellow temple lions (below), circa 1860-1880, from the Nanking Province, 17 ½ inches tall, that fetched $1,079 and a black lacquer calligraphy table, 79 inches long, that made $1,016.
Oriental rugs also did well, led by a Tibetan runner in black with beige Chinese writing symbols and beige colored border, 171 by 33 inches, going for $1,079.
What would a Red Carpet sale be without a red carpet? An antique multi-toned Oriental carpet runner, with a red geometric design and hues of red, brown, blue, tan, and pink, 170 by 38 inches, earned $952.
Several pieces of art also were among the sale’s high fliers, including a David Burt Skyscapade art sculpture mobile that depicts dancers floating in suspension, made up of hammered, braised and oxidized metal. The artist deftly crafts sheet metal into lyrical “welded traceries.” This piece measures about 64 by 30 inches when fully extended. It brought $1,206.
Also giving a surprising performance was a set of six Bohemia cut crystal colored wine glasses, ornately decorated, in striking hues of green and cranberry crystal with clear geometric cut crystal stems, which went to a LiveAuctioneers bidder for $825.
A vintage wicker side or end table in white paint, 30 high by 26 inches square. The table left its $80-100 estimate in the dust to sell for $635.
Other highlights among fine art offerings were a circa 19th-century oil painting of dancing figures in a wooded landscape on an ornately carved frame having floral details, 27 by 24 inches, going for $952, and a surprisingly strong price of $762 for a framed and matted print of an antique needlework sampler. “That was just a complete surprise for a framed print,” Stone said.
Rounding out the top lots were a Yamaha ebony case upright piano at $1,079, a Louis XV-style console table, circa 1880-1890, richly hand carved with a white marble top, 32 ½ by 47 by 16 ½ inches, at $1,016; and a set of Christofle flatware and serving utensils, including eight boxes of five-piece place settings (one additional box opened for photography purposes), also selling for $1,016, well above its $100-200 estimate.
All prices reported include the buyer’s premium.
For more information, contact The Benefit Shop Foundation at 914-864-0707.
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