AMERICAN FURNITURE & DECORATIVE ARTS
Auction
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 10amCONSIGNMENTS ARE CURRENTLY
BEING ACCEPTED
To have your property evaluated for possible consignment in the next auction, please contact:
David A. GallagerSVP, Director, American Furniture
212-427-4141, ext 271
Anne Cohen DePietro
Director, American Paintings
212-427-4141, ext 281
Media Contact
Louis LeB. WebreSVP, Marketing & Media
212-427-4141, ext 232
Including Property From
Collection of Candice BergenEstate of a Titled Lady
Estate of Helen S. Cooper and Herman E. Cooper
Estate of Joan Von Koschembahr
Estate of Robert C. Graham, Sr.
Property from an Upper East Side, New York Estate
Property of a California Collector
Property of a Collector, formerly from his Paris apartment
Property of a New York Lady
Property of a Texas Estate
RELATED ARTICLES
Read more about this category-
Junius Brutus Stearns American, 1810-1885 The Meeting of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison at Vincennes (Tecums...
/carousels/1772/853425.jpgSold for $80,500
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Reuben Rowley American, fl. 1825-1836 Portrait of a Young Girl with a Coral Necklace, 1826 Inscribed No. 56D...
/carousels/1772/855775.jpgSold for $40,625
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Chippendale Cherry Chest on Chest
/carousels/1772/838511.jpgSold for $25,000
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Xanthus Russell Smith American, 1839-1929 Bombardment and Capture of Fort Hatteras, NC, August 29, 1861
/carousels/1772/860500.jpgSold for $21,250
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Chinese Export Green Fitzhugh Porcelain Table Service
/carousels/1772/849271.jpgSold for $20,000
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Andrew George Winter American, 1893-1958 Happy Lobstering Ground, Whitehead Island, Lower Penobscot Bay, 1940
/carousels/1772/840183.jpgSold for $18,750
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Molded and Cut Colorless Glass Pokal with Sulphide Profile Portrait of George Washington
/carousels/1772/869493.jpgSold for $17,500
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Federal Inlaid Mahogany Butlers Chest
/carousels/1772/855317.jpgSold for $15,000
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Chippendale Walnut Slant Front Desk
/carousels/1772/838512.jpgSold for $13,750
Junius Brutus Stearns' 1851 Depiction of 'The Meeting of Tecumseh and Harrison at Vincennes' Tops Doyle New York's Auction of American Furniture and Decorative Arts on April 4, 2012
Late 18th century Chippendale Cherry Chest on Chest Achieves $25,000
Chinese Export Green Fitzhugh Porcelain Table Service Achieves $20,000
Sale Totals Over $640,000 Amid Competitive Bidding
Doyle New York's April 4, 2011 auction of American Furniture and Decorative Arts, including Paintings and Prints showcased important American furniture and decorative arts from the Colonial period through the Federal and Classical styles. Silver, ceramics, mirrors, Chinese Export porcelain, American Indian art, and rugs were also offered.
With competitive bidding from buyers in the salesroom, on the telephones and via the Internet, the sale totaled $643,862 against a pre-sale estimate of $479,000-729,000, with a strong 85% sold by lot and 91% sold by value.
Highlighting the sale was a masterful painting by Junius Brutus Stearns’ (1810-1885) 1851 depiction of The Meeting of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison at Vincennes that fetched $80,500. Exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York in 1851 as Tecumseh and Harrison, the work illustrates an important historic confrontation between two adversaries: Tecumseh, leader of the Shawnee and a tribal confederacy opposed to American encroachment on Indian territory, and William Henry Harrison, then governor of the territory. Reuben Rowley's, Portrait of a Young Girl with a Coral Necklace from 1826 estimated at $1,500-2,000 sold for a staggering $40,625 and another notable work, Bombardment and Capture of Fort Hatteras, NC, August 29, 1861 by American marine painter Xanthus Russell Smith (est. $20,000-40,000) sold for $21,250.
An extensive 19th century Chinese export Green Fitzhugh porcelain table service from the family of Adaline Havemeyer Frelinghuysen, daughter of noted collectors and art patrons Louisine and Henry O. Havemeyer sold for $20,000 doubling its estimate of $8,000-10,000.
American furniture featured a late 18th century Chippendale Cherry Chest on Chest which more than doubled its estimate of $8,000-12,000 selling for $25,000. A Federal inlaid mahogany butler's chest by New York cabinetmaker Michael Allison sold for 15,000 well over its pre sale estimate of $8,000-12,000 and a Massachusetts Chippendale Walnut Slant Front Desk (Estimate $5,000-7,000) also doubled its estimate at $13,750.
NEXT AMERICANA AUCTION: FALL 2012
We Invite You for a Complimentary Auction Evaluation of Your American Furniture, Decorative Arts, Paintings and Prints
Doyle New York's next auction of American Furniture and Decorative Arts, including Paintings and Prints is scheduled for Fall 2012. Consignments are currently being accepted. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact:
David E. Gallager, American Furniture & Decorative Arts, 212-427-4141, ext. 271, or american@DoyleNewYork.com
Anne DePietro, American Paintings, 212-427-4141, ext. 249, or paintings@DoyleNewYork.com
Images and interviews are available upon request.
MEDIA CONTACT
Louis LeB. WebreSVP, Marketing & Media
212-427-4141, ext 232
Louis@DoyleNewYork.com
| Lot 39 Junius Brutus Stearns American, 1810-1885 The Meeting of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison at Vincennes (Tecumseh and Harrison), 1851 Signed JB Stearns and dated 1851 (lr) Oil on canvas 33 7/8 x 44 inches Provenance: Mrs. Charles Bispham Levey, New York and Virginia circa 1941 By descent to Charles Bispham Levey, New York Bequest to Dudley Stoddard, NY, circa 1967 (Possibly) Thence by descent Exhibited: National Academy of Design, NY, 1851 (as Tecumseh and Harrison), no. 406. Although identified on the nameplate as The Treaty of Vincennes, the present work depicts an important historic confrontation between two adversaries: Tecumseh, leader of the Shawnee as well as a large tribal confederacy opposed to American encroachment on Indian territory, and William Henry Harrison, then governor of the territory. The meeting took place in consequence of the 1809 signing of the Treaty of Vincennes, Indiana Territory, an agreement between the Kickapoo nation and the United States, then represented by Harrison. It is described in a contemporary account provided by John E. Wool, Inspector General of the U. S. Army, N.D.: "At the council of 1811 held with the Indians at Vincennes by General Harrison, the Chiefs of some tribes attended to complain of the purchase of some lands which had been made from the Kikapoos. The harshness of the language used by Techumseh [sic] caused it to be broken up in confusion. In the progress of the 'Long Talks' which took place Techumseh having finished one of his speeches looked around but seeing everyone seated while no seat was prepared for him a momentary frown passed over his countenance. Instantly General Harrison ordered a chair given him. An officer presented one and bowing said: 'Warrior, your Father, General Harrison offers you a seat.' Techumseh's dark eyes flashed. 'My Father (he indignantly exclaimed, extending his arm towards heaven) the Great Spirit is my Father, and the earth is my Mother; she feeds and clothes me, and I recline upon her bosom.'" Known for his history paintings, particularly a series of scenes from the life of George Washington, Junius Brutus Stearns chose to depict the dramatic moment of confrontation between a defiant Tecumseh and Harrison. While the historic meeting took place in the walnut grove at Grouseland, Harrison's home at Vincennes, Stearns instead chose to show it in the Council Chamber there, a room that Tecumseh never entered since the only reason to do so would have been to sign a treaty In 1850, Stearns exhibited a loosely painted preparatory oil, Tecumseh and General Harrison - A Study, at the National Academy of Design [oil on paper laid to board, 9 ½ x 12 ¼ inches. Collection William Henry Harrison's Grouseland; Gift of Eli Lilly, Indianapolis]. The following year, Stearns showed the larger work, The Meeting of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison at Vincennes, at the National Academy, when it was entitled Techemseh [sic] and Harrison. The two works are closely related compositionally, but the smaller study depicts a different chair, and Tecumseh, who is positioned less centrally than in the larger oil, wears a different costume. The scene in the study is less dramatic, but the two protagonists maintain eye contact. In the larger, finished painting, Tecumseh assumes center stage, and glares defiantly at the viewer. Stearns never visited Grouseland, and never saw the Council Chamber, which has curved walls and is historically inaccurate as seen here. The likeness of Harrison, standing at left, appears to be loosely related to an 1813 Rembrandt Peale portrait of the general in his military uniform [Collection National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution]; by comparison, the likeness of Tecumseh may be a composite image since no life portrait of the Native American is known. Ironically, it was William Henry Harrison's military triumph in the Battles of Tippecanoe in 1811 and his defeat of Tecumseh in the Battle of Thames in 1813 that led to his national prominence. We are most grateful to Daniel B. Sarell, Executive Director of William Henry Harrison's Grouseland [Grouseland Foundation, Inc.], Vincennes, Indiana, for his very generous assistance in documenting the present work. C Sold For $80,500 |
| Lot 8 Reuben Rowley American, fl. 1825-1836 Portrait of a Young Girl with a Coral Necklace, 1826 Inscribed No. 56, signed R. Rowley and dated 1826 on the reverse Oil on canvas 26 x 21 3/4 inches Little is known of the life of Reuben Rowley, an itinerant portrait and miniature painter who lived in the vicinity of Ithaca and worked in Chenango and Susquehanna Valley towns in New York State in the mid-1820s. He was in Albany in 1832, where he is believed to have taught Philip Hewin. He moved on to Boston, remaining until 1838, exhibiting portraits and still life paintings at the Athenaeum. Few examples of Rowley's work have been identified, and still fewer are signed. A pair of paintings of Colonel and Mrs. Richard Juliand is inscribed in a manner similar to that on the present work; it has been suggested that this, indeed, may be the artist's signature. [William F. Brooks, Jr., "Reuben Rowley," Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. New York: Routledge, 2004, p. 442]. The present portrait, like the examples already cited, as well as a pair of signed portraits of Lucas and Chloe Cushing [DAR Museum, Washington, DC,], is dated 1826. It is identical in size to the Cushing portraits. Details such as the slightly off-center parting in the young girl's coiffure, the distinctive handling of her eyes, and the shadow defining her nose and jawline are hallmarks of Rowley's surviving work. The carefully articulated coral necklace is an accessory that appears in three paintings, including the more ambitious and slightly later group portrait attributed to the artist of Dr. John Safford and Family [circa 1830, oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 33 7/16 inches, Collection National Gallery of Art; Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch], depicting a fashionable family from Watertown, NY. C Sold For $40,625 |
| Lot 200 Chippendale Cherry Chest on Chest Connecticut, late 18th century In two parts, the upper section with a scrolled pediment and three finials above three small drawers, the center drawer carved with a convex fan, over four long graduated lip molded drawers flanked by fluted stiles, resting on the lower section with four long graduated lip molded drawers, raised on ogee bracket feet. Height 7 feet 3 1/4 inches, width 42 inches, depth 22 1/2 inches. C Sold For $25,000 |
| Lot 9 Xanthus Russell Smith American, 1839-1929 Bombardment and Capture of Fort Hatteras, NC, August 29, 1861 Signed Xanthus Smith and dated 1888 (ll); signed, dated and inscribed on the reverse Bombardment of Fort Hatteras N.C./ Painted for Wm G. Williamson Esq./ Formerly 1st. Asst. Engr U.S. Navy Oil on canvas 21 1/8 x 34 1/8 inches Provenance: Private collection, Long Island, NY, circa 1970 Thence by descent to the current owner Although Xanthus Smith served in the U.S. Navy from 1862-1864, he saw little action. He sketched hundreds of ships in a variety of media, both for official purposes as well as for his own pleasure, and earned a reputation for his artistic ability. After the war, he made a name for himself painting some of the Civil War's most famous sea battles, meticulously researching these engagements and corresponding with the officers and sailors who were present. Depicting the first significant Union Victory in the Civil War, Bombardment and Capture of Fort Hatteras, NC, August 29, 1861 was actually painted more than twenty years after the bombardment took place. According to the inscription on the reverse of the painting, it was commissioned by William G. Williamson, a former first Engineer in the U. S. Navy, whose role in this historic event is unknown. The Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries (also known as the Battle of Forts Hatteras and Clark) on August 28 and 29, 1861 marked the first significant Union victory in the Civil War. The Confederate Fort Hatteras and nearby Fort Clark on North Carolina's barrier islands were bombarded by amphibious Union forces, and the ill-equipped and undermanned Confederate forts surrendered on the second day. The Union assault comprised over 800 men and a flotilla of seven ships with cannons that had greater range than those protecting the earthen forts. Additionally, the steam-powered Union ships were able to change position and fire without reliance on wind and currents. The Union victory gave them strategic control over Hatteras Inlet, the only deep water access to Pamlico Sound and the North Carolina shore beyond. C Sold For $21,250 |
| Lot 167 Chinese Export Green Fitzhugh Porcelain Table Service 19th Century With gilt knops and handles, comprising a two-handled covered tureen on stand, length of tureen 14 inches; set of four rectangular covered vegetable dishes; pair of oval covered sauce tureens on stands; oval platter with mazarin; oval well and tree platter; three oval platters, length of largest 18 1/2 inches; square salad bowl; eighteen bread plates; sixteen dessert plates; fourteen soup plates; and eight dinner plates, diameter 9 5/8 inches; each monogrammed. Provenance: Adaline Havemeyer Frelinghuysen, by descent to her son The Honorable Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen, by descent to his son Peter Frelinghuysen C Sold For $20,000 |
| Lot 67 Andrew George Winter American, 1893-1958 Happy Lobstering Ground, Whitehead Island, Lower Penobscot Bay, 1940 Signed A. Winter and dated 40 (lr) Oil on canvas 40 1/2 x 50 1/2 inches Provenance: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., NY Exhibited: New York, Owen Gallery, Off the Northeast Coast, Nov. 1 - Dec. 9, 1995 C Sold For $18,750 |
| Lot 128A Molded and Cut Colorless Glass Pokal with Sulphide Profile Portrait of George Washington 19th Century Height 10 1/2 inches. C Sold For $17,500 |
| Lot 169 Federal Inlaid Mahogany Butler's Chest Michael Allison, New York, circa 1810 The fold-out desk drawer inlaid with thistles within diamond panels flanking an long oval panel, and enclosing a fitted interior with valanced pigeonholes, small drawers and an inlaid prospect door, above three graduated drawers and a shaped apron, raised on splayed bracket feet, with his printed label inscribed M. Allison, / Cabinet Maker, / 42 / Vesey Street,/ Near the Bear-Market, New York /... Height 46 inches, width 46 inches, depth 24 3/8 inches. Michael Allison worked as a cabinetmaker in New York City between 1800 and 1850 at different addresses along Vesey Street. He was at 42 Vesey Street between 1808 and 1815. C Sold For $15,000 |
| Lot 96 Chippendale Walnut Slant Front Desk Massachusetts, third quarter of the 18th century The interior with three fan carved drawers, valanced pigeonholes, document drawers, etc., above a case enclosing four lip molded graduated long drawers, raised on ball and claw feet. Height 44 inches, width 42 inches, depth 21 3/4 inches. Provenance: Ginsburg & Levy, New York C Sold For $13,750 |
