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The big American May round finally ended at Philadelphia's Freeman's (6/13), where curator Alasdair Nichol had assembled a luxuriant 104 lots with a dominant New Hope school focus.
Chief among these works was a magnificent farmscape panorama stretching to the horizon in orange and grey-blue hues by Daniel Garber (est. $200K-$300K), which with commission went for $457K. Five works by American fauvist Fern Coppedge buttressed that masterpiece--including two Coppedge marines--the best and biggest of the five being a winter look at "The Hill Road" estimated at $70K-$100K, which sold for $85K. Three works by Harry Leith-Ross, included a beautiful farmstead called "Pasture in Early Spring," which went for $13.75K vs. an estimate of $10K-$15K. But an excellent Roy Nuse, "By the Banks of the Neshaminy" (est. $10K-$15K) failed. Walter Emerson Baum was represented by three works, all of which topped their estimates, with the best showing a covered bridge at Perkasie (est. $6K-$10K) going for $11.25K. Another Baum, a smaller and quite delicate "Houses by a River," estimated at $2.5K-$4K surprised at $7K. Also from the New Hope school was a beautiful grey-toned factory hollow secene called "Manayunk," after the well-known locale, by Arthur Meltzer (est. $5K-$8K), which alsodid well at $11.25K. More to our focus, but pre-Colman, was a Cropsey set on the UK's rocky Dorset coast (est. $20K-$30K), which brought $40K. Interestingly the sale also included one Colman, his Venetian twilight view (est. $5K-$8K) showing him striving for Luminism but not quite there yet, which brought $6.25K. And just to remind readers, our gallery offers nothing from Colman (who studied with Asher Durand) and earlier, but we begin with works by Wyant (who studied with Inness and taught John Francis Murphy and Bruce Crane). Right on our collecting focus were a masterpiece by Norton, "Into the Mist," continuing his maritime symphonies in pearl grey (low at an est. $6K-$10K), which brought $10.6K; a brilliant Lawson set in "Peggy's Cove" Nova Scotia, where the sea is treated with gem-like impasto (est. $40K-$60K), which passed; and a darker-than-usual work from Emile Gruppe called "After the Storm, Gloucester" (which made $6.4K). Also worth noting were a delicate "Mystic" CT sound view by Guy C. Wiggins (est. $20K-$30K), which was strong at a sales price of $32.2K and vs a New York street scene that passed. A Glackens figure study called "Girl in a Peasant Blouse" that glowed with orange and mauve and to us was worth every penny of an estimated $100K-$150 also failed to sell. Finally, and expected given her Philadelphia connection, were four works by Martha Walter, including a large figure study called "Boy in a Black Cape," easily one of her best oils ever and capturing the youth's sexual ambiguity (est. $80K-$120K), which brought $85K. Finally a major Walter Elmer Schofield of Polperro harbor in Cornwall brought $35K, well above its estimate.
Also closing the season, just outside of Philly, Alderfer (6/11), where Brent Souder continues to drive quality higher, sold a small but important American selection. The centerpiece was neoclassical and focused on five still-life fruit and vegetable masterpieces (each estimated at $15K-$25K) by Levi Wells Prentice--certainly the best grouping from this artist we have ever seen. Dominant was a masterpiece depicting three clumps of radishes set on a mahogany table whose intensity was literally beyond belief--and a reminder that the power of Wells's still-life is still at work in the squash blossoms of Georgia OKeefe--this is a long and strong American tradition. Respectively, the five works sold for $15K, $19K, $29K, $24K and $25K. More to our focus, a large-scale panorama by John Fabian Carlson (est. $30K-$50K) showed the artist diverting his atttention from the early spring snow-clad woodland streams and his traditional white, blue and earth tones, to work this time in varying green hues and a more Fauvist direction--but the painting passed. New Hope was represented by two important Nunamaker landscapes, each estimated at $15K-$25K, one showing a snow-clad stream amid woods, and the other a perfect valley view seen through hay ricks in the forefront--both sold for $21K each with commision.Coppedge was represented by a gold-toned marine set in Gloucester (est. $15K-$25K and bringing $20K), and Folinsbee by a small oil showing the New Hope canal lock (est. $3K-$5K) and strong at $7K. Collectors can now think summer. |
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