Full Text:

"FIRST'S" HIGHLIGHT PATRICK THOMAS'

(with 3 photos)

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. -- Patrick Thomas' auctions on October 24 and November 28

featured an unexpected flow of consignments including the entire contents of a

Woodstock summer residence and nearly half of the contents of two other

Woodstock area homes. The auctions included a few "firsts" and the gallery was

very pleased with the results.

The November 28 sale included the first offering by the auction house of a

work on paper by Frederic Remington. Remington's "Police Recruit Acquiring a

Military Seat," a 14 by 17«-inch indigo ink and wash on paperboard, sold for

$18,700 to a New York City dealer.

This work attracted the highest amount of phone and absentee bids from across

the nation and far exceeded its pre-sale estimate of $10/12,000. The gallery

was offered $12,000 to pull the work from the auction and the consignor

politely refused. The Remington was consigned by the nephew of Poultney

Bigelow's private assistant. Poultney, a personal acquaintance of Remington's,

gave the work to Elizabeth May Cox in 1951 as a gift in recognition of her

position as a trusted employee.

The fine art category included the second installment of Twentieth Century

American Fine Art by a few members of "The Ten" and artists who worked in

Woodstock, N.Y. Joseph Solman was again a favorite of the bidders with his oil

on canvas "Palette and Pipe," selling for $3,025, and his two New York City

street scenes, both gouache on black paper, selling at $2,475 and $1,605.

Lesser known European artists held up well at the sale with Auguste Coomans'

(Flemish, 1850-?) interior scene of a barn selling for $1,045 and P. Coccia's

the "Madonna and Child" after Raphael, a Twentieth Century work, going for

$2,300.

The gallery held its first separate session of Oriental and Middle Eastern

rugs and carpets. This session, which preceded the antiques and fine art

auction, included more than 200 lots of antique and Twentieth Century rugs of

all sizes, among them Serape, Kazak, Kirman, Kilim, Tabriz, Isfahan, Kashan,

Aubusson, silks, Persian, Sarouk, Bokhara, needlepoints, Saraband, Sumack,

Chinese, Bidjar, Shiraz and Heriz. A 9 by 12 foot Sarouk, circa 1920s, led

this category selling in the gallery for $4,400 followed by a 10 by 14 foot

super Tabriz, again sold in the gallery, for $2,750.

Antique furniture and other categories contained notable winners and a few

surprises. A seven-piece American A esthetic period bedroom set, reverse

stenciled and ebonized, circa 1870s, exceeded its $5/7,000 estimate selling at

$8,800. Another pleasant surprise was a circa 1880-1890s roulette wheel with

reverse painted scenes of race horses (est $2,5/3,500) which went for $5,225.

A French Eighteenth Century Louis XIV-style gilt figural mirror, seven feet

tall, brought $2,200. The R.J. Horner mahogany bookcase, all inlaid with light

veneers and mother-of-pearl achieved $1,760 and a large Twentieth Century bust

of a Moorish figure, carved multi-colored marble went for $1,550.

The firm's October 24 auction included more than 450 lots of American and

Continental antiques, Woodstock art and Twentieth Century design furniture and

furnishings.

In its first significant offering of Twentieth Century Design furniture, the

gallery put up over 90 lots of designer pieces in the moderate price range.

The interest from collectors and dealers nationwide was gratifying and a

strong number of absentee and telephone bids helped move the merchandise.

Although the Norman Bel Geddes five piece black bedroom set led all

merchandise in this category, bringing $2,300, Heywood Wakefield pieces were

the favorite of the crowd: a triple pedestal dining table (#M197G) sold to an

absentee bidder for $1,100; a set of six dining chairs (#M154a and M154c) went

to the same bidder at $1,045; and a dealer located in Woodstock, N.Y., bought

a kneehole desk (#M320W) for $1,045.

A Continental walnut armoire, over eight feet high, on a carved bombe style

base, fetched $3,575. An American Waterbury Clock Co mahogany tall-case clock

went for $2,750. A refinished and reupholstered American Federal settee

attributed to John Meade sold for $2,100, as did a large American 32-light

crystal chandelier.

The late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century American fine art contained

Harry Gottlieb's oil on canvas of the entrance to a bridge, a busy and vibrant

work, which attracted left bids and five phone bidders ultimately selling on

the phone to a gallery in Boston for $2,310. Louis Bouche's oil on canvas

"High Street Bus Barn" sold to a gallery in New York City for $2,200. The same

gallery also purchased Joseph Wolins "Folk Singers Cabaret Concert," an oil on

canvas, for $1,100.

Six works by Joseph Solman all sold above their high estimates bringing $7,755

in total. The works attracted the highest amount of interest with six phone

bidders and absentee bids fighting for these paintings.