Multi-estate auction slated for Oct. 21 in Wayne, Penn. Around 200 lots of fine art, period American furniture, decorative accessories and more will be sold at a two-session auction slated for Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Wayne, Penn., by Gordon S. Converse & Co
News-Antique.com - Aug 31,2009 - (WAYNE, Penn.) – Around 200 lots of fine art, period American furniture, decorative accessories and more will be sold at a two-session auction planned for Wednesday, Oct. 21, by Gordon S. Converse & Co. The sale will be held at the Italian-American Club in Wayne, a suburb of Philadelphia located a half-hour due west of the city. The building is located at 301 West Wayne Ave.
“Bidders will appreciate the genuine antiques, not reproductions, in this auction,” said Gordon Converse, whose auction house is based in Strafford, Penn., also near Philadelphia. “But, unlike with auctions at firms like Sotheby’s and Christie’s, the merchandise in this sale will be affordable.” Online bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.
The first session, beginning promptly at 3 p.m., will be a Discovery Auction, with items drawn from local estates in a variety of categories. Then, after a brief intermission, the second session will begin, at around 6 p.m. “That will be a gallery sale, for lack of a better term,” Mr. Converse said. “It’s when the bulk of the items will come up for bid and should provide a climactic end to a very busy day.”
Certain to pique bidder interest will be the wide selection of fine art offerings in the sale, to include original oil paintings, some nice prints and other works of art, much of it by noted, listed artists. Headlining the category will be a pair of framed oils by Thomas Butterworth (U.K., 1768-after 1828). The early 19th century works depict the frigates Glasgow and Albion. Each could realize $3,000-$5,000.
Also sold will be about a half-dozen collographs (prints on paper, similar to serigraphs), by the renowned American artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009). The prints show the Scandinavian model Helga, who posed nude for a series. The signed, numbered, limited-edition prints to be sold are from that series. They have also been studio-framed by the Brandywine Museum. Each print should fetch $1,000-$1,500.
The artist Charles Johnson Payne (U.K., 1884-1967) was nicknamed “Snaffles.” Two of his equestrian prints (both framed) will be sold (est. $200-$400 each), and around ten other equestrian prints will also cross the block. “Snaffles” was one of Great Britain’s best known and most loved sporting artists. He built an element of humor into his work, and many of his prints featured clever inscriptions.
Bidders who appreciate both art and early American history will be intrigued by the pair of high quality portraits of Aaron Foster and his wife, in identical frames. Mr. Foster was born in Danvers, Mass., and there is a link between him and the Folger family (renowned whalers and coffee merchants). John Folger, a direct descendant of Aaron Foster, was the father of the mother of Benjamin Franklin.
Over 30 period American furniture pieces will come under the gavel, most of them from a prominent estate in St. Michaels, Md., and some of it centennial furniture (circa 1876 to around 1900). Included will be half-dozen gaming tables,
