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William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), the Hotel at Spanish Fort on Bayou St. John, $203,150. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

William Henry Buck painting a $200K seller in Neal’s $2M auction

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson

William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), the Hotel at Spanish Fort on Bayou St. John, $203,150. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.
William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888), the Hotel at Spanish Fort on Bayou St. John, $203,150. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.
NEW ORLEANS – Neal Auction Company’s Late Spring Estates Auction, held May 22 and 23 at their Magazine Street gallery in New Orleans, finished well in the money, topping $2 million. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 19.5% buyer’s premium to $200,000 and 10% on the remainder.

The sale’s top lot was a 12 by 20-inch gem of a painting by William Henry Buck (Norwegian/New Orleans, 1840-1888) identified as The Hotel at Spanish Fort on Bayou St. John. The masterful landscape commanded substantial regional attention, selling to a phone bidder for $203,150.

A pastoral 16 by 20-inch painting by Richard Clague (French/New Orleans, 1821-1873), titled Cow Grazing on the North Shore, also drew its share of suitors. The work was purchased for $73,200.

With an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000, a Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (French, 1801-1888, active New Orleans, 1836-1856) oil painting titled Portrait of Antoinette Decuir (1826-1896), soared above expectation amid fierce competition on the saleroom floor to achieve a record auction price for the artist at $72,895.

Amid the opulent furniture and exceptional fine art, there was room for sparkle in the form of a 7.66-carat platinum and yellow radiant-cut diamond ring with white trilliant shoulders. The regal bauble, which had been modestly estimated at $60,000-$80,000, exceeded its December 2004 Graff London purchase price of $108,000 to achieve $113,525. Against considerable interest, it sold to a New Orleanian bidding on the phone.

Neal Auction Company’s July Summer Estates Auction will feature two local estate collections of Asian art, including hundreds of Chinese jades, snuff bottles, Ming and Qing porcelains, and ivory, purchased throughout Asia during the 1960s and early 1970s. As is the case with all of Neal Auction events, LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate the Internet live bidding.

For additional information, contact Neal Auction by calling 504- 899-5329. Visit the company’s Web site at www.nealauction.com.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

7.66-carat Graff platinum and yellow radian-cut diamond ring with trilliant shoulders, $113,525. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.
7.66-carat Graff platinum and yellow radian-cut diamond ring with trilliant shoulders, $113,525. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Richard Clague (French/New Orleans, 1821-1873), Cow Grazing on the North Shore, $73,200. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.
Richard Clague (French/New Orleans, 1821-1873), Cow Grazing on the North Shore, $73,200. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (French, 1801-1888; active New Orleans 1836-1856), Portrait of Antoinette Decuir (1826-1896), $72,895.
Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (French, 1801-1888; active New Orleans 1836-1856), Portrait of Antoinette Decuir (1826-1896), $72,895.