Smashing its $3/5,000 estimate and achieving the highest price overall was “Adoration of the Magi,” an oil on oak panel attributed to Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516). Measuring 42 inches high by 30 inches wide and 2 inches thick, the painted panel sold for $415,000.
Review by Carly Timpson
CLARENCE, N.Y. — On August 16 and 17, Schultz Auctioneers presented 911 lots from the estates of Richard Byrne and other collectors. Major collecting categories on the first day included Victorian furniture, silver, jewelry, coins, lighting, porcelain, fine and decorative arts and Oriental rugs. The second day comprised ephemera, toys, sports memorabilia, advertising, militaria and other collectibles. The auction had a 94 percent sell-through rate and approximately 3,375 bidders across the two days.
Rising up from a $3/5,000 estimate to achieve $415,000, the sale’s highest price, was “Adoration of the Magi.” This Fifteenth or Sixteenth Century Flemish school oil on oak panel painting was attributed to Hieronymus Bosch and depicted the Christian Nativity scene where several visitors are paying their respects to baby Jesus and his mother. The panel had previously been in a local private collection for more than 100 years. Ben Schultz, co-owner and auctioneer, shared, “The painting was the highlight of the sale. We knew it had potential to take off, but there was really no way of knowing for sure how high it would go. There was definitely interest in the weeks leading up to the sale, but we never anticipated it doing this well.”
This Renaissance revival walnut and burl dresser and bed attributed to Thomas Brooks brought $16,800; both pieces had a maximum height of 108 inches ($3/5,000).
Among large wooden furniture and other decorative pieces, fine art was not a priority in this sale. However, another religious Flemish school oil on panel, this one depicting “Madonna and Child,” brought $6,300 ($2/3,000). The Fifteenth or Sixteenth Century work was approximately 23 by 17 inches and was in a carved, arched wooden frame with a smaller half-moon painting in the arch. Schultz added, “Any time you get Flemish school paintings it’s impressive, given the age of them — that piece is at least 500 years old. The market for Flemish school works isn’t that large, but it is obviously a scarce piece — not a lot of that stuff survived the past 500 years — so the interested bidders were out for it. Both Flemish school works were exceptional pieces.”
Doubling its high estimate to achieve $6,000 was a signed oil on board painting by Frank Penfold (American, 1849-1921). The 1886 painting depicted four young children playing with toy boats in the shallow water of a harbor, and it measured 39 by 30 inches framed ($2/3,000).
Lighting up to $17,400 was this desk lamp with a Tiffany Favrile shade on a Handel base, 18 by 8 inches ($500-$1,000).
Leading the decorative arts category was a Tiffany and Handel lamp. The iridescent, ribbed glass shade was signed “L.C.T. Favrile” on the inside, identifying Louis Comfort Tiffany’s proprietary glass style. The dome shade was paired with a bronze harp desk lamp, etched “Handel” at the base. Exceeding its $500-$1,000 estimate, the combination of pieces from two leaders in late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century decorative lighting brought $17,400.
“There was a lot of good quality Victorian furniture offered. As a whole, Victorian furniture is kind of a soft market right now, but the quality we had in this sale was exceptional and it was a sign that no matter the market, the best of the best is always going to be good,” said Schultz.
An exceptional Renaissance Revival-style walnut and burl bed and dresser attributed to Thomas Brooks was bid past its $5,000 high estimate to earn $16,800. The bedroom set included a 9-foot-tall dresser, with a marble top and tall arched mirror, and a matching bed with headboard, footboard and side rails.
Furniture also included a Herter Brothers credenza. Extensively inlaid and carved, the Renaissance revival piece had a large floral design on its central door panel, and each of the three doors opened to reveal three adjustable shelf compartments. It more than doubled its high estimate to realize $10,800. Yet another Renaissance Revival piece, a walnut and burl bookcase with a double-door central case and two side units brought $6,600. All four doors had arched glass windows, and there was a pull-out drawer beneath each section.
This intricately detailed Napoleonic chess set with a marble and bronze table had matching stools and the chess pieces were bronze with silver and 24K gold overlay. The winning bidder checkmated the competition at $10,500 ($1,5/2,500).
A Napoleonic chess set and table with stools made $10,500. The decorative bronze table had a highly sculpted apron and legs with protruding cannons beneath its marble chessboard top. The chess pieces were also bronze, though they had silver and 24K gold overlay details. According to Schultz, “The chess set was made by an Italian designer, and a local couple bought it from a gallery in New York City in the early 90s. It was top of the line. You don’t see things like that every day, so something like that is going to bring a premium. It was made with exceptional attention to detail and amazing quality. It speaks for itself.”
Music instruments and players found favor with bidders, led by an orchestrion player piano in the style of Cremona. Marked on the fallboard “Cremona Marquette Piano, Chicago U.S.A.,” the instrument had a Cunningham Piano Co., soundboard and was assembled within the last 50 years, according to the auction catalog. The orchestrion played drums, cymbals, tambourine, xylophone and organ pipes. With 12 Cremona music rolls, each with 10 songs, to choose from, the player was coin-operated but was bid to $9,300.
Several large antique Persian rugs achieved above-estimate prices. Leading this category was a palace-size Bidjar rug. With a red-dominant main border, the center of the rug featured an all-over repeating medallion pattern with varying shades of blues, reds, yellow and cream; it made $11,400. A circa 1910 Mahal rug, slightly larger, measuring 33 feet 1 inch by 13 feet 3 inches, surpassed its $3/5,000 estimate range to achieve $11,100. This one had a wide medallion border with cream ground and a blue, red and cream repeating center pattern.
This circa 1920s platinum and diamond ring finished within its $7,5/12,500 estimate. Accompanied by an appraisal certificate, the approximately 3-carat ring brought $10,800.
Wearable antiques included circa 1920s diamond pieces. A three-carat platinum and diamond ring made $10,800, and a Tiffany & Co., platinum and diamond wristwatch went out at the same price.
On the sale’s second day, sporting memorabilia and other collectibles had their chance to shine. As Schultz said, “Sports collectibles are hot right now. Just because you don’t have a painting that will bring six figures doesn’t mean your items are not valuable.” The top lot of day two was a Louisville Slugger baseball bat engraved with the signature and 1961 homerun statistics of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Both players had signed the bat, beneath their carved names, in blue ink. The blonde wooden bat was sold with a certificate verifying the signatures from James Spence Authentication, LLC, for $6,300.
Other highlights from day two included a nearly complete set of 1956 Topps baseball cards. The catalog mentioned that “all key cards [were] included.” The set, housed in a binder with plastic sheets, made $4,500 ($2/4,000). A red and white Manco Corvette-style go-kart, approximately 80 inches long, raced to a new home for $3,000 ($300/500). A racehorse and jockey weathervane lapped its $100/200 estimate range to achieve $1,500.
