Date: Fri 02-Jul-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: LIZAM

Quick Words:

Nordblom-CRN-Jackman

Full Text:

A Million Dollar Memorial Day

(with cuts)

By Bob Jackman

DEDHAM, MASS. -- Carl Nordblom of CRN Auctions conducted another highly

successful Memorial Day sale at The Holiday Inn, which attracted a crowd of

over 400 enthusiasts.

One innovation in this year's auction was a three-day preview held Monday,

Tuesday and Wednesday at CRN's warehouse in Cambridge. The event attracted a

curious mixture of big-time dealers and private collectors. Some early

previewers bid actively at the auction.

The warehouse is easily reached from Route 128 and is located near the merge

where Route 2 ends as a divided highway.

The sale was particularly deep in American and European furniture, with fine

examples offered from both categories. Other strengths were decorative

accessories, clocks, and barometers. Auction totals were "just a hair under

one million dollars," according to Nordblom. Ninety-nine percent of lots found

buyers.

Merry Windsors

Top offering was a set of seven hoop-back Windsor chairs that a phone bidder

won for $55,000.

"This is the finest set of Windsors I've ever had," said Norblom before the

auction. "They have a wonderful overall shape. The seat was beautifully

hollowed out and the front edge was severely undercut. The turnings are great

-- not just the legs but also the bulbous stretcher.

"The rings on the medial stretcher are a refined touch," he continued. "They

came out of the C.B. Lawton estate in Rhode Island, and I think they were made

in Rhode Island."

Furniture Surprises

The biggest surprise of the sale was a set of eight Hepplewhite shield-back

chairs that brought a strong $31,900 against an estimate of $8,000 to 12,000.

The set included two armchairs and six side chairs. The sides of the shield

were decorated with relief carved foliage. They had a dark, uniform surface,

and were cataloged as "possibly J. Shaw, Baltimore."

Another surprising lot was a country Queen Anne tea table. It opened low, but

rapidly shot to $12,650 where it was won by a phone bidder. It was the

embodiment of sensitive understatement and a simplification of the American

Queen Anne style.

The top and legs were fashioned from thin stock that endowed the table with a

light, delicate appearance. The outer edge of the legs was slightly worked to

suggest a bit of cabriole curve. The button feet provided fitting terminals

for the legs, but did not demand examination. The table came from the Noyes

family in New Hampshire.

Curly maple New England furniture continued to attract widespread, aggressive

bidding. A desk with curly maple clearly visible below an old finish sold for

a strong $12,375.

The cabinetmaker's careful selection of wood was evidenced in the lid that had

strong, uniform vertical bands. He had then aligned the wood of the drawer

fronts with similar vertical bands. The bracket feet were uncommonly massive.

There was a deep assortment of other American furniture. For example, a

blockfront chest sold for $11,275. Major buyers in this field included Rick

Jorgensen who won several sideboards, and Sandy Doig whose purchases included

an excellent inlaid card table and a few mirrors.

European Furniture

The Americana segment of the audience seemed baffled when a Portuguese Rococo

desk came to the block. After it sold for $9,900, some dealers standing on the

side of the hall asked, "What was that?"

Portuguese furniture of that period is distinctive, and made from woods

reflecting trade routes in the southern hemisphere. The desk was fashioned

from rosewood. The boards of the lid and drawer fronts were heavily worked

from boards originally a few inches thick. There was a rhythmic sequence of

vertical ridges or waves across the front. The combination of fine wood and

bold contours that required extensive labor made this one of the most

expensive lots of European furniture in the auction.

Carl Nordblom sales always have strong examples of Italian furniture. At

$8,250, the top example at this sale was an early Eighteenth Century Venetian

commode with two drawers. Its early painted decoration included fauve painted

handles, priests speaking from pulpits, passant lions, and floral flourishes.

Another example was a Nineteenth Century Venetian style secretary with painted

decoration that sold for $7,920.

Another intriguing European lot was a circa 1830 Irish desk with extensive

inlay. Its design incorporated elaborate pull out and pop up drawers and

writing surfaces. It was as extensively inlaid as Dutch examples. The primary

motif was a harp and the secondary motif was a continuous running vine of

shamrocks. Additional motifs included an eagle on rocks, running ivy vines,

and running ferns. The attractive desk in fine condition sold for $6,930.

Paintings

A painting lot that stimulated extensive discussion was a small (6 by 12«

inches) landscape by Elihu Vedder (1836-1923). Vedder was an expatriate

American who settled in Italy, and apparently his daughter continued living

there after his death. On the back of the painting was a warm inscription from

the daughter to an American collector.

There were also several letters attached. Those documented that late in World

War II, the collector began sending food to Vedder's daughter. Her situation

was desperate at the time, and the aid was greatly appreciated. At $13,750,

this was tied for top painting lot with a Charles Woodbury oil on canvas

entitled "Bathers/Perkins Cove."

Barometers And Clocks

The auction opened with a selection of ten barometers and 35 clocks. All

barometers were aggressively contested. Dealer Rick Jorgensen of Wells, Me.,

won several examples that each went around $2,500. Most barometers were about

37 inches long and less than four inches wide.

One exception was a Louis XVI example with a configuration sometimes seen with

period mirrors. At the center was a dial with a ten-inch diameter, and

foliated giltwood carvings were attached above and below. Behind the

decorative front there was the standard long, narrow glass tube in which

mercury moved. This example sold for $1,210.

The big winners among clock specialists were the Delaneys of Townsend, Mass.

John Delaney Sr and Shawn Delaney each won a tall clock as well as other

clocks.

Shawn purchased a tall clock with a mahogany case by Stephen Taber for

$24,200. The clock featured an uncommon decorative pattern on both the waist

and base. Each had a dark central reserve enclosed by a light burl veneer. The

waist was flanked by quarter columns with brass capitals and bases. The clock

had a long history of ownership by the Hartley family.

Dealer Rex Stark paid $1,760 for a French marquetry mantel clock with a

Wedgwood plaque of Lafayette.

Cambridge, Mass. dealer Neal Beckerman won about a dozen lots. For 27 years

Beckerman has been purchasing antiques with surface problems and painting them

in Eighteenth Century styles. He specializes in applying many layers of paint

and creating a heavily dessicated look. He retails his work at Antiques on

Cambridge Street.

Oriental Rugs

Oriental rugs are typically one of the strengths of Carl Nordblom's sales. At

this auction the three major buyers were Paul Chatalbash, Rick Jorgensen, and

a phone bidder. About half of the ten rugs in the sale went to private

parties.

Some highlights were a Heriz to Jorgensen for $10,010, a Serapi to the phone

bidder for $9,350, and a Khorrasan to Chatalbash for $7,920.