Hutty painting brings $34,500 at Leland Little Auction A watercolor on Bainbridge board street scene by the renowned South Carolina painter Alfred Hutty (1877-1954) sold for $34,500 at an auction held March 15 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd.
WATERCOLOR ON BOARD PAINTING BY ALFRED HUTTY (S.C., 1877-1954) SELLS FOR
$34,500 AT MARCH 15 SALE HELD BY LELAND LITTLE AUCTION & ESTATE SALES, LTD.
(Hillsborough, N.C.) - A watercolor on Bainbridge board street scene by the renowned South Carolina painter Alfred Hutty (1877-1954) sold for $34,500 to take top lot honors at a Fine and Decorative Arts Cataloged Antique Auction held March 15 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. The multi-estate sale was held at the firm's spacious gallery, at 246 Nash Street in Hillsborough.
By day's end, nearly 550 lots had changed hands. The standing-room only crowd of about 250 bidders packed the gallery, but the sale also saw an online sell-through of close to 25 percent (via eBay Live / Live Auctioneers.com). Bids poured in from such diverse places as China, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, England and France. Phone bidding was spirited, too.
“The top-tiered items were very strong, as expected,” said Leland Little, owner of the firm that bears his name. “That was true in this sale, as well as the auction that preceded it, on March 1st. We were extremely pleased with the high level of online activity and the keen interest from international bidders. Between the Internet component and the packed house, it was a very successful sale overall.”
The Hutty painting was the anticipated top lot, and it didn't disappoint. Titled “Calhoun Street,” the charming street scene of Charleston, with figures, is one of the artist's finest watercolors, illustrating a deep reverence for the people and architecture of his adoptive city. Hutty was a founding member of the Charleston Etchers' Club. His work was influential during the Charleston Renaissance.
Taking runner-up honors was an intriguing untitled oil painting by the Indian artist Laxman Shreshtha (born 1939). The bold abstract work, housed in a wooden frame, was signed and dated by the artist and soared to a final hammer price of $24,150. The painting had previously been in the collection of a Duke University professor, who purchased it at the North Carolina Museum of Art back in 1979.
Additional highlights follow. Prices include a 15% buyer's premium (20% for online sales).
A transitional French marquetry commode, made in the late 19th century in the manner of Pierre Antoine Foullet, rose to a respectable $18,400. The two-drawer commode featured a molded and shaped marble top supported by a conforming case; ormolu mounts throughout; light and dark kingwood inlays; and mahogany veneers. The piece, from a private collection, was 35.5” x 56” 24.5”.
An unsigned Boston School oil painting titled “Lady and Servant” (circa 1910), an intimate interior scene showing two ladies – one white, one African-American – seated at a small table set with irises, in a gilt wood frame, went for $8,625. Also, an oil-on-canvas work by Spanish artist Jose Rico y Cejudo (1864-1939), titled “Dance Hall” and showing a dance hall scene with figures, achieved $6,250.
