- Folk Art pastel portrait of possibly
Folk Art pastel portrait of possibly a sea captain wearing a blue coat, circa 1830, sitting on a bamboo turned Windsor chair.
25.5" x 19.5" ss / 31.5" x 25.5" oa
Condition: Some restoration needed, not examined out of frame.
- AMERICAN OIL ON CANVAS FOLK PORTRAIT
AMERICAN OIL ON CANVAS FOLK PORTRAIT OF A CHILDAmerican oil on canvas folk portrait of a child, ca. 1825 , inscribed verso Charlotte Lili__ New St. Phila. Father Sea Captain Painted at age 3 , 25" x 23".
Competitive in-house shipping is available for this lot.
Condition:
Relined. Craquelure. Stretcher marks. Obscuring varnish. Inpainting.
- OIL ON CANVAS PORTRAIT OF A SEA CAPTAIN,
OIL ON CANVAS PORTRAIT OF A SEA CAPTAIN, CA. 1800Oil on canvas portrait of a sea captain, ca. 1800 , with harbor view in background, 32 1/4" x 25 1/4". Provenance: A New Jersey Collection.
NO in-house shipping for this lot.
Condition:
Old reline. Later frame. Heavy crackled varnish. Some touch-up visible under varnish.
- AMERICAN FOLK PORTRAIT OF A SEA CAPTAIN(American,
AMERICAN FOLK PORTRAIT OF A SEA CAPTAIN(American, early 19th century)
Sea Captain in a Handsome Waistcoat, unsigned, oil on canvas, 30 x 25-1/4 in.; reproduction gilt wood frame, 38-1/4 x 33-1/2 in.
Provenance: Janet and John Marquesee, New York, NY
Condition:
wax lined, retouch, canvas bubbling in places, evidence of small repair, stabilized crackle; frame with wear and abrasions
- BEN BENN "BIRDS & FISH" OIL ON CANVAS,
BEN BENN "BIRDS & FISH" OIL ON CANVAS, 1930 Ben Benn (Russian-American, 1884-1983) "Birds of prey," oil on canvas, 1930, modern ocean scene depicting sea birds in pursuit of fish, signed and dated lower right, image of sea captain painted on canvas reverse. Image: 21.5" H x 29.5" W; frame: 28.25" H x 36" W x 2.25" D.
- (LOT) FRANKLIN MINT PEWTER FIGURINES
(LOT) FRANKLIN MINT PEWTER FIGURINES SET & KEY(lot) Franklin Mint "Colonial People of America" thirteen well-detailed figurines, with title engravings under each figure, including: The Silversmith, The Planter, The Butter Churner, The Printer, The Schoolmaster, The Candlemaker, The Trapper, The Sea Captain, The Shoemaker, The Innkeeper, The Blacksmith, each accompanied by certificate of authenticity, retained in velvet-lined wood box, sizes varied, largest: 3.5"h, 2.5"diam; together with: (1) Franklin Mint Collectors Society pewter key, approx 6"l, 1.5"w; 20.5lbs total
- (2) LLADRO PORCELAIN FIGURES, DEBUTANTE,
(2) LLADRO PORCELAIN FIGURES, DEBUTANTE, CAPTAIN(lot of 2) Collection of Lladro porcelain retired figures, comprising; (1) The Debutante, sculptor Jose Puche, retired 1998, approx: 14"h, 6.25"w, 5.5"d; (1) Sea Captain, sculptor Salvador Furio, retired 1994, approx: 14.75"h, 4"w, 3.75"d; makers mark underfoot, 4lbs total
- WILLIAM BARTOLL (AMERICAN, 1817-1859).
WILLIAM BARTOLL (AMERICAN, 1817-1859). Oil on canvas. Portrait of a Sea Captain. Signed and dated lower left. From an Armonk, NY collection. Dimensions: 30" high x 24.25" wide Condition: Craquelure. Old repairs. Likely relined.
- LARGE LLADRO PORCELAIN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER.
LARGE LLADRO PORCELAIN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. The mother wearing a sea captain's hat; the child in a pom pom cap. Signed on base. From a Brooklyn, NY estate. Dimensions: 12.5" h Condition: Good.
- ANTIQUE SIGNED SPERM WHALE TOOTH SCRIMSHAW.
ANTIQUE SIGNED SPERM WHALE TOOTH SCRIMSHAW. An antique double sided signed and titled sperm whale tooth with etched scrimshaw work. A masterfully executed depiction of sea captain escaping a whale attack on the obverse, and the sea captain reiterating his tale amongst young sailors on the reverse. Signed, "G V Scheib", Titled, "Old Whale Man's Tale" From a Mt. Vernon, NY estate. Dimensions tooth measures approx. 5.25" in length. Condition: Tooth exhibits wear consistent with age.
- EARLY 19TH C. PORTRAIT PAINTING OF GENT
EARLY 19TH C. PORTRAIT PAINTING OF GENT Ca. 1820-1830, a wealthy young man with long tousled hair, white stock, vest and cravat, shawl collar coat, possibly a Sea Captain, found in Midcoast Maine, oil on canvas, unsigned, in later gold reverse ogee frame, OS: 30 1/2" x 26 1/2", SS: 26 1/2" x 22 1/2".
- EXCEPTIONAL SWIMMING MERGANSERNorth
EXCEPTIONAL SWIMMING MERGANSERNorth Shore, MA, c. 1890
17 1/2 in. long
This hollow swimming merganser is among the finest decoys discovered in decades. As this Massachusetts masterpiece makes its public debut, no other decoys from this rig are known to have surfaced in any auction to date. Like the goose, the red-breasted merganser has been a muse for many of the great known and unknown Atlantic carvers. A thorough review of the finest mergansers confirms that this carving stands on its own as one of the greatest extant, and it is certainly second to none among all hollow examples of this species.
The sleek body stretches forward to a raised neck seat topped by a highly refined reaching head, turned slightly to the left. The delicate bill is trimmed with incised mandible carving. Topping the head is a ridged crest running from the crown to the nape with a rasp finish capturing the texture of the wet shaggy feathers after a dive. The lightweight body features refined raised wing tip carving and a thin tail. A round beveled weight and thin bottom board complete the underside of the decoy and it appears to have had a wooden keel at one time. The surface is finished with softly blended paint and sharp wing patches. Given its fragile features, the decoy has survived in remarkably good condition. It is being offered here in its discovered state with no touch-up or repairs.
Bob Shaw demonstrates in the opening salvo to his Massachusetts chapter, one cannot discuss the unrivaled region’s great decoys without embracing the unknowns. As he makes clear, masterworks such as this easily rise above the trivia of attributions. That said, naturally this swimmer’s origin is being explored. Only two other decoys from this rig are known and all are in the same plumage. The other two are in upright positions, but no raised wing carving. One is in a prestigious private collection where it shares space with exceptional works from the North Shore, Massachusetts, rigs of Capt. Samuel A. Fabens, Fred M. Nichols, and Capt. Charles Osgood. The features of this lot place it firmly in region, and some believe it is in fact a Nichols decoy as the style relates closely to works identified from his rig. While more sleek and detailed than an Osgood or even a Fabens merganser, the form and construction appear to have a common origin with the latter. Gigi Hopkins reveals that Fabens and Nichols were both guests at the prestigious Ives Camp in Rowley, Massachusetts, which was co-founded in 1853 by none other than Capt. Charles C. Osgood (1820-1886).
“The Massachusetts region, which includes coastal New Hampshire, Cape Cod, the islands of
Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, and the state of Rhode Island, arguably produced more
first-quality decoys than any other area of the country and was home to a number of the decoy's greatest artists, including such masters as Elmer Crowell, Joe Lincoln, Lothrop Holmes, and George Boyd.
“Massachusetts also produced several of the greatest as yet unidentified carvers. Many of the region's most accomplished and inventive nineteenth-century shorebird carvers have never been identified, while a uniquely constructed group of geese and red-breasted mergansers is attributed by oral tradition to a Salem sea captain named Charles C. Osgood, although whether he actually made them or not may never be known. One unidentified master carved a rig of astonishing animated shorebirds for Dr. John C. Phillips, a wealthy sportsman and amateur ornithologist who was also one of Elmer Crowell's most important patrons, while another made equally remarkable geese and shorebirds with tightly fitting, removable dovetailed heads.” — Bob Shaw, “Bird Decoys of North America”
Excellent original paint with light gunning wear, some chipping to tail edge, and head is slightly loose.
Provenance: Private Collection, Massachusetts
Literature: Gwladys Hopkins, “Massachusetts Masterpieces: The Decoy As Art,” Lincoln, MA, 2016, pp. 76-77, Osgood, Fabens and Nichols discussed and Osgood merganser illustrated.
Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, pp. 150-151, lost Fabens merganser illustrated and Massachusetts discussed.