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Maine Antique Digest, December 2016 29-C
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AUCTION -
29-C
This oil on canvas of the brig
T. Remick
was done by William Stubbs (1842-
1909). In March of 1889, the
Remick
wrecked on Minot Beach near Scituate,
Massachusetts, with the loss of nearly her entire cargo of molasses, sugar, and
cocoa. But the crew and captain were saved when a rescue party waded into
the surf to toss them a line after failing to reach them in a surf boat. Stubbs,
who painted his first ship portrait in 1871, often favored painting his subject
in high seas as he did here. Some paint loss and damage to the canvas held it
to $2530.
This George III period
mahogany wheel barometer
with satinwood string inlays
and an engraved steel face,
signed for A. Rivolta of Chester,
England, sold for $192.50.
This formidable-looking sword
was said to be a mandau, a
traditional weapon of the Dayak
people of Borneo. Dayak is a
loose term that includes about
200 ethnic subgroups, each
with its own language, culture,
and territory, most of which
had an ancient tradition of
headhunting. This $330 mandau
has a carved bone handle with
a topknot of hair, a blade inset
with copper disks and stars, and
a bamboo sheath with a carved
wooden effigy figure.
Foster has a solid history of selling paintings by Maine artist
Vernon George “Vern” Broe (1930-2011), best known for his
portrayals of small sailing craft under full headway. A dozen
Broe oil paintings were sold here, including
Seashell Hunting at
the Beach
, 7½" x 11½", which went for a strong $1595;
At Full
Sail
, 13½" x 17¼", with a purple-hued sunset sky, virtually a
Broe identifier, for $1210; and the 13½" x 17½" oil on board
landscape
Fields of Promise
, for $660.
This terrific Gorham pitcher weighing in at
54.8 troy ounces with repoussé decorations
of hanging vine and leaf clusters sold for
$6160. It was topped
in price but not in
silver weight by a 15"
tall Tiffany copper
and silver overlaid
bulbous lobed vase
(shown above) that
finished up at $8250
(est. $750/1500).
Two of 20 loose cat prints fromLéonardTsuguharu Foujita’s
Book of Cats
that made $14,850. Foster photos.