DECEMBER
AUCTION GROSSES 1.67 MILLION
Despite snow
and icy roads, our December 4th
auction was a huge success, boasting standing room only crowds and 1.67
million in gross sales. The sale, comprised of over 600 lots of
furniture, decorations, fine art and Oriental rugs, included the
Collection from a Beacon Hill Gentleman, which grossed over a half
million alone.
The
highlight of the sale, Motif Dalmata , an oil on canvas by 20th
century Italian painter Zoran Music, had a pre sale estimate of
$30,000-50,000 and sold to an Internet bidder for an impressive
$115,000. “This is the highest price we have realized through internet
bidding,” commented Michael Grogan, President of Grogan & Company, “With
each auction we see an increasing trend of global participation,
primarily due to our internet presence.” A work by 20th
century Spanish artist, Estaban Vicente, also generated International
interest when bidders flew in from Spain and phone bidders competed with
E-Bay to drive the price of a Collage from the opening bid of $2,000 to
$21,850.
One of
the most hotly contested lots was Friends Meet Friends, a vibrant
oil on canvas by American artist Nancy Maybin Ferguson, a member of the
“Philadelphia Ten”. The painting came from a prominent Marblehead
collection and created a flurry of activity prior to auction resulting
in 13 phone lines actively competing with the floor before it sold to a
Pennsylvania bidder for $86,250, the highest reported auction record for
this artist. A Fine George III Three Pedestal Dining Table, from the
same estate, realized $26,450 against it’s $6,000-8,000 pre-sale
estimate. The third highest price of the sale was achieved by a Rare
Carved and Polychrome Wood Cigar Store Indian with original paint.
Estimated to sell in the $8,000-12,000 range, it sold to a New England
buyer for $54,625 after competitive bidding.
The Collection from a Beacon Hill Gentleman included a selection
of Chinese Peking Glass, featuring a signed Yellow Peking Glass Vase,
which drew applause from the audience when it sold for $50,600 against a
$1,000-1,500 estimate. The collection also featured a large selection
of Continental and Italian paintings. Florentine Landscape with
Figures, a panoramic view of Florence created by Italian painter
Giuseppe Gherardi during the city’s mid 19th century reign as
the Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, attracted international attention,
soaring well above it’s $3,000-5,000 pre-sale estimate to sell to an
Italian phone bidder for $37,375. The collection also included an 18th
century Italian Figured Walnut Secretary Bookcase, which far exceeded
it’s $5,000-7,000 pre-sale estimate when it sold for $37,375 and a
Continental Marquetry Inlaid Bombe Cabinet, pre-sale estimate
$7,000-10,000, which sold to a phone bidder from the Netherlands for
$25,300.
A fine collection of French antiques from a North Carolina estate
boasted several highlights including a Fine Louis XV style Ormolu
Mounted and Highly Figured Marble Top Table by Francois Linke, one of
the leading cabinet makers of Belle Epoque. The table, which was signed
on the ormolu mount, sold for $9,200 against a $3,000-5,000 estimate.
An impressive Pair of “Sevres” Ormolu Mounted Covered Vases, pre-sale
estimate $5,000-7,000, sold for $14,950 and a Pair of Louis XVI Red
Lacquered “Chinoiserie” Marble Top Ormolu Mounted Corner Cabinets
exceeded their $2,000-3,000 estimate and sold for $14,950.
One of the more interesting lots in the sale, an Illuminated
Manuscript from a prominent New York collection, originally thought to
be a 15th century Renaissance work was down graded from an
$8,000-12,000 estimate to $2,000-3,000, when the auction house
discovered it was actually a late 19th century illumination
on 15th century parchment by an artist dubbed “The Spanish
Forger”. William Voekle, Head of the Medieval and Renaissance
Department of the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, confirmed their
suspicion and noted that this would be the 227th recorded
example of the Forger’s work. Most often created on original 14th
and 15th century parchment, works by the “The Spanish Forger”
are collectible in their own right and resulted in a $2,415 price.
The 7 hour long
auction ended on a high note with a selection of Oriental Rugs and
Carpets, including a large Oushak Carpet, circa 1900, which brought
$19,550 against a $3,000-5,000 estimate.
All prices include a buyer’s premium. For more information,
please contact the gallery at 781-461-9500 or visit our website at
www.groganco.com.
Gallery Located:
22 Harris Street, Dedham, Massachusetts 02026
Telephone: 781-461-9500 Toll Free: 1-800-823-1020
Fax: 781-461-9625
contact us at: Grogans@Groganco.com
last updated
01/06/06
