02
AUCTIONSINBRIEF
one of the finest assortments
of Americana ever assem-
bled. Over
the course of
the three-day
sale, the much-anticipated
auction found buyers for
all 1,046 lots offered, for a
total of $10,262,129, just
edging past the $10,233,830
presale high estimate. The
Schorsch collection com-
prised an encyclopedic array
of furniture and objects
representing Colonial
America. The highest-selling
lot was a Chippendale
carved and figured mahog-
any bombé chest-on-chest,
most likely from Salem,
Massachusetts, circa 1770,
right, which realized
$970,000, within its estimate
of $800,000 to $1 million.
A Queen Anne carved and
highly figured mahogany
block-front chest-on-chest
sold for $187,500 (est. $150–
250,000), and oil portraits
of Jared Lane and Apphia
Ruggles by Ralph Earl, 1796,
offered as a single lot, took
in $274,000, exceeding the
pair’s $50,000 high esti-
mate more than fivefold.
Christie’s followed
suit on the 22nd with its
own stand-alone private
collection sale, Philadelphia
Splendor: The Collection
of Mr. and Mrs. Max R.
Zaitz, which brought
$2,633,750 for
100 out of 105
lots offered. Over the course
of four decades, the couple
acquired prime examples of
American furniture, including
Queen Anne through Federal-
era styles made from
Boston to Philadelphia. The
collection, also one of the
finest and most important
troves of Americana to hit
the market in recent years,
was led by a circa 1769–70NEW YORKAmericana
Week
NEW YORK
DESIGN MASTERS
PHILLIPS
DECEMBER 15
Overall, 31 out of
42 lots sold for
$3,460,250,
contributing to the
house’s total of
$7.3 million across
three auctions
dedicated to the
category.(^1)
CARLO MOLLINO
Unique ceiling light,
circa 1944–46, from
the Franca and Guglielmo
Minola House, Turin
$293,000
(est. $150–250,000)
(^2)
JEAN ROYERE
Ours Polaire armchair,
1950s
$269,000
(est. $160–220,000)
(^3)
RON ARAD
Prototype D-Sofa, 1993
$257,000
(est. $100–150,000)
(^4)
CHARLOTTE
PERRIAND
Large unique sideboard,
1959
$245,000
(est. $180–240,000)
(^5)
PIERRE JEANNERET
Set of eight chairs, model
no. PJ-SI-54-A, from
Punjab University,
Chandigarh, circa 1960
$197,000
(est. $90,000–120,000)
On January 20, Sotheby’s
jump-started a weeklong
lineup of auctions dedicated
to Americana with the sale
of Property from the Collec-
tion of Irvin and Anita
Schorsch: Hidden Glen Farms,
TOP
5
Chippendale carved-mahogany
card table, below, perhaps
from the shop of Benjamin
Randolph, with carving
attributed to John Pollard
of Philadelphia. It sold
for $509,000, exceeding its
$500,000 high estimate.
A Queen Anne carved-walnut
easy chair from Philadelphia,
1740–50, fetched $209,000
(est. $200–300,000),
and a polychrome silk and
wool needlework chimney
piece depicting Adam and
Eve, 1760–90, from Salem,
Massachusetts, took in
$87,500 (est. $50,000–
100,000). During Americana
Week, the house held
five sales altogether, which
commanded a total of
$10.9 million.
On the following day,
Sotheby’s concluded the
roundup of offerings from
private collections with
part one of its sale of the
collection of Stephen and
Petra Levin, which brought
mixed results: Only 50 out
of 97 lots sold, for a total
of $5,104,500. The American
folk art collection reflects
the Levins’ enthusiasm and
passion for the category,
specifically three-dimensional
objects that capture the art,
culture, and history of
America throughout
the 19th and 20th centuries.
Leading the sale was The
Angel Gabriel, a molded-
copper weathervane
cast in the 19th century,
above left, which brought
$1,330,000 (est. $1.2–1.5 mil-
lion), the highest price of
the sales series between
the two houses. The piece,
also known as Fame, is
considered one of the most
desirable and rare American
weathervanes from this
period. Samuel Anderson
Robb, a baseball player
figure in carved and painted
pine, circa 1890, sold for
$550,000 (est. $450–
600,000). The house hosted
a separate sale of Important
Americana, which brought
its sales total for the week
to $18.9 million, exceeding
its competitor’s total by
$8 million.
ART+AUCTION MARCH 2016 (^) | BLOUINARTINFO.COM