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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 46, NO. 19 FRIDAY MAY 8, 2015
Nine Oval Portrait Miniatures By Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) Sell For Combined $94,163 France, refinished, with brass handles and latches, with three clothes holders and padding inside. The other was a magnificent early bracelet watch, with a face measuring a diminutive onehalf inch. The bracelet had an openwork gold hinged “wire” for an enveloping fit, along with six carats of diamonds. A Civil War-era Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver, fourth model, .36 caliber with a 7.5 inch barrel, factory engraved and shipped to J. C. Grubb & Co. (Philadelphia) on Nov. 23, 1861, sold for $12,150. Also, an oil-oncanvas painting by Russian Federation artist Nicholai A. Tarkhov (1871-1930), a landscape work depicting pine trees in a forest, changed hands for $5,900. Returning to the Peale portrait This oil-on-board by John Gadsby miniatures, the watercolor on Chapman (1808-89), titled “Peyton ivory portrait of Lt. Col. Richard Falls, Va.,” done in 1862, sold for Cary, Washington’s aide-de- $7,080. It measured 12-by-8-inches. camp, was the runner-up lot in the group, selling for $15,340. Cary Revolutionary War, sold for was one of Washington’s most $7,470. The portrait of Mrs. trusted men, having been promot- Joseph Bloomfield, the wife of ed from brigadier major to aide- Gen. Joseph Bloomfield, the Deputy Judge-Advocate General de-camp in June 1776. The watercolor and gouache of the Continental Army and on ivory portrait of Elizabeth Governor of New Jersey, realized This miniature on ivory portrait painting by Charles Willson Peale (1741- Digby Peale (1747-76) sold for $6,490. The portrait of Gen. Anthony 1827) of Robert R. Livingston, one of five men who drafted the original $9,960. She was the sister of the Declaration of Independence, sold to a private collector in Florida for artist and wife of Capt. Robert Lamb (at age 19 when he sat for $23,600. Polk, a privateer who died in bat- Peale), who served in the War of watercolor and gouache on ivory was submitted. Online bidding tle in 1777 during the 1812 and was the son of Brevet provided by Revolutionary War. The watercol- Gen. John Lamb, who served durportrait of Robert R. Livingston was and or and gouache on ivory portrait ing the American Revolution, sold (1746-1813), a Declaration signer LiveAuctioneers.com and an American lawyer, politi- Invaluable.com. Phone and left of John Beale Bourdley (1727- for $8,092, while the portrait of 1804), a planter and judge, as well Mary Riche Swift (1755-90), cian and diplomat from New mounted in a fire gilt brass frame, York. He is also considered one of sold for $6,500. A handwritten the nation’s Founding Fathers, note on the reverse side explains and was known as “The Swift died giving birth. Chancellor,” after the office he A Civil War-era Colt Model As a sidenote, these portraits held for 25 years. His portrait 1851 Navy revolver, fourth came to the auction house too late miniature sold for $23,600. .36 caliber with a 7.5 inch for the bulk of the company’s probids were model, Charles Willson Peale was barrel, sold for $12,150. motion efforts. “It’s quite also one of the first major figures in astounding, the fact that these recorded. American art. He created an An original and early as Peale’s best friend, sold for miniatures were consigned less art and natural history museoil-on-board painting by $9,337. Included was a lock of the than two weeks prior to the aucum that became world the renowned Florida subject’s hair, encased in a glass tion date, unreserved, with no famous, especially for the time for print advertising,” said Highwayman artist men- window on the reverse side. gallery of more than 250 The portrait of Jacob Morris Dianni. portraits he did of various distin- tor, Albert E. (Beanie) Backus For additional informa(1906-90), done in 1941 and (1755-1844), believed to be the guished Americans. The following are additional depicting what is likely the boat son of Lewis Morris, a signer of tion, call 954-895-8727, e-mail highlights from the auction. All building yard of Backus & Son in the Declaration of Independence ljdmarine00@gmail.com, or visit Asian objects included this red prices reflect a buyer’s premium Fort Pierce, sold for $17,700. and a general during the www.LouisJDianni.com. coral sculpture of a Guan Yin fig- that ranged from 18 to 24.5 per- Also, an oil-on-board waterfall ure, 11 inches tall on a base. It sold cent, depending on how the bid scene by John Gadsby Chapman for $14,580. (1808-89), titled “Peyton Falls, Va.,” painted in 1862, sold for $7,080. Asian objects were led by a red coral carving of a Guan Yin figure holding an ingzahi scepter and surrounded by nature and animals, mounted on a carved rosewood base and standing 11.5 inches tall, which sold for $14,580. Another carved Guan Yin, an ivory, early 20th century example showing a main figure and three smaller Buddha figures praying at the top, brought $7,470. Two very different lots realized identical selling prices of This bracelet of 18 carat gold, having six carats of diamonds with a Rolex $6,847. One was a late 19th-cen- A late 19th century trunk by Louis Vuitton of France, refinished, with tury trunk by Louis Vuitton of brass handles and latches, sold for $6,847. watch inside, sold for $6,847.
ine oval miniature on ivory portrait paintings of prominent men and woman from Colonial-era America, all of them rendered by Charles Willson Peale (17411827), sold for a combined $94,163 to lead Louis C. Dianni LLC’s sixth annual Palm Beach Auction, held Feb. 14 to 16, at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. More than 6,000 bidders from 70 countries registered via the Internet to compete for the nearly 2,000 lots of unreserved offerings, making this the largest antiques, arms and art auction in the state of Florida. The paintings included portraits of Lt. Col. Richard Cary (an aide-de-camp to then Gen. George Washington), Gen. Anthony Lamb (who served in the War of 1812), and Robert R. Livingston (one of five men who drafted the original Declaration of Independence). “This was our most successful auction to date, hands down,” said Louis J. Dianni LLC (based in nearby Palm Beach). “We had a fabulous mix of merchandise, and so much to choose from, but the Peale portrait miniatures were the big draw. People flew in to bid on them, collectors, dealers, museum curators, you name it. But a local man acquired the group’s top-selling lot,” said Dianni. That would be the miniature
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