1700 painting of the Archangel Uriel soars to $14,375 An oil on canvas rendering of the Archangel Uriel, painted around 1700 by an unknown artist in the Spanish Colonial School, sold for $14,375 at a sale held September 13 by Leland Little Auction.
OIL ON CANVAS RENDERING OF THE ARCHANGEL URIEL, DONE AROUND 1700 BY AN ARTIST IN THE SPANISH COLONIAL SCHOOL, BRINGS $14,375 AT LELAND LITTLE SALE
(Hillsborough, N.C.) - An oil on canvas rendering of the Archangel Uriel holding a musket and standing before a mountainous landscape, painted around 1700 by an unknown artist in the Spanish Colonial School, sold for $14,375 at a multi-estate sale held September 13 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. The painting was one of 615 lots that changed hands in a sale that grossed $690,000.
Most of the lots were drawn from seven important and prominent estates and lifetime single-owner collections. The Archangel Uriel painting came from the estate of former U.S. Ambassador Findley Burns, Jr., of Southern Pines, N.C. “Mr. Burns and his wife only collected choice, worldwide material,” said Leland Little. “It didn't surprise me his estate drew so much attention from bidders.”
And there were plenty of bidders vying for the largely fresh-to-the-market merchandise. About 250 people packed the showroom in Hillsborough, while record numbers of phone and absentee bids – nearly 1,000, vs. the usual 750 at most Leland Little sales – were posted. In addition, more than 1,400 online registered bidders participated through LiveAuctioneers.com, which facilitated Internet bidding.
Following are additional highlights from the sale. Prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.
The top lot of the auction was a Regina automatic disc changer 27-inch music box (circa 1900) that soared to $18,400. The two-door cabinet boasted a carved dragon grille on the upper door and an interior lithograph depicted the Goddess of Music. Included were 20 discs. Another music box – a Criterion double-comb example on a stand, with mahogany case and 40 discs (circa 1900) -- hit $5,060.
Fine art did well. An oil on canvas painting of a forest interior by the New York artist Jervis McEntee (1828-1891), signed and dated (1864), coasted to $12,650; an oil on canvas work by Jerry Okimoto (Hawaii/New York, 1924-1998), titled Beneath the Sea, made $6,612; and an oil on canvas work by the French artist Francoise Gall (1912-1987), titled Plage Deauville, hammered for $4,370.
Silver pieces were in abundance. Paddles wagged over a Tiffany & Company sterling Japanese pitcher with a beautiful hand-hammered finish (circa 1873-1891) that finally gaveled for $13,225; a hand-wrought American silver sauce boat by New York silversmith Samuel Tingley (circa 1770) earned $4,600; and a Gorham sterling silver soup tureen with cover in the Neoclassical style fetched $3,910.
Also from the category: a French silver wine taster, made in the late 18th century and inscribed “Tour a Tour,” climbed to $3,105; a Warsaw silver sugar box with Russian marks (circa 1857), in a rectangular form with hinged lid raised on four ball feet, garnered $1,840; and an Alabama coin silver mug by James Conning (circa 1842-1872), cylindrical form with cast and applied handle, made $1,495.
From the furniture group, a pair of 18th-century English George II
