Stamford Auction

Lot 18: LADY'S 18 K GOLD AND DIAMOND CARTIER SANTOS WATCH
Surely this watch would please the most discriminating lady.

Lot 28: DAVID WEBB CORAL RING:
I love the boldness of David Webb designs. The ring size is too small for my family members. But I do admire its design.

Lot 29: BULGARI, ANCIENT COIN AND DIAMOND EARCLIPS:
Here is a great gift for a lady who admires the classical past -- they are handsome earclips made with ancient coins with diamonds.

Lot 64: YELLOW GOLD NECKLACE (INDIAN)
Indian jewelry is exotic looking because it is drenched with so many different gemstones and precious substances in a cascade of color and beauty.

Lot 217: S. KIRK & SON 925 RULER
I've never before seen a silver ruler made by S. Kirk & Son. The owner of this could take pleasure with the final measure of everything at his or her open desk.

Lot 253: TIFFANY & CO. KINGS PATTERN LADLE
The King's pattern appeals to me because long ago I inherited a spoon that an ancestor of mine (on my mother's side of the family) pilfered when she became pregnant in the King's court and was therefore let go from Royal employment. Collecting of this sort is by association, not according to aesthetics. But the pattern is handsome enough with a strong shell at the end of the spoon. I own enough of the King's pattern already, so I will not be bidding on this one.

Lot 300: GRAHAM, ROBERT
Rigorous anatomical observation is evident in the Robert Graham bronze nude sculpture. Its shock value seems right in harmony with the California surf and sky in a minimal contemporary architectural setting. The lot that follows this one is another work by Robert Graham.

Lot 305: BOUCHER, ALFRED
This bronze nude was made by an earlier generation than Robert Graham. Alfred Boucher (1850-1934) modeled his nudes in a more traditional manner.

Lot 306: BERNHARDT, SARAH
Sarah Bernhardt was an accomplished sculptor. With a little research, this portrait of a gentleman might be identified.

Lot 366: HALLTREE/ UMBRELLA STAND
Listed as a unique item, "but not to everyone's taste" is actually to its credit. The cast iron hall tree would look great in an Adirondack camp or at the back door of a New England home where most people enter. Few persons here in New England use their formal front doors for daily entry when the back door is so convenient in the older homes. The back door entrance always needs a place to hang a hat or park an umbrella.

Lot 503: WEDGWOOD CABBAGE PATTERN TEA SERVICE
I like this Lot because the cabbage pattern Majolica recalls for me the pottery made by Josiah Wedgwood and Thomas Whieldon in the eighteenth century.

Lot 648: SET OF 6 REGENCY DINING CHAIRS
Here is an opportunity to acquire a very attractive set of dining room chairs that has classic lines and very nice carving not unlike that found in the best of Boston furniture c. 1820.

Lot 655: GEORGE III SETTEE
The sweeping lines of this settee recalls for me the words of the British poet, William Cowper's poem in 1804 entitled "The Task" on the evolution of seating forms from the common bench to the fashionable upholstered sofa: The growth of what is excellent; so hard T'attain perfection in this nether world. Thus first necessity invented stools, Convenience next suggested elbow chairs, And luxury th'accomplished sofa last. If I were to purchase this example, I'd take care to have it reupholstered to enhance the form of the piece, and perhaps consider making a tufted back or tufted cushions for its back if the seating proved too deep.

Lot 675: CONTINENTAL BAROQUE PARQUETRY CHEST
This remarkable chest I covet the most from this entire auction. Compare it with one reproduced on page 10 in the book I wrote on "American Furniture 1620 to the Present."(This was published by Merek, New York, in 1981). The chest I illustrated is owned by the Dedham Historical Society. It was brought to this country in 1637 by Michael Metcalf who had inherited it from his grandfather of Norfolk, Old England. It was over a hundred year old when the chest came to the new world. It is a type known as a "Nonesuch chest" -- probably made in Southwark, London by immigrant craftsmen from the Low Countries. I suspect that the chest offered in this lot is a cousin to the example in the Dedham Historical Society. The chest in the offered lot could have been made in the late sixteenth century but more probably in the early seventeenth century by continental craftsmen working in England-- so the entry is correct: "Continental" is the design source. But I believe that it was actually made in England. The dimensions of the two chests are almost identical except that the chest in Dedham does not have feet and hence is not as high.

Lot 676: CLASSICAL GAMES TABLE ATTRIBUTED TO DUNCAN PHYFE
Nice clean lines and fine proportions distinguish this classical American games table.

Lot 699: SLANT FRONT DESK
If arts and crafts period furniture is your collecting preference, then here is a good labeled work by Gustav Stickley.

Lot 732: CLASSICAL ENGLISH RECAMIER:
If you own my book about American Furniture mentioned above, then look at its dust cover. The cover shows a Boston-made couch that was once owned by Nathan Appleton c. 1818 and in his home on Beacon Street. His couch, one of a pair in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was inspired from the same design source as this British Racamier. Handsome lines distinguish both.

Lot 891: WHISTLER, JAMES
Whistler etchings and drypoints are delightful. Annie, who is pictured in this print, must be the same person of that name who Whistler painted in a portrait that now is owned by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Lot 895: HERMAN HERZOG
This is a strong image of a man fishing in white water at a stream with a mill nearby.

Lot 904: RICHARDS, WILLIAM TROST
Small images these are, but William Trost Richards is able to pack a lot into his tiny landscape sketches. Richards came from Philadelphia where he mastered landscape painting following Ruskin's creed of fidelity to nature.

Lot 925: SLOAN, JOHN
A great painter and etcher, John Sloan can be counted upon to offer intriguing compositions. Here he visually spoofs the critic/collector.

Lot 972: AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES (AFTER)
I've selected three Audubon lithographs from his "Quadrupeds of North America." But there are many more lithos by Audubon offered in this sale. The Armadillo I like because it is such an odd American creature. They are great diggers that root up ground under houses in rural Texas, much to the consternation of home owners.

Lot 974: AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES (AFTER)
The Wolverine (Gulo luscus) is a nocturnal mammal of the North Woods. It is a glutton --like a small and nasty bear. I remember one housed at the University of Michigan's natural history museum in an out of doors pen. It hovered in the dark, snarling at anyone who came near. The Wolverine was the emblem of the U. of Michigan football team, as I recall. No one is likely to encounter a Wolverine in the wild. They are rare and reclusive. Their body is about 30 inches long and weighs between 35 to 60 pounds.

Lot 979: AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES (AFTER)
What a nice image of the Lepus twonsendi. This is the White Tail Jackrabbit of our northern plains and western mountains.

Lot 985: KLOSS, GENE
Here is a great etching of a processional at Taos, New Mexico. This etching I would love to own as it brings back memories of ceremonies witnessed in the South West.

Lot 1049: WEBB, FRANK
Two watercolors are offered here from the hand of Frank Webb. "With virtuosity" are the words to describe how Webb handles watercolor.

Lot 1059: HIBBARD, ALDRO THOMPSON
This is not a large painting, but it is packed with color and drama. It is beneath glass (not the usual way to display an oil painting). So look with care at first hand. New England snowscapes are Hibbard's specialty.