MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Skinner Inc. is among the foremost authorities on American furniture and decorative arts. Their specialty Americana auctions, which have grown by leaps and bounds, are now held at the company’s spacious new gallery in Marlborough, Mass., 40 miles west of Boston.
Their next such offering, a 787-lot sale featuring but not limited to American country furniture and decorative arts, folk art, paintings, rare clocks, American textiles, needlework and even early cast-iron banks, will take place on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. Internet live bidding will be available on auction day through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
The sale opens will a fine mix of country pieces, including baskets, treen, stoneware and a bounty of painted wood: chests, lapped-seam pantry boxes, bowls, small furnishings and more.
A classic timekeeper, a circa-1810 Federal mahogany 8-day tall clock signed by Joshua Wilder of Hingham, Mass., has a pierced fret and finial plinths, and a bird and flowers painted into the arch. The clock is expected to make $15,000-$20,000.
A handsome 19th-century paint-decorated apothecary chest of New England origin boasts 20 drawers, each with painted lettering to identify the contents. With excellent provenance, it may bring $10,000-$15,000 at auction.
Tea tables are always in demand. An especially nice form is the 18th-century Queen Anne red-painted oval-top example estimated at $8,000-$10,000.
Although it is a recent creation, a late-20th or early 21st century 5-part mural by Don Aikens should draw its fair share of interest from devotees of nautical art. Titled Natasket Beach Steamship Company, the 92-inch by 234-inch mural is entered with an estimate of $10,000-$15,000.
Many additional highlights are illustrated below.
To speak with a specialist about any item in the sale, call 508-970-3279 or e-mail Americana@skinnerinc.com. To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com, click here.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
