The Beacon Hill Collection of John & Marilyn Keane 3855B | November 19, 2021 | 10AM | Marlborough
The Beacon Hill Collection of John & Marilyn Keane November 19, 2021 | 10AM | Marlborough Skinner is honored to be offering the extraordinary Beacon Hill Collection of John and Marilyn Keane, highlighted by important 18th and early 19th century American furniture, and exceptional paintings from the China Trade. We look forward to seeing all of you at the auction.
Americana online November 15–22 | skinnerinc.com The Americana online timed sale contains property from various consignors, highlighted by three Andrew Clemens sand bottles, and an early Antonio Jacobsen maritime work. We will also offer fine 18th and 19th century furniture, ceramics, pewter, folk art, and paintings, all available for preview by appointment.
please contact the department for condition reports & preview information, visit our website to register & bid
Stephen Fletcher Chris Barber Christopher Fox americana@skinnerinc.com 508.970.3200
MA LIC. 2304
on the cover:
this page:
27 Chinese School, Possibly the Work of Spoilum (Chinese, act. 1785-1810) The Hongs at Canton, unsigned, oil on canvas, 18 1/2 x 24 in.
42 Laura White McLennan, Boston Common, c. 1850-60, pastel on paper, 16 x 21 in. (sight), in a molded giltwood frame. $3,000-5,000
This especially finely painted view shows the flags of seven Western countries involved in the early China Trade, including the American flag at center. It appears to relate strongly to another Canton view attributed to Spoilum, pictured in Carl Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, p. 107, plate 34. $30,000-50,000
45 Chippendale Carved Mahogany Blockfront Chest of Drawers, Boston, c. 1760, the molded rectangular top above a case with four graduated drawers, on molded base with claw-and-ball feet, ht. 31 1/4, wd. 35 1/2, dp. 20 1/2 in. $50,000-75,000
John & Marilyn Keane Devotees of American history and craftsmanship and committed philanthropists, the Keanes for years have been well-known members of the Boston arts community. Evident in their collection is an understanding of how deeply important the decorative arts are to the overall understanding of the colonial period and period after independence in America. That understanding carried over, too, to leadership roles at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where the Newport Furniture Gallery in the American Wing was named in their honor.
46 Queen Anne Mahogany Tray-top Tea Table, eastern Massachusetts, c. 1740-60. $75,000-125,000
49 Chippendale Carved Mahogany Elbow Chair, Boston or Massachusetts North Shore, c. 1780. $8,000-12,000
44 The Hezekiah Smith Chippendale Carved Mahogany Bonnet-top Block-front Desk and Bookcase, Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1765. $75,000-100,000
26 Jesuit Artist at the Imperial Court (Chinese, Late 18th Century) Portrait of a Young Official of the First Rank, Wearing a Red Hat, unsigned, oil on Chinese paper, 22 1/2 x 27 1/4 in., in a beaded giltwood frame. $40,000-60,000 25 Attributed to Spoilum (Chinese, act. 1785-1810) Portrait of a Hong Merchant, unsigned, oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 18 in., in a beaded giltwood frame. $50,000-75,000 51 Federal Carved Mahogany Sofa, attributed to Samuel McIntyre, Salem, Massachusetts, c. 1805. $30,000-50,000
52 One of a Pair of Federal Carved Mahogany Shield-back Side Chairs, probably Samuel McIntyre, Salem, Massachusetts, c. 1800-10, (detail). $4,000-6,000 24 Possibly the Work of Spoilum (Chinese, act. 1785-1810), An Imperial Review at a Military Encampment, unsigned, oil on canvas, 32 1/2 x 51 3/4 in., in a giltwood frame. $50,000-75,000 36 Chinese School, Mid-19th Century, View of the Bund at Shanghai, unsigned, oil on canvas, 16 1/2 x 37 1/2 in., in a black-painted frame with gilt liner. $40,000-60,000
The Canton System was formalized by the Qianlong Emperor in 1760, granting a monopoly on trade with Westerners to the merchant’s guild of Canton (Guangzhou) for almost a century. The China Trade, as it was known in the West, was not only a source of great wealth for both the Chinese and Western merchants involved, but also generated cultural connections that gave rise to new and exciting artistic works. Adopting the European medium of oil on canvas, Chinese artists like Spoilum produced paintings unlike anything seen before, and dazzled Western patrons by applying the bold but delicate lines of traditional art to the unfamiliar medium. Portraits in this remarkable style—like the two pictured opposite—were often commissioned in pairs to highlight the business relationship between particular hong merchants and their Western counterparts. Landscapes often depicted the area around the trading posts, also called hongs, at locations of interest like Canton, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, and Whampoa, resulting in coastal views of uncommon clarity. Occasionally, Chinese artists attempted much more ambitious projects. The view of a military encampment, pictured above, is distinguished by its size, subject matter, and attention to detail in the style of European works of the same period, which would have been known in China through imported engravings. But perhaps most notable is the serenity expressed on the faces of the soldiers, officials, and of the Qianlong Emperor himself.
27 Chinese School, Possibly the Work of Spoilum (Chinese, act. 1785-1810) The Hongs at Canton, unsigned, oil on canvas, 18 1/2 x 24 in. $30,000-50,000 37 Chinese School, Mid-19th Century, Singapore from the Roads, unsigned, oil on canvas, showing a variety of vessels and the harborfront, 18 x 31 in., in a black-painted frame. According to a catalog entry affixed to the reverse, the Singapore harborfront as depicted here puts the date of this painting between 1847 and 1855. From left to right, some of the landmark buildings include the Old Court House, the Church of St. Andrew (built in 1842 and demolished in 1855 after a lightning strike), the steeple of the Catholic church (completed in 1847), and the Institution (later the Raffles institution). The building atop the central hill is called the Bukit Larangan, formerly the Residency, which became Government House. $30,000-50,000 39 Sun Qua (Chinese, act. Mid-19th Century), Whampoa Reach and Anchorage, c. 1830-35, unsigned, titled and artist identified on a tag attached to the frame, oil on canvas, 17 3/4 x 23 1/2 in., in a carved ebonized and gilt frame. $30,000-50,000
14 Pair of Small Reverse-painted Mirror Pictures, China, 18th century, with gilt rococo frames around reverse-painted domestic scenes. $3,000-5,000 38 Chinese School, c. 1860, View of Hong Kong, unsigned, inscribed “HON KONG” [sic] l.c., oil on canvas, showing a variety of vessels at harbor against the backdrop of the city and port, 18 x 31 in., in a period black-painted and carved frame. $30,000-50,000 The Living Room at 81 Beacon Street
43 Queen Anne Mahogany Turret Corner Card Table, Boston, c. 1740-60, the folding top above a conformingly shaped skirt with thumbmolded drawer joining four cabriole legs, ht. 27 3/4, wd. 34, dp. 16 1/2 in. $20,000-30,000 47 Chippendale Carved Mahogany Open Armchair, probably Providence, Rhode Island, c. 1765, with molded and shaped arms ending in scrolled handholds and frontal cabriole legs with shell and bellflower-carved knees and claw-and-ball feet, ht. 44, seat ht. 17, wd. 26 1/2 in. Provenance: The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland. $50,000-100,000 28 Rococo Sterling Silver Epergne, Thomas Pitts, London, 1764, ht. 13 3/4, wd. 26, dp. 23 in. $2,000-3,000 29 Pair of Georgian Sterling Silver Candlesticks, John Cafe, London, 1749, molded shell motifs throughout, ht. 8 3/4 in. $1,000-1,500 34 Chippendale Carved Mahogany Serpentine-front Five-legged Card Table, New York, c. 1755-80. $20,000-30,000
15 Pair of Large Export Porcelain Rose Medallion Pattern Covered Urns, China, c. 1830-40. $3,000-5,000
31 Important Chippendale Carved Mahogany Marble-top Slab Table, with carving attributed to Nicholas Bernard and Martin Jugiez, Philadelphia, c. 1765, on four punchwork-decorated and acanthus-carved cabriole legs with carved returns continuing to claw-and-ball feet, ht. 32 1/2, wd. 38 1/4, dp. 19 in. Provenance: Charles Woolsey Lyons, Inc., New York City, July 1936. The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland. $100,000-150,000
32 Pair of Chippendale Carved Mahogany Side Chairs, Philadelphia, c. 1770, numbered “I” and “III” of a set. Chair “II” from this set is in the Collection of Bayou Bend, in Houston, Texas. Other chairs from this set have been offered by prominent dealers throughout the 20th century, and are now in fine public and private collections. $15,000-25,000
Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland—The Keanes built their collection using their own sense of taste and connoisseurship, but also relied on knowledgeable advice from a number of prominent figures in the antiques trade. When they acquired objects from auctions, it was often from major single-owner sales, and other instances where provenance was well known. In the cases of the important Philadelphia slab table above (lot 31), and the Rhode Island open armchair at left (Lot 47), the Keanes knew that they were bidding on great rarities. Both objects were highlights at the Auction of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland, held in two sessions at Sotheby’s in January 1998, and promoted in a 244-page hardcover catalogue (the slab table appears on the catalogue cover). The Copelands lived at a Georgian-style residence in Delaware called Mount Cuba, completed in 1937. A younger cousin of Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont, Mr. Copeland was certainly influenced by his older relative’s appreciation for the American Decorative Arts, and supported Winterthur, before and after it was opened to the public in 1951, serving as an early president of the Winterthur Corporation. “At Mr. du Pont’s urging,” the 1998 catalogue entry written by Wendell Garrett tells us, “the Copelands sought out antique paneling and furniture from some of his trusted sources.” As a result of du Pont’s tutelage, Garrett continues, the Copelands “left a legacy of taste, connoisseurship, and profound vision that has enriched the region and the nation.” Theirs was a “remarkable” collection built with a rare blend of “searching study, meticulous planning, informed collecting, and wise interpretation.”
54 Important Pair of Classical Rosewood, Gilt-gesso, and Vert Antique Brass-inlaid Card Tables, Charles-Honore Lannuier, New York, c. 1815, with brass-inlaid edges, carved gilt-gesso and vert antique caryatid supports, and dolphin feet, ht. 30 1/2, wd. 36, dp. 17 1/2 in. $100,000-150,000
57 Pair of Gilt-bronze-mounted Potpourri Urns, France, early 19th century, ht. 17 1/2 in. $3,000-5,000
Charles-Honore Lannuier was born in a small French town in 1779, and, as the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution raged, he left for New York in early 1803, seeking financial opportunity and, ultimately, success. He was born into a family well-versed in fine furniture making: his brother and uncle were both established in the trade, and had Parisian clients. Despite that early exposure and inherited aptitude, it would have been difficult to anticipate the level of fame he would gain as a cabinetmaker in New York in the first two decades of the 19th century. Though he lived only sixteen years after arriving in New York, he left a body of signed works larger than most, which captured widespread American recognition even in the shadow of his prolific contemporary Duncan Phyfe, and clearly illustrated his impressive aesthetic and artistic vision. Incorporating French Empire design elements, English decorative tendencies, and exhibiting a fascination for the contemporary French conquests of Egypt and Italy, Lannuier’s output in America is decidedly European, but also stands as an important exemplar of the highest style of late Federal and Classical period American furniture. The present tables, utilizing one of Lannuier’s favorite elements, winged caryatid supports, are two of a known group of nineteen card tables attributed to him, and are the only known pair with carved dolphin feet.
55 Classical Carved Giltwood Girandole Looking Glass, America or England, c. 1810. Provenance: Originally in the Felt House, Salem, Massachusetts, and descended in the Felt-Osgood families. $4,000-6,000 One of the Lannuier card tables in place at 81 Beacon Street
73 Joseph Henry Sharp (New Mexico/California/Ohio, 18591953), Indian with Drum, signed “JH Sharp” l.r., oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in. $50,000-75,000
6 Clement Drew (Massachusetts, 1806-1889), Boston Harbor. Titled, signed, dated and inscribed “Boston Harbor/painted by C. Drew/8 Summer St. 1876” on the reverse, oil on canvas, 9 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. $6,000-8,000
72 William Bradford (Massachusetts/New York/ California, 1823-1892), Fishing off Labrador, signed “Wm. Bradford/NY” l.r., c. 1875, oil on canvas, 12 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. $40,000-60,000
For buyers, consignors, and the passionately curious F I N D W O R T H AT S K I N N E R I N C . C O M
8 English School, Late 18th/Early 19th Century, Pair of Views of Fortified Harbors, unsigned, oil on canvas, 17 x 26, in early molded and gilt-gesso frames. $10,000-15,000
2 Turned Whale Bone and Inlaid Carved Whale Ivory Yarn Swift, America, c. 1850. $3,000-5,000
1 Whale Bone and Turned Whale Ivory Mother-ofpearl-inlaid Yarn Swift, America, mid-19th century. $4,000-6,000
Americana online November 15–22 | skinnerinc.com Antonio Nicolo Gasparo Jacobsen (New York/New Jersey/Denmark, 18501921), Sailing Vessels, signed, dated, and inscribed “Antonio Jacobsen NY 1871/257 8th Avenue 23 St.,” oil on canvas, 22 x 36 in. $15,000-20,000
Federal Mahogany and Flame Birch Veneer Bowfront Chest of Drawers, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, area, c. 1805-15. $4,000-6,000
“CAPT LYMAN HUNT./COMMANDER,/ CITY OF DULUTH” Sand Art Bottle, Andrew Clemens, McGregor, Iowa, c. 1880-85, ht. 9 in. Provenance: Descended in the family of Captain Lyman Hunt to the present owner. $50,000-70,000
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