By Susan Emerson Nutter DELAWARE, Ohio —Form guides value where antiques are concerned. Yes, provenance and condition are factors as well, but as Jeff Jeffers, principal auctioneer and CEO of Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, said, “If you put four or five carved eagles on a table, the one with the most appealing form will be the favored piece every time.” A March 17 Garth’s Americana & Decorative Arts saw this play out time and again. “Some very wonderful small items sold this day,” Jeffers said. “They were not unique; actually they were more common items, but excellent examples of what they are and that was represented in their final bids.” The eagle mentioned above makes his point. Attributed to Portsmouth, Maine, the late 19th century pine eagle had spread wings and was perched on an American banner and armaments. Still wearing its original gilding and paint, this 17 inch long, 9½ inch high wonderful piece of folk art realized $4,063. Prices include a buyer’s premium. The Pennsylvania decorated miniature blanket chest by Joseph Lehn (1798-1892) would be another example of how form plays a role in the value of a piece, and in this lot’s case, as does original surface. The mid-19th century Lancaster County, chest had a dovetailed box on turned feet and wore its original paint decoration; including many of Lehn’s signature motifs such as flowers and strawberries. At 8 inches high and 13 ½ inches wide, this little charmer made $5,040. “Garth’s former owner, Tom Porter, used to say how he found it interesting that people came to the auction for furniture but often ended up spending their money on smalls instead,” Jeffers said. “That is how this auction went.” A pair of Rockingham pottery frames and candlesticks having flint enamel type glazes sold strong bringing $3,125 against an estimate of $300 to $600. The oval picture frames with scalloped edges were inscribed “John Marx, 1863” and impressed “B.S.” for Brantford Stoneware Pottery in Ontario, Canada. The stoneware genre performed well with a mid-19th century stoneware crock impressed “BC Milburn, Alexa” (for Benedict C. Milburn, Alexandria, Va.) and decorated with brushed cobalt of a tulip and sunflower on two sides selling for $3,600, while another jug with an appealing squattier form and impressed “N. Clark Jr., Athens, NY” with brushed cobalt tree and either a dove or pigeon as decoration bringing $3,960. A thought-to-be Fiske & Co., New York full bodied copper crowing rooster weather vane with outstretched wings – again, great form – realized $3,360,while a small size pine drysink with a desirable shaped well and wearing equally as desirable old yellow paint was bid to $1,440. A surprise at this March event was the selling of two English Mark Catesby prints. The mid-18th century, hand-colored engravings from Catesby’s Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands included the Parrot of Paradise and Big Leaf Magnolia. Offered in modern frames, the pair soared well past the estimate of $250 to $500 landing at $7,080. “These are scarce prints,” Jeffers said, “And we had very qualified collectors who battled it out for ownership. Those bidding obviously knew something we missed, but again, the images were very appealing to the eye making the prints understandably desirable.” “The more than normal activity online helped drive this auction,” Jeffers sid, “but I can’t say enough about the in-house crowd. Every seat was filled, and that’s where the excitement is. The value of the auction experience is undeniable. It is addictive, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun.” Contact: 704-362-4771 www.garths.com |