Date: Fri 18-Sep-1998

Publication: Ant

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Northeast

Full Text:

Records At Northeast's 2.79 Million Marine Sale

w/cuts

By Bob Jackman

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- On August 15 and 16, Northeast Auctions conducted its

fifth annual marine and China Trade sale in Portsmouth, N.H. Total sales of

$2.79 million established a new high water mark for the firm in this

speciality. In combination with phone and absentee bidders, 650 enthusiasts

under auctioneer Ron Bourgeault's Portsmouth tent contributed to an event that

was 96.6 percent sold by lot.

Topping sales was a Chinese export lacquerware circular cabinet, knocked down

to a phone bidder for $71,800. The graceful, boldly curved form demonstrated

the creative possibilities of lacquerware as an artistic medium.

Two hundred paintings were aggressively pursued. China Trade canvases included

a Hong Kong one that sold to a Maryland couple for $63,000. A view of the

shore road at Shanghai went for $28,750. A portrait of Ch'i-Ying, the Chinese

Governor-general at Canton and one of the world's wealthiest individuals, made

$41,400. While oil paintings and watercolors brought strong prices, bidding

was softer for reverse paintings on glass. Most exchanged hands for less than

$3,000. One, depicting the landing of the pilgrims, went out at $11,500.

American and English marine paintings brought strong prices from a different

group of bidders. Topping the field was a Samuel Walters (British, 1811-1882)

portrait of the "Sea Flower" for $60,250. Artists' records were established by

Percival DeLuce (American, 1874-1914), whose "Gone for a Row" sold for

$54,050, and William Stubbs (American, 1842-1909), whose ship portrait of the

"Ida Hull" brought a bounty of $16,100.

Julia Korner was among the handful of buyers who came from Europe. In the

mid-1970s, Julia created the maritime art department at Christie's in London.

She managed that department for 20 years. Today she is a consultant advising

collectors and museums. Her clients include the Maritime Museum in Newport

News, Va. She reported, "I plan my holiday around this auction."

The dealer who traveled the longest distance within the nation was Lewis

Eisenberg of Cahaina, Hawaii. Eisenberg consults with museums and sells to the

public. One major client is the Whaler's Village Museum at Lauhaina Maui, once

the whaling capital of the Pacific.

Much of the scrimshaw offered was from the collection of Ray and Elizabeth de

Lucia. In addition to having an excellent collection, Ray, who died last year,

was liked and respected by other collectors. Commented Nantucket dealer Bob

Hellman, "Ray was a stellar guy, nice and a wonderful storyteller. When he

graduated from Yale with an art degree, he had to pick between the Museum of

Natural History and Disney. He chose the museum, and worked there until he

retired about five years ago."

Many items in the de Lucia collection had illustrated Martha Lawrence's book,

Scrimshaw, The Whaler's Legacy. The combination of provenance and prominence

gave collectors confidence, and they repeatedly outbid dealers. Often the last

four advances on lots from the de Lucia collection were between competing

collectors. A bearded Boston collector offered, "It's an excellent collection,

and it has been carefully examined for the Lawrence book. I attend some of the

Kendall Whaling Museum symposia, and I knew these were right." Two other

collectors expressed similar sentiments.

The de Lucia estate was catalogued by marine dealer Andy Jacobson of South

Hamilton, Mass. He does maritime appraisals in the North Shore region, but he

also travels to other areas. Typically, a client pays travel expenses as well

as an appraisal fee. After Ray de Lucia died, Elizabeth hired Jacobson to do

the probate appraisal. Andy spent several months on the project. When

Elizabeth approached Bourgeault about an auction, she suggested that Jacobson

rewrite the appraisal as an auction catalogue.

Phone bidders won some of the most sought-after lots of Chinese export

porcelain. Among them were two punch bowls, bid to $70,700 and $8,625. Many

other prizes went to prominent national dealers under the tent.

Julie Lindberg of Wayne, Penn., bought an entire set of Fitz Hugh porcelain. J

Broder of Ringos, N.J., won many lots, including a pair of orange carp tureens

for $3,450. Chris Vining of Marblehead, Mass., purchased a pair of orange and

white dome-topped plates for $4,600. Gail Ensinger of Palm Beach acquired a

dozen lots, including a famille rose soup tureen for $5,463. Virginia

Nicholson of Placitas, N.M., won various lots, including an orange and white

soup tureen, for $920.

A dozen of the porcelain lots had been recovered from the wreck of the

Hatcher, a vessel which sank in 1642. They had been sold at a Sotheby's sale

last winter, and stickers from that sale remained on the bottom of most items.

Specialists felt the individual who purchased the material in New York and

consigned it to Northeast had made a handsome profit.

On Saturday evening, Northeast sponsored a fundraising party for the USS

Constitution Museum of Charlestown, Mass. Highlight of the evening was a slide

presentation by museum curator Anne Grimes Rand. She recounted the

Constitution's storied history, emphasizing those periods when the ship was

berthed in Portsmouth. Her talk was enthusiastically received.

As part of the Constitution's bicentennial celebration, the museum temporarily

changed its funding strategy. The $4 admission fee was abolished. That lost

funding was supplanted by increased corporate funding and gift shop sales, and

also by placing five donation boxes within the museum. Annual attendance

soared from 85,000 to 362,000. This funding approach was so successful that it

has been adopted throughout 1998.