At Jackson’s International’s auction of May 24th and May 25th, 2016. The multiple estate and collections auction featured treasures from around the world and attracted over 1,000 international bidders totaling $1.5 million in sales.
The auction opened with a small offering of paintings, works on paper, and bronzes featuring a typical seashore scene by Hendrik Willem Mesdag (Dutch 1831-1915) which came from a collection in Minnesota and sold to a phone bidder from the Netherlands for $100,000. That was followed by an interesting preparatory drawing for an altar crucifix attributed to Etienne Delaune (French 1518-1595) which sold to a Parisian phone bidder for $63,750. A charming painting by Frederick Soulacroix (French 1858-1933) depicting a young woman making a curtain call, sold for $20,000 and an oil on canvas painting depicting the Holy Family by Michael Rieser (Austrian 1828-1905) sold for $14,375. A pair of religious painting attributed to Luis Berruaco (Mexican 18th century) went to a buyer in France for $9,375 and a 17th century Dutch portrait of a gentleman sold to a buyer in the Netherlands for $8,125.
Some European works worthy of note include a petite (14 inches) carved oak figure of the Virgin and Child sold to a buyer in Belgium for $7,500. A small (7 inches) carved ivory figure of St. Anthony with losses sold for $4,250 and a Gustav Dore bronze of the Madonna and Child finished at $5,500.
The next session featured Russian works, beginning with a 10 inch x 12 inch icon of St. Alexei which was gifted in 1914 to the Tsarevich. It sold for $50,000. That was followed by an icon of the Mother of God Joy to All Who Sorrow, exhibiting an oklad by Ivan Tarabrov, circa 1900 which sold for $21,250. A small icon of Christ, 9 inches x 7 inches, with silver and enamel halo (also circa 1900) sold to a buyer in Moscow for $15,000. A petite sized pendant icon or panagia, measuring 6 inches in diameter, also sold to a Moscow buyer for $8,750 and a Russian icon of the Tenderness Mother of God sold to a Russian buyer for $10,000.
In the Russian decorative arts category, the highlight was an enameled Easter egg measuring 2.7 inches in height (7 cm) produced in the workshop of Feodor Ruckert, which sold for $23,750. A silver and cloisonné enamel kovsh made $11,875 and a silver and turquoise blue enameled three-piece tea set sold to a buyer in Russia for $5,250. Probably one of the most unique items of Russian works was a collection of hand modeled and painted dymkovo toys, collected by Laurence A. Steinhardt (1892-1950) while he was serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1939-1942). The charming, colorful clay-fired toys representing village women, whimsical animals, and some modeled as whistles totaled $11,000.
Other items of note in the first session include a bronze figural grouping “Eagles in Combat” by Maximilien Louis Fiot (French 1886-1953) which did $3,750, a German pistol sword did $3,250, a carved wood Napoleonic coat of arms made $2,500 and a 1970 lithograph “The Street” by Phillip Guston (American 1913-1980) finished at $3,750.
The second session featured a wide variety of items, including antique ivory, porcelain, glassware, silver, and coins. The session opened with a pair of old sporty trophy elephant tusks, harvested around 1915 which sold for $16,250. That was followed by a pair of antique Chinese carved ivory Phoenix birds, which came in at $5,000 and after that, an interesting Japanese shibayama ivory and mother of pearl lidded box which sold for $5,250. A Japanese carved ivory and enameled gilt metal figure of Kannon finished at $5,250 and a group of Chinese carved ivory immortals crossed the block at $4,500.
European glassware and porcelain followed featuring a handful of hand painted porcelain plaques including a lovely, albeit very small, KPM plaque depicting Eve in the Garden and measuring 6 inches x 9 inches. It sold for $9,375. That was followed by another KPM plaque depicting the Expulsion of Hagar which did $6,250 and a small plaque depicting Romeo and Juliet did $4,000.
Other decorative arts worth mentioning include an interesting Tiffany bronze Moorish table lamp, without the glass prisms, which sold for $5,500, a charming 4 inch Daum Nancy cameo glass dresser jar decorated with kittens which sold for $4,500, a partial set of Georg Jensen “Acorn” sterling silver flatware did $3,250, an Italian alabaster table lamp did $3,500, and a pair of Navajo rugs did $4,250.
The sale concluded with 154 lots of primarily US coins, consisting for the most part of silver, but including some gold such as a US 1929 $5 Indian gold half eagle which sold for $21,250 followed by a 1909-O $5 Indian gold half eagle which did $13,750. The remaining 152 lots comprising two estate collections totaled $181,774.00.