Maine Antique Digest, March 2017

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Maine Antique Digest, March 2017 11-D
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the plinth base) and in old paint but with some condition
problems. It realized $16,800. “It did OK, but it didn’t
exceed its expectations too much,” said Craven. One
potential bidder told her he was looking at another example
elsewhere, suggesting that while cigar-store Indians aren’t
common, their availability is such that buyers can be choosy.
“The really great examples bring top dollars. The examples
of things that are not the strongest, they just don’t bring the
prices, the excitement in the market,” Craven added.
What did matter throughout the day, in addition to rarity
and condition, was the freshness of much of the material.
The Benkard and Sutherland collections yielded items that
hadn’t been on the market in decades, and bidders responded
eagerly.
For more information, phone Cowan’s at (513) 871-1670
or visit ).
Six delftware Merryman plates, each with a numbered verse
in a wreath, English, dated 1734, 8" diameter, chips to rim of
each, $24,000 the set.
An early North Carolina pewter deep
plate, marked for Jacob Eggleston (1773-
1813) of Fayetteville, North Carolina, circa
1800, 11¼" diameter, dents, rim with paint
drip, $1920.
Wooden pipe
box with lower
drawer, the
backplate
with urn crest,
American, late
18th or early
19th century,
19¼" high, chips,
break to carving,
age split to right
side, $4200.
China trade school painting, The Hong Kong Harbor with American, British,
and European Ships , a harbor scene with hong merchant warehouses lining
the shore, early to mid-19th century, oil on canvas, 19½" x 35½", plus original
Chinese Chippendale frame, relined, craquelure, significant inpainting, $22,200.
The Chinese government licensed hong merchants, giving them exclusive rights
to conduct business with Westerners. Because all foreign trade was channeled
through them, many hong merchants became some of the most prominent and
wealthy merchants in China.
China trade school painting, The Hongs of Hong Kong with International
Ships, a harbor scene with American, British, French, and Dutch vessels, hong
merchant warehouses amid the hills, early to mid-19th century, oil on canvas,
17" x 23" plus ebonized frame, craquelure throughout, repaired tear, paint split
near upper left corner, some inpainting, framed under glass, $15,000.
China trade school painting, View of the Hongs of Canton, a bustling seaport
scene with Chinese junks, the hong merchant warehouses flying American,
English, and Dutch flags, circa 1825, oil on canvas, 10" x 16¾", plus ebonized
and gilt frame, relined, stable craquelure, a couple of lines of inpainting, $11,400.
Mahogany shelf clock with eight-day
weight-driven timepiece, concave dial
behind an églomisé and reverse-painted
door, the base with mirrored panel
signed “A. Willard” (1757-1844), most
likely a circa 1900 reproduction of an
early Massachusetts shelf clock, 33½"
high, the finial, mirror, and hands
replaced, the reverse-painted panel not
original to the clock, $4800.
New England schoolgirl-decorated Federal
sewing table with lift lid, bird’s-eye maple,
painted with landscapes and floral and acorn
swags, American, early 19th century, 29½"
x 19½" x 15¾", original brasses, lower shelf
likely a replacement, interior landscape with
damage, top slightly bowed, $10,800.
Wooden relief-carved carpenter’s trade sign depicting an assortment of tools, American,
inscribed “H.A. Doe / Carver,” 19" x 59½", dry old green and black paint, significant
areas of molding missing, chips, and small losses to front and edges, $7800.
Carved and painted great blue heron
decorative confidence decoy, possibly by
“Chief” Eugene Cuffee (1866-1941) of
Shinnecock Reservation or William Henry
Bennett (1867-1954), second quarter of the
20th century, 30" high, missing one eye, old
repair to bill, some paint loss, scratches, and
age cracks, $8400.