WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. —Two ladies were among the stars of an Oct. 18-20 auction conducted by Charlton Hall. From different parts of the world, they both charmed bidders far past their high estimates. They were also both titled Portrait of a Lady.

First was an 18th century oil on canvas from the early Mexican School. The work depicted an elaborately dressed woman in an embroidered silk dress, holding a closed fan, with chiqueadores at her temple. Chiqueadores are tortoise shells used as a feminine ornament in Mexico.The focal point of the piece was her ornate headdress made of feathers and dangling pearls. The framed work, measuring 33 inches high by 25 inches wide, circa 1745, was unsigned and sold well past the high estimate of $2,000 for an impressive $17,000.

The other Portrait of a Lady, traditionally identified as Miss Sophia Witham, was attributed to Michael Dahl. The Swedish artist (1659-1743), who resided in England, was among the most acclaimed painters of his time and known internationally for his portraits of royals and aristocrats. The oil on canvas, 50 inches high by 40 inches wide, far exceeded the $4,000 mark to achieve $20,000.

A contemporary watercolor on Arches paper by Paul Jenkins (1923 -2012), Phenomena Approaching Signal, went beyond expectation when it hammered at $7,000. Jenkins’ work is characterized by abstract paintings that were done without the use of a bush. The artist allowed the paint to interact with the canvas by guiding it with a knife, creating pools of vivid color that were both fluid and vibrant. The work that sold was reflective of feathers standing on end in a bouquet fashion and executed in bright colors of pink, yellow, blue, and green, and measured 41 ½ inches high by 30 inches wide.

Fine jewelry had some outstanding moments that set bidders on edge. An early 20th century Cartier Tonneau gold wristwatch carried a provenance from Prince Michael Gagarin of Russia, who died in 1918. The watch had a 14K gold curved case with an 18K gold mesh band with French assay marks alongside a Russian mark. It descended through the Russian Imperial family to the estate of Dmitry Michael Gagarin (1917-2016) and realized a staggering $22,000, against a high estimate of $3,000.

An Art Deco platinum, diamond, and rock crystal bracelet, that commanded $11,000, was made with an intricate openwork link design joined by rock crystal links containing Old European-cut diamonds with a total of 274 diamonds. The catalog, which described the piece as “spectacular,” also noted that in the early 1930s J. Harry Alexandre, President of Alexandre Steamship Lines, commissioned the piece from a private New York jeweler as a present for his daughter-in-law, Anne Wallace Loomis Alexandre. The Alexandres were a prominent New York family during the Gilded Age. The bracelet was in turn willed to Cynthia Lenox Banks Alexandre and then to her daughter.

Outstanding among the art glass segment of the sale was an Art Deco Le Verre Francais cameo glass vase by the iconic designer Charles Schneider that sold for more than three times the high estimate when it hammered at $2,600. The stylized floral design, with cantaloupe-color centers, was joined by frosted bands with graduated coloration. The ovoid shaped vase was gracefully mounted on a black base.

A glass bottle-form vase by Kaj Franck (Finland, 1911–1989), with red and green broken flashing, had a plump round body with a slender neck and stood 12 inches high. It was inscribed, KAJ FRANCK, NUUTAJARVI, NOTSJO, was in good original condition, and achieved $2,000, against an estimated of $500 to $800.

Prices are hammer and do not represent a buyer’s premium.

For more information call (803) 779-5678 or visit www.charltonhall.com.