Oil painting by Irish artist Colin Middleton hits $71,500 An original oil painting by renowned Irish artist Colin Middleton (1910-83), titled Teresa, sold for $71,500 at a multi-estate sale held Sept. 26-27 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates in Flat Rock, N.C.
News-Antique.com - Oct 23,2008 - (Flat Rock, N.C.) - An original oil painting by the renowned Irish artist Colin Middleton (1910-1983), titled Teresa and executed in 1947, sold for $71,500 at a multi-estate sale held Sept. 26-27 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates. The painting was the top lot in an auction that grossed just under $500,000 and saw over 1,400 lots change hands. Over 250 people attended the two-day event in person.
Middleton was probably the most eclectic Irish painter of the 20th century, moving easily between Cubist, Surrealist and Expressionistic styles. He was self-taught and prolific, producing hundreds of works in the 1930s alone. At a Hatch auction held last year, two of Middleton's works sold for $70,000 each. Teresa was expected to fetch about $50,000, but bidding was lively and competitive.
“Considering the current state of the economy, compounded by a local gas shortage, this sale was nothing short of amazing,” said Richard D. Hatch. “The turnout was wonderful. It was one of our finest sales ever, with an outstanding selection of merchandise from many estates. The gallery (located at 913 Upward Rd. in Flat Rock, N.C.) was loaded with fine art, art glass, silver, porcelains and more.”
In addition to the in-house crowd, 95 people bid by phone or absentee bids, and 1,130 registered bidders participated online, via LiveAuctioneers.com and eBayLiveAuctions.com. Museum-quality artwork dominated the event, led by important works of Irish art from the estate of Alan Breedon Malcolm Brush, born in Ireland in 1918. Mr. Hatch liquidated much of Mr. Brush's estate last year.
Other works of note from Mr. Brush's collection that sold in September included a pencil drawing by Louis Le Brocquy (Irish, b. 1916), titled Tinker Man (1946), that soared to $38,500; and an original oil painting by Irish artist Neville Johnson titled Family that seemed a good buy for $5,500. At a sale of Irish art held recently by Sotheby's, three watercolors by Le Brocquy finished in the top ten.
More highlights from the Hatch sale follow. All prices include a 10 percent buyer's premium.
A top earner in the American art category was a watercolor work by the noted New England landscape and marine painter Emile Gruppe (N.Y./Mass., 1896-1978), titled Munch Landscape; it garnered $1,760. Mr. Gruppe was known for his Impressionistic landscapes. Also, a marine rendering by European artist Charles Vetter (German, 1858-1936), titled Boats in Harbor, also achieved $1,760.
Fine porcelains filled the gallery. Highlights included a pair of 18th-century Sevres cache pots ($609); a large Meissen figural centerpiece ($550); and a pair of Meissen vases decorated with dragons ($187). A collection of Meissen “Blue Onion” pattern china, with a set of eight reticulated plates, made $1,049; a lot of ten soup bowls managed $385; and a 13-piece Limoges Fish set swam off for $1,100.
The showcases gleamed with sterling silver. A 24-piece lot of rosewood and sterling flatware by Mexican silversmith Hector Aguilar brought $7,150; and a bracelet by Los Castillo found an eager wrist for $358. A 14-piece Tiffany Art
