Russian Bronze Sells for $100,000 in Rago's Big $1.8 Million April Auction Weekend Lambertville, NJ: Rago Arts and Auction Center’s 2300+ lot three-day weekend marathon auction on April 20, 21 and 22 brought home a whopping $1,833,325 for the auction house and its consignors.
News-Antique.com - Apr 25,2012 - Lambertville, NJ: Rago Arts and Auction Center’s 2300+ lot three-day weekend marathon auction on April 20, 21 and 22 brought home a whopping $1,833,325 for the auction house and its consignors. The top lot was a figural bronze by Leonid Vladimirovich Posen, “The Jewish Carter”, part of a group of Russian bronzes, which provoked competitive bidding from the U.S. and Russia. The three day sale included a Great Estates auction of 764 lots, a no-reserve Discovery sale and an unreserved Jewelry and Silver sale.
“The interest level was high and strong prices were achieved in all areas of collecting,” said Tom Martin, the Estates specialist of Rago’s Great Estates auction on April 21st.
Miriam Tucker, Rago partner, agreed. “The sales were well acknowledged by both dealers and collectors, from across the U.S. and abroad, bringing excellent prices for bronzes, decorative and fine arts and collectables. We are also pleased by the interest in the no-reserve jewelry, silver, couture and coin auction on Sunday and the strong results achieved by the Modern design on Friday. We are now actively accepting consignments for September Discovery and Estates and welcome inquiries.”
GREAT ESTATES HIGHLIGHTS
Russian art carried the day with a Leonid Vladimirovich Posen bronze (1335) achieving a price of $100,000. An oil painting by Russian artist Vitali Gavrilovich Tikhov (1435) brought $46,875. Other notable prices were $8,125 for a Heyn Germany carousel horse (1079); $7,500 for a group of Hopi snake and antelope priest figures (1101); and a New Jersey grandfather clock (1186) for $5,313, well over its estimate of $2,000-3,000. Among furniture highlights was a continental miniature domed coffer (1200) selling for $17,500 and a Philadelphia walnut card table (1190) selling well at $9,375. Among paintings, a Shrewsbury River painting by John Hagny (1224) found a new home for $11,250. A very nice decorative painting by Henry Harewood Robinson (1244) of a child and her dog brought $7,188. An Orientalist scene by Rudolf Ernst titled “Waiting for a Customer” (1252) was purchased for $7,500. Strong prices were also achieved for a monumental German porcelain (1295) clock at $5,313; as well as a KPM painting on porcelain (1325), which ended up at $15,000. Collections of Asian cloisonné and ivory also sold well, with a carved mastodon tusk (1429) bringing $4,063.
