Herzog painting realizes $80,500 at Nadeau's, Oct. 11 An oil on canvas painting of a Florida landscape with figures, by German-born American painteer Hermann Herzog, sold for $80,500 at a multi-estate sale held October 11 by Nadeau's in Windsor, Conn.
News-Antique.com - Oct 15,2008 - (Windsor, Conn.) - A beautifully rendered oil on canvas painting of a Florida landscape with figures, painted by the renowned German-born American artist Hermann Herzog (1832-1932), sold for $80,500 at a multi-estate sale held Oct. 11 by Nadeau's Auction Gallery. Herzog, a centenarian, was known for landscapes and seascapes. His work was collected by Queen Victoria and Czar Alexander II.
The Herzog painting was the top achiever in a sale that saw more than 375 lots change hands. The event was held at Nadeau's gallery facility, located at 25 Meadow Road in Windsor. Over 100 people packed the showroom, while another 600+ bidders participated online, via eBayLiveAuctions and Artfact.com. In addition, more than 200 people joined the action via phone and absentee bids.
“Overall, this was an excellent sale, despite the current state of the economy,” said Heather Nadeau of Nadeau's Auction Gallery. “There were some soft spots in the mid-range items, but the higher-end items did really well. People are understandably a little timid right now, but they also know that art and antiques have historically outperformed the stock market. We see that trend continuing.”
It helped that the merchandise consigned for the sale came from several upscale sources: items from the Holly Williams House Museum in Lakeville, Conn.; the estate of Dorothy Rogers Smith of Bloomfield, Conn.; and prominent estates in Manchester and Old Lyme, Conn. “When you have quality to offer, you'll do well regardless of what's going on with the stock market,” Ms. Nadeau commented.
Following are more highlights from the sale. All prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.
The second top lot, finishing at $51,750, was a Chippendale mahogany upholstered wing chair, crafted around 1780 in Newport, R.I., and with a provenance listing the Jabez Huntington family of Norwich, Conn., to the present. The chair had an arched crest above shaped wings and out-scrolled arms, set on square-fluted and stop-fluted front legs, square rear legs, a raked back and square stretcher.
A fire screen with mounted wire mesh depicting two playing hounds (circa 1920), attributed to Wilhelm Hunt Diederich (1884-1953), soared to $34,500. Also, an R. Wood & Co. (Philadelphia) iron outdoor stag figure in old paint, showing wear with two broken spikes and a repaired antler, realized $13,225; and a carved and paint-decorated sperm whale figure, signed C. Voorhees, garnered $2,875.
Fine art dominated the top lots. An oil on canvas painting by David Johnson, signed and marked on the reverse, “Spring a study on the Bronx at Mt. Vernon, David Johnson, May 16, 1873,” in its original gilt Victorian frame and mounted in a burl wooden shadow box, hit $25,875; and a signed oil on canvas work by Paul Cornoyer (1864-1923), Yale University in the Fall, hammered for $21,850.
An original signed work by the noted artist Guy Wigggins, titled Springtime in Hartford, May 5, 1930, depicting Bushnell Park with vintage cars, figures and the Travelers Tower in the background, still in the original gilt frame, coasted to $11,500; and a signed
