1½ col  abstract.jpg

The top lot of the auction was this Italian abstract oil on canvas; signed and titled illegibly, it attained $89,125.

2 ½ col metamorfosi.jpg

An oil on canvas, “Metamorfosi,” signed Scialoja Toti, 1957, attracted much presale interest and was a good buy at just over $10,000.

2c frankl.jpg

A Paul Frankl bedroom set realized $3,450.

 

PAIR OF ITALIAN PAINTINGS HEAT UP HUDSON VALLEY AUCTIONEERS SALE w/3 cuts

avv/lsb set 8/31 #710975

BEACON, N.Y. — On August 20, Hudson Valley Auctioneers conducted a multi-estate auction featuring 550 lots of fresh-to-the-market goods.

The company has been in its new 432 Main Street location for nearly a year and conducts auctions approximately every five to six weeks. Included in this summer’s end sale were two abstract Italian oil paintings, originally purchased to decorate the New York City office of an influential American businessman.

The paintings were discovered in a routine estate evaluation, according to auctioneer Neil Vaughn. “We went expecting swords, canes, toys and games, which the family decided to keep, and we left with some glass and china, silver, a few tea caddies and the paintings,” he said.

The larger of the two oils, signed Sciagoja Toti, dated 1957, “Metamorfosi,” had a lot of presale interest — six phone bids and action on the floor. “When it left the block at $8,750 [with premium, $10,062], I was a little disappointed as I expected, with the interest, a bit more,” said Vaughn. The next lot up, however, was the smaller of the two oils, 46 by 35 inches, signed and titled illegibly and dated 1954.

Opening at $1,000, the painting slowly but surely reached a final selling price of $89,125. Underbid by a local collector and an Italian dealer, having flown in for the sale, the piece ended up selling to a London gallery on the phone. Vaughn credits the extensive advertising campaign and work by the company’s webmaster Theo Dehaas in attracting bidders to the sale.

Other highlights from the auction include a Paul Frankl bedroom at $3,450, a Civil War saber at $690 and robust sterling prices across the board, including $1,035 for a Gorham bread tray. Strong clock prices included a refinished oak regulator at $2,070 and a Seth Thomas regulator at $747.

Some bargains in the modern selection included a large Carl Springer cabinet at $115, a Springer dining table at $575, a set of Jens Risom chairs at $690 and a Robsjohn-Gibbings bedroom at $345.

The next scheduled auction will be September 24, and will include Gustav Stickley furnishings never before offered, two important 1850s crystal gasoliers and sconces, carved and inlaid furniture, an offering of Eighteenth Century French and Italian furniture and a gilt bull’s-eye mirror.

All prices include the 15 percent buyer’s premium.

For information, Theo Dehaas at 845-480-2381 or Neil Vaughn at 914-489-2399, www.hudsonvalleyauctioneers.com or 845-838-3049.