Bakewell Celery Vase Realizes $37,375 At Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates

June 16, 2015

The highlight of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates' 18th -and 19th-century Glass and Lighting auction held on May 20 was the $37,375 paid by a private collector for an important Bakewell, Page and Bakewell, Pittsburgh, Pa., blown, cut and engraved celery vase made circa 1830. The vase's exquisite decoration featured a seated greyhound, an iconic motif favored by the Bakewell family. It was well-known among glass collectors and had been exhibited and published on several occasions. Bidding on the vase opened at $8,500 and quickly soared past its $8,000-$12,000 estimate, with nine phone bidders including two institutions all charmed by the unique size and combination of decorative elements of the vase. All prices include the 15 percent buyer's premium.
The auction contained 1,093 lots including several important private collections from New England and the Midwest. Top among the colored vases offered were a pair of pressed loop/leaf examples in a brilliant deep peacock green and in immaculate condition, attributed to the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co., circa 1845-1860, that sold for $10,925.
An important Americo-Bohemian ruby-stained tankard stein engraved with an east view of the "Capital Washington" flanked by scrolls, probably Bohemia, circa 1860, also did quite well, selling for $5,750, about twice the estimate. The view is unusual, the form is of a previously unrecorded type, and the stein was in outstanding condition. Another item of American interest that did exceedingly well was a free-blown and engraved decanter featuring a spread-wing shield-breast eagle and stars on one side, and a bird in flight above "LIBERTY" on the other side. Formerly in the collection of Gladys and Paul Richards, the decanter sold for $4,312.50.
The lighting section of the sale was very strong and diverse, featuring examples from the whale oil, fluid, and early kerosene periods. A pair of amber pressed loop/leaf stand lamps reached $6,325 because of the extremely rare color. A free-blown and pressed whale oil stand lamp with a violet blue bulb-form font, on a patterned, colorless base, representing only the third example of the type found with a colored font, sold for $3,737.50 (estimated at $1,000-$1,500).
Lacy-period pressed glass included rare open salts highlighted by an example in the form of a sleigh, designated SH-1 in “Pressed Glass Salt Dishes of the Lacy Period 1825-1850” by Dorothy Neal. Mrs. Neal classified it as extremely rare, and the Evans catalogue noted that this was only the second example that the firm had sold. Condition of this example was excellent, which obviously contributed to its selling price of $4,025, well above the estimate of $1,000-$2,000.
"We were very pleased with the overall performance of this sale. The Lowell/Lomas collection of Boston, Mass., had been started back in the 1940s and included numerous unique and iconic examples of early American glass. The freshness of the collection and conservative estimates combined for some very strong prices on the rare items. With that said, there are still an abundance of bargains in the glass market, including colored vases and lighting, and cut-overlay lamps. It continues to be a great time to acquire beautiful 19th-century American glass and lighting at very attractive prices," said Jeffrey S. Evans following the sale.
The entire auction catalogue with prices realized is available on the firm's website at www.jeffreysevans.com.
For further information, call 540-434-3939 or visit www.jeffreysevans.com.






 

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