Pair of works by Botello fetches $72,600 in online sale A pair of oil-on-panel works by the Spanish-born Puerto Rican figurative post-modernist Angel Botello (1913-1986) sold for a combined $72,600 in an online auction held by Elder's Fine Arts & Antiques.
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - TWO OIL PAINTINGS BY ANGEL BOTELLO SELL FOR A COMBINED $72,600
IN ONLINE SALE HELD FEB. 21-MAR. 7 BY ELDER'S FINE ARTS & ANTIQUES
(Nokomis, Fla.) - A pair of oil-on-panel works by the Spanish-born Puerto Rican figurative post-modernist Angel Botello (1913-1986) sold for a combined $72,600 in an online sale dedicated mainly to contemporary art and antique Oriental objects held February 21-March 7 by Elder's Fine Arts & Antiques (www.eldersantiques.com). It was the firm's largest art sale of the year. Prices quoted include a 20% buyer's premium.
“I think it was very telling that the top three lots in this sale, and six of the top ten lots, were contemporary works of art,” said Don Elder of Elder's Fine Arts & Antiques. “It demonstrated the strength of the market for established artists and rising stars alike. It also made a statement about the health of the antiques market. I was very happy to offer such quality merchandise over the Internet.”
Overall, 78% (or 265) of the 341 lots offered were sold in an auction that grossed $582,000. “That was more than double our previous gross record, so I'd say this auction was a success,” Mr. Elder remarked. “Buyers were very aggressive, from literally all corners of the globe. We had registered bidders from Ireland, Beijing, California, London, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, Paris – you name it.”
The works by Botello were the two top lots of the sale. One was a signed abstract figural depiction of a cow and milk maid. It sold for $36,600. The other, a rendering of the three kings in the Bible, hammered for $36,000. Both were large-scale works, the smaller of the two measuring 36” x 48”. Mr. Botello was dubbed “the Caribbean Gauguin” for his bold colors and depictions of island life.
Other works of art also did well. A framed, 19th century oil-on-canvas portrait of Napoleon III, executed by an unknown French artist and measuring 72” x 51-1/2”, commanded $27,600. And an oil-on-canvas work by Mark Kostabi (b. 1960), titled “Flotation Tank” and showing a white figure, partially submerged, with a flower in one hand, hit $14,400. Another Kostabi work went for $8,400.
The top Oriental lot was a Chinese Qing Dynasty carved ivory snuff bottle with polychrome figures and spoon ($12,720). Also, a pair of Chinese carved lapis table screens, 7” tall and featuring carved landscaped motifs and inscriptions, rose to $11,700; and a pair of Chinese Qing Dynasty carved spinach jade table screens, with landscape designs and ivory stands, made $11,100.
Cloisonne pieces piqued the interest of the online crowd, as was expected. A Chinese 19th century five-piece garniture set depicting elephants changed hands for $9,900; a Chinese Qing Dynasty five-piece garniture set with candlesticks, wine vessels and a mythical beast seated on a lotus pad sold for $7,500; and a Chinese Qing Dynasty cloisonne desk set, in stand with gilt accents, achieved $6,900.
The headliner of the sale was actually an artist who didn't even crack the top 20 in
