Clars Auction Gallery’s July 16 and 17 sale of Fine Art, Decorative Art Furniture, Jewelry/Timepieces and Asian Art saw particular excitement when a rare painting by American tromp l’oell artist William McCloskey (1859-1941) came up for bid. The oil-on-canvas titled “Wrapped in Lemons on a Tabletop” (1888) outperformed it $70,000 to $100,000 estimate. In the end, the painting achieved an impressive $216,000, making it the highest price for the artist in over five years and the seventh highest overall out of only 25 that have sold at auction.
“There are approximately 100 known works by McCloskey, and perhaps even fewer exist of his most desired and collectible subject matter - still lifes of citrus fruit wrapped in tissue paper,” said Rick Unruh, vice president and director of Fine Art at Clars. “Having this painting featured as the highlight of our July auction proved to be a very good decision when most of the major auction houses close down for the summer months until September. Dealers and collectors are most definitely looking for fine art gems such as the McCloskey painting during these months.”
Born in Philadelphia and trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, McCloskey painted oil still lifes that epitomize a delicate execution and perfect realism that mesmerize the viewer. The painting was one such example by the artist that caught the attention of some of the top galleries in New York City that specialize in late 19th and early 20th century American fine art. The telephone bidding on this lot was fast and furious. The outcome was more than exceptional for the consignor in New Hampshire who decided to forego waiting until the fall auction season. “The incredible interest we received and, of course, the outstanding price achieved for this East Coast painting in our West Coast venue proves that Clars’ global audience is yet again second to none,” said Unruh.
The two-day sale realized over $1 million, with several other notable prices achieved. Also performing well in Fine Art was a bronze work by Canadian sculptor Sorel Etrog (1933-2014). Titled “The Couple” and measuring 52 inches high, this work sold for $27,830.
In the Decorative Arts category, the top seller was an American Gorham Martelé .958 hollowware suite that surpassed its high estimate, selling for $12,100. Coming in second and also outperforming high estimate was the art glass group titled “Seaform” by Dale Chihuly (b. 1941). It sold for $11,495.
A stunning diamond and platinum ring highlighting on old European cut diamond weighing 1.93 ct was the top lot in this category and sold solidly within estimate at $8,470.
Rounding out this sale was the Asian category that had its own surprises, with several lots flying past high estimate. Two Chinese censers in particular had bidders fighting to the finish line. The first was a Guan-type tripod censer that was estimated for $2,000-$4,000 but sold for $9,680. The next was a Ge-type censer expected to achieve $1,500 but sold for $8,470.
For more information and a complete list of prices realized, visit www.clars.com.