(Northport, Ala.) – A beautiful Parisian street scene with figures, rendered by the French artist Henri Victor Lesur (1863-1900), housed in an ornate frame and measuring 2′ 8” x 2′ 4”, crossed the block for $14,575 at a multi-estate sale held June 29 by Hal Hunt Auctions.
Artwork dominated the event, although the top lot was a stunning 5.44-carat Marquise diamond ring that soared to $67,100. (Illustrated below)
About 500 lots changed hands at the one-day sale, all of them consigned from prominent local estates. “Overall it was a good day, with some highs and some lows,” remarked Hal Hunt of Hal Hunt Auctions, “but that’s what makes for a good auction. The auction business is holding strong right now, despite what you hear about the economy on the radio and TV. We were very pleased with this sale.”
About 200 people attended the event, held at Hal Hunt Auctions’ spacious showroom facility, located at 5925 Highway 43 in Northport. There was no online bidding component and no phone bidding. Absentee bids were accepted, but only about 20 were recorded, and of those, only two were winning bids. The rest went to the happily assembled throngs.
Following are additional highlights from the sale. All prices include a 10% buyer’s premium.
A wonderful collection of twelve original works of folk art by the late Alabama painter W. (Willie) Walker went for prices ranging from $1,000-$2,750 each. Mr. Walker was a Black artist from Bullock County, Ala., in the Blues Old Stand area of Alabama. He died about ten years ago, at age 93. Over the course of his long and fruitful life, Mr. Walker painted over 60 works of folk art, all in oil.
In the fine art category, a landscape painting signed by the British artist Thomas Creswick (1811-1869), housed in an ornate frame, achieved $4,400; an oil rendering of cherubs, signed by the artist but undecipherable, framed, reached $3,850; and a porcelain plaque, round, depicting a figure in period dress and housed in a period bronze frame (circa 1890s), went to an absentee bidder for $440.
An outstanding 178-piece Wallace sterling silver set in the Grand Baroque pattern garnered $6,600; an alabaster Art Deco statue lamp with pedestal, beautifully made in the 1920s and standing 5′ 7” tall, changed hands for $1,155; and a set of six sterling mint julep cups , all matching and made in the 1880s, went to a local collector from Tuscaloosa for $302.50 each (or $1,815 for the set of six).
A lovely large cylinder music box with the original stand, made in the early 1900s, realized $5,500; a pair of early French Dore bronze and maple lamps, signed F. Barbedienne and crafted in the 1880s, climbed to $6,050 for the pair; another Barbedienne creation, an antique solid bronze of a reclining lady made in the early 1900s, brought $4,125; and a Nippon Indian plate hammered for $385.
A ten-foot-long double pedestal dining room table with eight Chippendale chairs went to a determined bidder for $5,500; a nearly new English-style mahogany breakfront with desk, meant to resemble a Baker piece and monumental at 7-1/2 feet tall x 7 feet wide, went to a local home for $4,950; and a pair of distressed leather wingback chairs with an English crest in back hit $1,650 each.
A pair of marble-top inlaid lingerie chests, true left and right and made in the 1920s, 4-1/2 feet tall, commanded $1,320 each; a pair of monumental Paris porcelain vases made around the 1880s were claimed by a local buyer for $2,750 for the two; a late 19th-century marquetry inlaid marble-top demi lune chest made $1,760; and a pair of 5-drawer inlaid lingerie chests, circa 1900, brought $1,210 each.
A beautiful 19th-century trumeau mirror with console, 9′ 4” tall x 3′ 4” wide, made in the 1880s, crossed the finish line at $6,050; an all-original antique Chicago mosaic leaded glass lamp with a colorful, Tiffany-like shade was snapped up by a local collector for $1,925; a panel glass lamp with lighted base topped out at $715; and a beautiful panel glass lamp with peach-tone shade also hit $715.
Hal Hunt Auctions’ next big sale will be held on Sunday, August 24, beginning at 12:30 p.m. A preview will be held the day before, on Saturday, August 23, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Hal Hunt Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them directly, at (205) 333-2517. Or, you can e-mail them at [email protected].
For more information on the company or the calendar of upcoming auctions, you may visit Hal Hunt Auctions online at www.halhunt.com
