2019 Year in Review
63 Park Plaza | Boston, MA 02116
For buyers, consignors, and the passionately curious
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is literally what we do at Skinner, and 2019 was our greenest year ever. Auctioning fine objects for families, collectors, and institutions requires significant outreach, and now by design, less paper: we’ve streamlined marketing collateral to be less dependent upon natural resources, our transportation and warehouse crews reuse packing material, and we’ve responded to bidder preferences, taking some live auctions to the more sustainable online platform. Eighty percent of registered bidders come to Skinner through skinnerinc.com, so we relaunched our website with bigger and better imagery for mobile devices. Bidders now experience vibrant graphics with zoomable, and in some cases, 360 degree image views, resulting in record-breaking results across all specialty departments. Whether you have a single fabulous object or an entire collection, we invite you to consign to our exciting 2020 auction lineup. We look forward to seeing you soon. Karen Keane & Steve Fletcher
opposite: Fine Edwardian Alexandrite and Diamond Pendant, $83,025 Platinum and 4+ Carat Diamond Ring, $46,000 Antique Rose-cut Diamond Necklace, with delicate blossoms of foil-back stones, $13,530 Korean Scroll, with a spare, ethereal, moonlit riverscape, $14,760 White Meiping Vase, with subtle dragon-and-cloud underglaze decoration, $17,720 Rare Patek Philippe “Double Signed” 18kt Gold Wristwatch, $39,975 Rolex Submariner Stainless Steel “Feet First” Wristwatch, $15,990 Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt, AR Sela, undated issue of year 3, $8,610 1834 Classic Head Gold $2.50 coin, $6,765 Neoclassical Marble Statue of a Kneeling Odalisque (Sulamitide) by Pasquale Romanelli, $46,125 Selection of Early Hungarian Beakers from the estate of Francis M. Bator, sold for over $70,000
this page: Complete Frank Rinehart Photograph Album, twenty-four platinum portrait prints of Native Americans, $14,760 Henri Cartier-Bresson Gelatin Silver Print Behind the Gare St. Lazare, $15,990 Soumak Sileh Carpet, c. 1930, $13,530 Society of the Cincinnati Tea Bowl and Saucer Made for and Owned by General Benjamin Lincoln, China, c. 1790, $92,250 Slip-decorated Redware Dish featuring a Lion, $19,680
find worth AT S K I N N E R I N C . C O M
this page: Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976), Untitled, ink and gouache, $70,725; Norman Wilfred Lewis abstract oil, a fine mature work by an important African American artist, $183,000; Daniel Barnes’s “Siege of Boston” Carved and Engraved Powder Horn, $24,600 opposite: Etruscan Revival Gold and Glass Grapevine Necklace, an iconic and ageless Castellani creation, $43,050; Cartier Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring, the sapphires of great color and impressive size; $873,500; Serapi Carpet, $22,140; Heraldic Manuscript, Illuminated, England, late 16th century, from a Mystic Collection, $12,300; Vibrant Indian Painting of a Scene from the Sur Sagar, $17,220; Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Le Clos, 1995, 12 bottles, $3,690
worth finding.
FINDING WORTH.
Single-owner collections drove a strong 2019, collections carefully assembled over decades and exemplifying the tastes and passions of the consignors. Bidders responded enthusiastically to Native American art from Mr. and Mrs. James Grievo of New Jersey, sculptor Ron Tunison’s collection of Civil War artifacts, the Ted Spak Collection of Wedgwood, and a jewelry collection from a prominent New England family highlighted by a rare Cartier twin-stone Kashmir sapphire ring. The Americana Department rode the wave of these fascinating singleowner sales, offering the collections of Marilyn and Don Forke of Nebraska and Tom and Carolyn Porter of Ohio, as well as collections from every New England state, plus California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and more.
Our Specialties: Appraisal & Auction Services 508.970.3299 | appraisals@skinnerinc.com
American & European Works of Art 508.970.3206 | paintings@skinnerinc.com
American Furniture & Decorative Arts 508.970.3200 | americana@skinnerinc.com
American Indian & Ethnographic Art 508.970.3254 | americanindian@skinnerinc.com
Asian Works of Art 508.970.3263 | asian@skinnerinc.com
Books & Manuscripts 508.970.3293 | books@skinnerinc.com
Clocks, Watches & Scientific Instruments 508.970.3201 | clocks@skinnerinc.com
Coins & Currency 508.970.3191 | coins@skinnerinc.com
European Furniture & Decorative Arts 508.970.3203 | european@skinnerinc.com
Important Jewelry 617.874.4313 | jewelry@skinnerinc.com
Fine Silver 508.970.3203 | silver@skinnerinc.com
Fine Wines & Rare Spirits 508.970.3246 | finewines@skinnerinc.com
Historic Arms & Militaria 508.970.3125 | militaria@skinnerinc.com
Judaica 508.970.3256 | judaica@skinnerinc.com
Musical Instruments 508.970.3135 | music@skinnerinc.com
Oriental Rugs & Carpets 508.970.3247 | rugs@skinnerinc.com
20th Century Design 508.970.3253 | 20thcentury@skinnerinc.com
opposite: Paul Laffoley, Source of all Urphänomene, a visionary, vibrant, mixed media work, $52,275
this page: Gustave Loiseau (French, 1865-1935), L’Avant Port de Dieppe, oil on canvas, $67,650; Very Rare 1862 Legal Tender Note, with portrait of Alexander Hamilton, one of about two dozen known to exist, $24,600; Brilliantly Illuminated Book of Hours, early 16th century, $19,680; Burnham Studios “Astronomy” Stained Glass Windows, continuously producing world-renowned work since 1922, $9,225; Antique Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring, $339,000; Platinum, Emerald and Diamond Ring, $67,650; Antique Burmese Cabochon Ruby and Mine-cut Diamond Ring, $171,000; Kawase Hasui (Japanese, 1883-1957), Evening Snow at Terashima, (detail), from Twelve Scenes of Tokyo, $5,843
this page: Pair of Wedgwood Encaustic Decorated Krater Vases and Covers, $13,530 Massachusetts Chippendale Bureau, seen again after 90 years “in retirement,” called the finest of its kind by furniture scholars, $291,000 Continental School Portrait of a Lady, $33,210 Afshar Rug, c. 1890; the Cadle collection, $12,300
opposite: Franz Sedlacek’s Blumenstück; by descent from the artist, $183,000 18th Century Sang-de-boeuf Bowl, austere perfection of form and glaze, $19,680 Flambé-glazed Meiping Vase, $12,300 Tutti-frutti 18kt Gold Bracelet, playful carved and cabochon colored gems, $20,910 Thomas Parker Mahogany Bracket Clock, Philadelphia, c. 1785, $12,300 Andy Warhol’s Flowers Screenprint, $43,050 Civil War Regulation Painted Tension Drum and Sticks; the collection of Ron Tunison, $4,290
2019 by the numbers
40,000+ bidder registrations Bidders from 50 states & 69 countries 18 million+ page views at skinnerinc.com 75% by hammer sold to buyers outside New England 19,000 online auction evaluation requests
E VERY O B J ECT HAS A STORY
worth telling, worth finding.
On the cover: Pierre Soulages (French, b. 1919), Lithographie no 1, 1957, $12,300
Joan Miró’s energetic Charivari, color aquatint, $24,600; Tlingit Polychrome Ceremonial Mask, by a master carver of the Taku tribe; $22,140 and an Eskimo Carved and Painted Wood Double Face Mask, $46,125; both the Grievo collection.
Appraisals @ Skinner Arrange an appraisal—With an in-home visit or meeting by appointment at any of our offices, our team of respected specialists brings in-depth market knowledge to each appraisal. Reports follow USPAP guidelines and all current IRS requirements. Contact us: 508.970.3299 | appraisals@skinnerinc.com
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Steve McCurry (American, b. 1950) Afghan Girl (Sharbat Gula), Refugee Camp, Pakistan, 1984, $19,680; Slip-decorated Pearlware Jug, $3,690; Antique Diamond Sunburst Brooch, descended in the family of legendary society sportswoman Hope Goddard Iselin, $61,500
F I N D W O R T H AT S K I N N E R I N C . C O M