PUBLISHED IN ANTIQUES & THE ARTS WEEKLY: DECEMBER 5, 2023
Review by Carly Timpson; Photos Courtesy Amelia Jeffers
DELAWARE, OHIO — The Annual Thanksgiving Weekend Great Estates Auction conducted by Amelia Jeffers on November 24-25 featured 720 lots of furniture, decorative arts, textiles, fine art and jewelry, including the entire collection from John Boulware Antiques’ more than 40 years in business; fine art and furnishings from a notable Ohio couple; furniture and decorative arts from estates and collectors throughout Ohio, New York and Colorado; and jewelry from the estate of Anne Renick.
Amelia Jeffers shared with Antiques and The Arts Weekly that this auction felt like a homecoming celebration of sorts. “It’s like I blinked, and things have fallen in the very best way for me and my company.” After nearly seven years of navigating challenges and not working out of the historic Garth’s Barn (now, The Barn at Stratford), Jeffers was welcomed back with open arms, finishing with a stunning 91 percent of lots sold and realizing $450,000.
The star of the sale was Alexander Calder’s (American, 1898-1976) untitled homage to Joan Miró from 1963. The gouache on paper measured 29½ by 43¼ inches and was originally purchased by Pace Galleries in New York in 1989 from the artist’s estate. The work was displayed in the “Calder” exhibition at Palazzo a Vela in Turin, Italy, in 1983. The painting found a new home for $72,000. Jeffers was happy to share that “the price was more than respectable — right in line with what an original Calder gouache is bringing in New York or Chicago. It’s a really good example that you don’t have to be in a major market to sell important items.”
A platinum and yellow gold diamond engagement ring by Argo & Lehne Jewelers finished as the second-highest lot of the day. The 3.0-carat brilliant oval center stone and the two adjacent half-moon-shaped stones sit in a platinum setting affixed to a yellow gold Finger Mate expandable shank. This stunning ring hit $16,200.
“Storming the Castle,” a black and white etching by Roy F. Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997) from 1950, commanded $5,625. Signed and numbered 10 of 25 in pencil, this etching was displayed in an exhibition for local artists at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1952 and was professionally restored by McKay Lodge Fine Arts in 1994.
Grant Wood’s (American, 1891-1942) circa 1940 lithograph in black on ivory paper titled “February” features three shadowy horses in a snowy field behind a barbed wire fence. This dark wintry print measuring 9 by 11¾ inches captured $4,800.
Bidders also seemed to like furniture with decorative woodwork. The most expensive piece of furniture of the weekend was a Nineteenth Century two-piece corner cupboard that was likely made in York County, Penn. Made from pine, the cupboard has red-, green-, yellow- and salmon-colored painted designs. Standing at 76 inches high altogether, the top half of the cupboard has two doors with original glass and glazing. This sits atop three narrow drawers and a bottom compartment with two doors. Complete with original hardware, the cupboard found a new home for $7,200.
A second-quarter Nineteenth Century Sheraton chest of drawers, once belonging to Denver Americana dealer John Boulware, crossed the block at $5,700. This chest was made of birch and pine with mahogany veneer and sapwood and ebony inlays. Distinctive features of the chest include a high backsplash, high-turned legs, a unique scrolled apron with an inlaid star and beaded edges around each of the four drawers which have subtle “D” fronts. Despite not having a signature mark, these attributes helped match the piece to a sideboard by Ebenezer Wheeler exhibited at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont and highlighted in a New York Times article by Eve Khan.
A unique German Black Forest carved hat rack earned $4,375 despite some minor edge damage and a $1,200 high estimate. Jeffers commented that Black Forest carvings are always sought-after, but estimates are hard to gauge. “We’ve had a few years where prices were down for these kinds of classical works, but this piece here… you have something that is just so beautifully made and from a Black Forest perspective, it has all the elements that collectors are looking for.” The rack measures 58½ inches high by 32 inches wide and boasts five antler hat hooks. In the middle of the rack is a carved dog head flanked by two boars. On the top of the mount is a bear with foliage crest and at the bottom is a brass plate engraved “J.C. de Hill.”
Another lot that made a mark against the finer works was a mid-Nineteenth Century long rifle made by Daniel Marker Sr (American, 1774-1853). This .36 caliber double set trigger rifle has a stunning full carved tiger maple stock with engraved silver patch box and inlays. The Ohio-made gun realized $3,900.
Eliciting $3,840 was “Danseuse Espagnole,” a 77½-by-57-inch tapestry after Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983). The circa 1960 handwoven wool pile tapestry depicts a female dancer in Miró’s signature Surrealist style against a blue background.
Standing atop a contemporary motorized 6-inch green marble base, a marble statue of a woman by Italian sculptor Ferdinando Vichi measuring 39½ inches high earned $3,750. The woman depicted is wearing a decorated gown, has her hair in two long braids and is looking down at a flower held in her hand.
From the collection of Bruce and Vivalyn Knight, an 8-inch-tall mocha ware pitcher shocked its $300 high estimate to finish at $3,625. The English piece of pottery was made in the first half of the Nineteenth Century and features multicolored banding with cat’s-eye and earthworm decoration in shades of black, copper, light blue and white. Jeffers shared that though the mocha ware market is not quite what it was 15 years ago, this piece was high quality and had appeal from the modified cat’s-eye design which is less common to find than the predominant earthworm pattern.
A second-generation Herman Miller chair and ottoman designed by Charles and Ray Eames went out at $3,375. This version of the iconic chair had black leather down cushions on a rosewood frame.
A personally signed and dated Tella Kitchen (American, 1902-1988) oil painting “Happy Days Of Summer” from 1983 sold for $2,750. Handwritten text en verso reads, “No. 162, Happy Days of Summer, Hollyhocks, Grandchildren, Love and Beauty to Enjoy…Tella Kitchen, April 1983, Aged 81 Years.”
Two hand-painted Royal Vienna amphorae with Greek key decorated feet, stippled handles and highly detailed classical scenes on the bodies brought $3,120. The painted scenes are signed “Hammer” and have German titles scripted below: “Das Opfer,” “Schmuckung der Venus” “Das Opfer der Venus” and “Psyche und ihre Schwestern.” The urns are mostly burgundy with metallic gold and blue details. Jeffers was excited to share that the buyer was from Germany. “They’re going back home, exactly where they belong.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. The next auction conducted by Amelia Jeffers will be the 60-year collection of Bruce & Vivalyn Knight on January 5-6. For more information, www.ameliajeffers.com or 740-815-7016.
“Happy Days Of Summer” by Tella Kitchen, 1983, oil on canvas, 22 by 28 inches, brought $2,750.
A 54-inch-long rifle made from tiger maple with engraved silver details by American Daniel Marker Sr sold for $3,900 ($2/4,000).
Sheraton chest of drawers attributed to Ebenezer Wheeler (b 1791-94), Nineteenth Century, birch, pine, mahogany, sapwood and ebony, earned $5,700 ($2/4,000).
Black Forest carved hat rack with bears, boars and a dog, German, oak with a brass plate, 58½ by 32 inches, sold for $4,375 ($800-$1,200).
This pair of mahogany and gold-colored Royal Vienna Classical porcelain urns, painted and signed by “Hammer,” sold for $3,120 ($2/4,000).
Statue of woman by Ferdinando Vichi (Italian, 1875-1945), marble, 39½ inches high, earned $3,750 ($4/6,000).
“Storming the Castle” by Roy F. Lichtenstein, 1950, etching, 11¼ by 15¼ inches, number 10 of 25, commanded $5,625 ($1,5/2,500).
This platinum and yellow gold engagement ring by Argo & Lehne Jewelers has a 3.01-carat center diamond and two half-moon diamonds on either side. It sold for $16,200 ($10/15,000).
“February” by Grant Wood, circa 1940, lithograph, 9 by 11¾ inches, earned $4,800 ($4/8,000).