Date: Fri 21-May-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: LIZAM

Quick Words:

Wolf's-Easton-online-auction

Full Text:

Wolf's Online Auctioning Sweeps Into The Spotlight

By Rita Easton

http://www.ewolfs.com -- Surpassing even the wildest dreams of the most

imaginative and wishful auctioneer, Wolf's recorded between 5,000 and 8,000

visitors to their online auction site on each day of their April 16 to April

25 auction. Buyers bid with the click of a mouse from across the United States

and Europe, with more than 50 percent of these virtual attendees new to

Wolf's.

The auction house attributed this overwhelming response and the success of the

event to three elements: one: an established brick and mortar reputation as

fine arts auctioneers; two: the quality and abundance of fresh merchandise

offered; and three: the ability of the participants to get a real buy.

The third element may be outweighed by the most sought-after lots with hammer

prices tripling pre-auction estimates.

A case in point is the sale of an oil on canvas by American artist James E.

Buttersworth, depicting a yachting race at New York Harbor. The estimate was

$50/70,000 when the bidding began modestly at $5,000 on April 16, but steadily

rose in increments of $2,500 over the week to a high of $60,000 on April 22,

which was answered by a $100,000 bid on the same day. Strategic competition

then brought the final price to $187,000, the starring bid of the sale, by the

final day for this lot, which was April 22.

Additional fine art lots included an oil on canvas by Jonas Lie, dated 1922,

depicting birches surrounding a tranquil pond, garnering $37,400; an oil on

canvas by Andrew Dasburg of a distant cottage nestled in a green landscape

going for $11,500; an oil by Charles Salis Kaelin of rock outcroppings by the

sea going out at $11,000; and an A. G. Warshawsky oil on canvas of a Venice

scene at $7,700.

Artist Frank Duveneck was represented by a portrait in oil making a

mid-estimate $5,000; a watercolor by Cleveland School artist William Sommer

sold at $5,610; a Shiko Munakata woodcut fetched $2,860; and a silkscreen from

the "Ad Series" by Andy Warhol was purchased for a strong $7,150.

The furniture category featured several rare pieces, including a French Gothic

linenfold cabinet with three tiers of linenfold carving, which reached

$18,700. A miniature portrait of Sir Francis Bacon by Cornelis Janssen van

Ceulen made $6,800; a fine Nineteenth Century monumental Champleve enamel and

bronze three piece garniture set brought $16,775; and a Limoges enamel ewer

stand, estimated at $2,5/4,500, sold at $14,547 after intense bidding.

The glass market continued to strengthen. A large Daum rain scene vase

achieved $17,050; a Galle blown double overlaid vase carved with cherry

blossoms brought $10,065; and a large Galle vase with a mountain landscape

went out at $7,975.

Garden sculpture and accoutrements were sought after by the spring crowd, with

a pair of monumental six-foot-high cast iron covered urns, each cast with the

allegories of day and night, bringing more than twice the low estimate at

$18,315; and a monumental seven-foot-high, finely carved marble urn consigned

from the Mellon estate reaching $31,350.

Wolf's usual 15 percent buyers premium was reduced to ten percent for this

event; prices quoted reflect the latter term.