An Imperial Chinese box carved with five dragons sold for $26,450 at an annual Thanksgiving Sale conducted Nov. 28-29 by Kaminski Auctions in Essex, Mass. Also, a 1969 oil on canvas painting of deer in a rain forest by Sri Lanka artist Senaka Senanayake achieved $13,800; a 19th-century woven tapestry panel with Arabic design elements, 55 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches, raised $8,625; and a 19th-century gilt bronze sleigh-form vessel made $5,750. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
George III wall mirror, $42,660, Skinner’s
A large George III Chinese Chippendale period wall mirror, mid-18th century, sold for $42,660 at a sale of European Furniture & Decorative Arts held Jan. 9 by Skinner’s in Boston. Also, an extensive Empire Paris porcelain dinner service, made and decorated by Stone Coquerel et le Gros, rose to $28,440; a fine Louis XV/Regence-style ormolu and patinated metal six-light torchiere, early 20th century, climbed to $27,255; and an American rococo revival carved rosewood etagere, circa 1860, made $27,255. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer’s premium.
1818 map of Georgia, $63,250, Brunk Auctions
An 1818 Georgia map “prepared from actual surveys and other documents for Eleazer Early” (research by Daniel Sturges, engraving by Samuel Harrison) sold for $63,250 at an auction Jan. 2-3 by Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C. Also, a set of six Henri Jacob open armchairs, or fauteuils, rose to $26,450; a North Carolina Chippendale armchair made $18,400; a 17 1/4-inch Chinese lavender-blue vase brought $12,650; and a pair of French Louis IV-style candelabra hit $12,650. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
1913 Liberty nickel, $3.7 million, Heritage
A 1913 Liberty head nickel, one of only five known of that date and design, sold for $3.73 million at an auction Jan. 7 by Heritage Auctions at a coin collectors’ convention in Orlando, Fla. In the 1940s the coin was owned by the notorious King Farouk of Egypt, who was deposed in 1952. In December 1973 it was featured in an episode of the TV show Hawaii 5-0. And Los Angeles Lakers team owner Dr. Jerry Buss paid $200,000 for the coin in 1978. The recent sale price includes a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Ansel Adams photo, $360,000, Swann
A rare, vintage print of Ansel Adams’ iconic photographic image of Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (1941), created in 1948 and signed and inscribed by Adams to Valentino Sarra, a photographer and friend, sold for $360,000 at a sale of Photographic Literature & Fine Photographs held Dec. 8 by Swann Galleries in New York City. Another version of the same image, printed in the 1960s, climbed to $48,000. Also, a silver print photograph by David Heath titled Washington Square (1958), commanded $16,800. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
1827 map of Virginia, $23,400, Quinn & Waverly
An 1827 map of the state of Virginia, drawn by Herman Boye and engraved by H.S. Tanner and E.B. Dawson, sold for $23,400 at an auction conducted Dec. 3 by Quinn & Waverly Auction Galleries in Falls Church, Va. The map depicted the state before the territorial split that resulted in the formation of a new state, West Virginia. It also does not include Arlington County, which was still part of Washington, D.C. The map was once owned by John Randolph (1773-1833) of Roanoke, a seven-term Virginia legislator. The price includes a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
Vintage Navy pistol, $80,500, Rock Island
An exceptional and rare New Haven Arms Co. volcanic lever-action Navy pistol with detachable stock sold for $80,500 at a Premiere Firearms Auction held Dec. 4-6 by Rock Island Auction Co. in Moline, Ill. Also, a U.S. Navy Colt Model 1911 preproduction sample sold for $34,500; a documented Confederate Augusta Machine Works percussion 12-notch style revolver rose to $31,625; and a C.B. Allen Cochran patent under hammer percussion turret revolver finished at $12,650. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Cartier jade desk clock, $115,000, Charlton Hall
A rare double-faced Cartier jade desk clock sold for $115,000 at an auction titled From Museum Vaults held Dec. 4-6 by Charlton Hall Galleries in Columbia, S.C. Also, a Faberge silver flatware service in its original case went for $115,000; a pair of Aesthetic Movement rosewood and mother-of-pearl side chairs realized $97,750; a fine cloisonne and vermeil tea service by Pavel Ovchinnikov rose to $62,100; a Flemish School unsigned still life brought $86,250; and a work by Victor Gabriel Gilbert hit $57,500. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Gunthermann racer, $25,300, Bertoia’s
A Gunthermann tinplate, chain-driven clockwork racer, 12 inches long, sold for $25,300 at a Holiday Toy Trimmings Sale held Nov. 13-15 by Bertoia Auctions in Vineland, N.J. Also, a Pratt & Letchworth cast-iron four-seat brake with passengers made $23,000; a Rock & Graner steam-driven tin ship, Furst Bismarck, 33 1/2 inches long, hit $23,000; a Shepard Hardware Co. Mason mechanical bank, patented in 1887, demanded $13,800; and a 1962 Chrysler Imperial tinplate car by Ashi Toys, Japan, brought $10,350. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Pair of cast-iron dogs, $16,100, Carlsen Gallery
A pair of cast-iron Newfoundland dogs sold for $16,100 at an auction held Nov. 28 by Carlsen Gallery in Freehold, N.Y. Also, a pair of oil on canvas still life paintings by William M. Brown soared to $12,938; an oil on canvas by Edward Cortez titled Paris in the Rain topped out at $10,925; an 18th-century Hudson Valley shoe-foot hutch table commanded $10,350; and a pair of 19th-century zinc figures by Miroy Freres finished at $9,775. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Sheldon Peck portrait, $241,500, Fairfield
A portrait by the artist Sheldon Peck of a young woman holding a red book and sitting in a stenciled Sheraton chair sold for $241,500 at Fairfield Auction in Newtown, Conn., Nov. 22. Also, a Chippendale armchair with snake cutout in the splat, possibly Southern, commanded $19,550; a signed Fiske horse and four-wheel sulky weathervane soared to $17,250; a standing folk portrait of a child holding a basket fetched $40,250; and an etching by Rembrandt titled Flight to Egypt made $24,150. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Whistler etching, $115,000, Grogan
A Venetian etching by James Abbot McNeil Whistler bearing a rampant lion watermark and signed with a butterfly sold for $115,000 at an auction held Dec. 7 by Grogan & Co. in Dedham, Mass. Also, an oil on canvas by the Modernist artist Max Weber, titled Spring Flowers, went for $46,000; a work by Edward Mitchell Bannister, titled Seaconnet River, Tiverton, Rhode Island, rose to $37,375; and a lithograph by the Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Etcher, titled Ascending Descending, realized $23,000. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Juan Genoves work, $6,325, Landry Auctions
An acrylic and oil on canvas work by the contemporary Spanish artist Juan Genoves, titled The Hunt, sold for $6,325 at an auction held Dec. 5 by Landry Auctions in Essex, Mass. Also, a large bowl made by the New Hampshire potters Mary and Edwin Scheier topped out at $5,520; a Massachusetts Sheraton bowfront chest attributed to Abiel White of Weymouth, Mass., fetched $5,520; and a portrait of two children and a white dog by an unknown artist that came out of an area house wowed the crowd for $3,450. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Cartier ‘Mystery Clock,’ $155,350, Heritage
A rare diamond, jade, pearl, coral and rock “Mystery Clock” by Cartier sold for $155,350 at a Signature Timepiece Sale held Dec. 7 by Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas. Also, a silver, gold jadeite and pearl four-dial eight-day lamp-form Cartier desk clock (No. 1611, 1930s), from the Collection of the American Red Cross and one of only three examples known, made $65,725; and a Rolex diamond and gold President watch with Meteorite dial (Ref. 118388) slipped on a new wrist for $26,290. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Jan Lebenstein work $41,000, Winter Associates
An acrylic on canvas painting by Jan Lebenstein, titled Figure Axiale 52, an example of the artists’s Axial Figure series executed from 1956-1960, sold for $41,000 at an Antiques & Arts Auction held Dec. 7 by Winter Associates in Plainville, Conn. In the Axial Figure series, Lebenstein’s dark palate and abstract shapes resemble insectile skeletons created by thick layers of paint and mixed media. Figure Axiale 52 had an estimate of $6,000-$12,000, but it piqued the interest of several online bidders. The price does not include a buyer’s premium.
