Maine Antique Digest, December 2016

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32-B Maine Antique Digest, December 2016
- AUCTION -
32-B
Wainstein is very pleased with the
continued overall strength of both
the fine arts and the Asian markets.
The Potomack Company, Alexandria, Virginia
Bierstadt’s Washington
Monument Leads
Potomack Sale
by Walter C. Newman
Photos courtesy The Potomack Company
The Potomack Company held a big two-day antiques and fine arts catalog
auction on September 24 and 25 at the firm’s Alexandria, Virginia, gallery.
The sale consisted of more than 800 lots at the two-day live auction and
another 300 lots during a third online-only session on September 27. The sale
offered items from several consignors, but nearly half of the lots were from the
gallery and collection of a retiring international antiques dealer.
The high lot of the sale was an oil on canvas by German-born American artist
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902). Bierstadt’s artwork is most frequently associated
with his large panoramic scenes of the American West. The painting offered at
the Potomack sale was also a panoramic westward view. This scene, however,
was Bierstadt’s rendering of the Project for a Washington Monument, City of
Baltimore.
The painting dates to about 1876, more than 45 years after the completion
of the monument. The story behind this after-the-fact conceptual view is not
known. The catalog does note that this painting will be included in the upcoming
catalogue raisonné of Bierstadt, authored by Melissa Webster Speidel. Perhaps
that project will fill in the blanks. The Bierstadt painting sold to a private collector
for $200,000 (est. $80,000/120,000) with buyer’s premium.
A run of French bronzes performed very well. Most were late 19th-century
examples cast after earlier models. An early 19th-century bust of Napoleon
brought $1062.50 (est. $500/700); a gilt bronze of Diogenes, after Claudius
Marioton, brought $1375 (est. $500/700); and a bronze sleeping deerhound,
after Paul Gayrard, made $531.25, within its estimate range. A figure of a knight
holding his sword in tribute brought $1000, as did a figure of an Egyptian water
carrier. Both carried estimates of $600/800.
The furniture category was dominated by pieces inspired by the style of
Napoleon and various French Louis styles. In addition to examples described
elsewhere in this report, a late 19th-century Louis XV-style cabinet with a marble
top and ormolu mounts brought $3750 (est. $2000/3000); a heavily carved six-
piece giltwood Louis XVI-style salon set, consisting of four chairs, a table, and a
small couch, sold for $2375 (est. $1500/2500); and a Louis XVI-style giltwood
vitrine table made $937.50 (est. $600/900).
Speaking after the sale, Elizabeth Wainstein, founder and president of The
Potomack Company, stated that she is very pleased with the continued overall
strength of both the fine arts and the Asian markets. In particular, there is a
noticeable rise in the strength of the Japanese market. Japanese buyers are showing
a great deal of interest in the repatriation of Japanese items, much as has been the
case with the Chinese market over the past several years.
For additional information, contact The Potomack Company at (703) 684-4550
or see the website ).
The first major monument to honor George Washington was begun in Baltimore in 1815. The
project was designed by American-born architect Robert Mills (1781-1855) and resulted in
a 178'8" high Doric column, large enough that visitors can climb an internal staircase to an
observation platform overlooking the city. The monument is topped with a statue ofWashington
carved by Enrico Causici. The oil on canvas shown here is by Albert Bierstadt (German/
American, 1830-1902) and illustrates a conceptual view of the project, with a grand enclosed
park surrounding the monument. Additional information on this lot is provided elsewhere in
this report. The painting was the high lot of the Potomack sale, selling to the phone for $200,000
(est. $80,000/120,000).
This oil on canvas depicts a desert scene of an Arab encampment with barren mountains in the
background. The artist is Samuel Colman (1932-1920). The painting measures 9½" x 16" and
is signed lower right. Colman is best known for his images of the Hudson River, but he traveled
widely and visited Europe and the Mediterranean. This painting sold to a telephone bidder for
$5000 (est. $5000/7000).
Jan Fijt (Flemish, 1611-1661) was a leading animalier of the 17th century. Many of his paintings
feature freshly killed game. This still life is one such scene. The large (68" x 95") oil on canvas
depicts a dog surveying a number of freshly killed animals, including a deer, several rabbits,
geese, and other game birds. The painting is signed lower right and was accompanied by written
communication from RKDimages, a Dutch art database, that suggests that this painting dates
circa 1635. The painting sold for $70,000 from a left bid (est. $70,000/90,000).
This oil on canvas
is by French artist
Andre Brasilier
(b. 1929). The 45"
x 31¾" canvas is
not dated, but it
is signed lower
right. On the
reverse is the title
Le Soleil Rose
( The Sun Rose).
The Brasilier
painting sold
for $28,125 (est.
$25,000/35,000).