A superb selection of Folk Art leads the upcoming Skinner, Inc. sale of American Furniture & Decorative Arts in Boston.
Leading the line up of Folk Art and Portraiture is an early 19th century polychrome decorated overmantel painting on pine, painted circa 1815 at the Brainerd home in Haddam Neck, CT.
Depicting the capture of the United States frigate President by the British frigate Endymion in 1815, and described as "a masterpiece of American Folk Art", the panel is estimated to sell for $30,000-$50,000.
Important portraits on offer include a large portrait of Alice Whitman Pickett and her dog, painted by William Matthew Prior in 1853 and valued at $30,000-$50,000; and a rare portrait of a gentleman by Samuel Jordan, signed and dated 1831, estimated at $8,000-$12,000.
The folk art section also includes a pair of exquisitely painted fireboards, each expected to sell for $15,000-$25,000. The first, from Pennsylvania, depicts a natural landscape of birds and flowering shrubs on a faux tiger-maple frame, and the second shows a flowering potted plant alongside flowers, trees and vines.
The furniture section of the sale includes more than 100 lots of 18th and 19th Century furniture, mirrors, and clocks, with highlights including a set of six 18th Century carved mahogany side chairs estimated at $8,000-$12,000, a carved walnut tall case clock by Henry Taylor of Philadelphia, PA valued at $2,500-$3,500, and a carved mahogany ‘Cumberland’ dining table, attributed to Thomas Seymour of Boston, MA circa 1820, estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Standout lots amongst the offering of early American silver includes a rare Silver Porringer by Paul Revere, Jr., estimated at $8,000-$12,000; a Colonial Silver Teapot from Boston, circa 1760-70, valued at $3,000-$5,000; and a group of yacht racing trophies presented to the famous schooner Sachem in the late 19th Century, including the 1887 Morgan Cup trophy, estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
The auction will also offer 18th and 19th Century paint-decorated woodenware, early 19th Century needlework, 17th Century andirons, 20th Century Tramp Art, and early decorative porcelain.
The sale takes place on Saturday February 27.
