Past Auction

Two Architectural Capriccios by Giovanni Paolo Panini Achieve $935,000 From a European Buyer at Doyle New Yorks January 27, 2010 Sale of Old Master Paintings

Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 10am EST |

New York

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Important English and Continental Furniture and Decorations Were Highlighted by a 17th Century Flemish Tapestry that Sold for $68,500

Important English and Continental Furniture and Decorations Were Highlighted by a 17th Century Flemish Tapestry that Sold for $68,500
The Sale Totaled Almost $2.5 Million Amid Strong International Bidding
The Well-Appointed Room Presented by Designer Jeffrey Bilhuber Showcased Furniture and Decorations from Jonathan Burden, LLC; John J. Gredler Works of Art; and George Glazer Gallery

Doyle New York held an auction of Old Master Paintings and Drawings and Important English and Continental Furniture and Decorations on January 27, 2010. The sale offered furniture and decorations from the 17th through early 19th centuries, as well as Continental, English and Chinese export porcelain, Georgian silver, sculpture, clocks, chandeliers, sconces, tapestries and rugs. The Old Master Paintings section of the sale showcased landscapes, still lifes, portraits and religious subjects by European artists from the Renaissance to the 19th century.

With competitive international bidding from the salesroom, the telephones and the Internet, the sale totaled a strong $2,462,534 against a pre-sale estimate of $1,644,700-2,524,700 with 79% sold by lot and 92% sold by value.

Old Master Paintings

Highlighting the sale were two capriccios dated 1738 of ancient Roman monuments by Giovanni Paolo Panini (Italian, circa 1692-1765). From the estate of a New York gentleman, the works both sold to a European buyer for $935,000, far surpassing their combined estimates of $400,000-600,000. Panini studied set design in Bologna before moving to Rome in 1717. After a brief period in the workshop of the Florentine painter Benedetto Luti, he began to receive commissions to decorate Roman villas and palaces with frescos. Taking note of the increasing number of English gentlemen arriving in Rome on the Grand Tour, Panini soon began to paint views of the city's ancient buildings and sculpture for this cultivated clientele. Thus he became the father of the type of picture known as the capriccio--a whimsical landscape with ruins, enlivened with figures. These paintings exerted a powerful influence on such later artists as Canaletto, Piranesi, Hubert Robert, and Fragonard.

Another work from the same estate was an impressive 18th century Italian School Architectural Capriccio with Incidents from the Life of Moses that sold to a Spanish buyer for $62,500, many times the pre-sale estimate of $10,000-20,000.

A rarity in the auction was An Extensive Landscape with Travelers on a Road by Hans Bergaigne (active in the Netherlands, first half of the 17th century) from the estate of a New York gentleman. Little is known about Bergaigne. His paintings clearly show the influence of such early 17th-century Flemish masters as Frederick van Valckenborch and Gillis van Coninxloo, and the Roman-inspired ruins in this piece suggest that he probably spent some time in Italy. His lively figures, however, have much in common with those of Dutch artists working in the 1620s such as Esias van de Velde and Jan van Goyen. This work was only the second painting by Bergaigne to appear at auction in recent years. Competitive bidding sent the price over the pre-sale estimate of $20,000-40,000 to reach $43,750 from a Canadian buyer.

A masterful depiction of The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine from the School of Annibale Carracci from the estate of a New York gentleman also attracted the interest of bidders. Estimated at $10,000-15,000, the painting sold to a buyer in Switzerland for $25,000.

Tapestries

The top lot in the rugs and tapestries section of the sale was a 17th century Feuilles de Choux tapestry from southwest Flanders bearing the manufactury signature of St. Truijen. It sold to a buyer from the United Kingdom for $68,500, many times over the pre-sale estimate of $8,000-12,000.

Furniture and Decorations

Attracting the interest of bidders amid the furniture and decorations was an exquisitely made Anglo-Indian ivory, penwork and sandalwood diminutive bureau bookcase from Vizagapatam, India, circa 1790, with locks and hinges of English silver, London, 1791. It sold to a buyer from the United Kingdom for $38,750, within its pre-sale estimate.

A Worcester blue and white porcelain covered tureen, circa 1770-75, estimated $2,000-4,000 sold to a buyer from the United Kingdom for a staggering $23,750. A buyer from New York purchased a group of four 19th century Continental ivory figures representing the four seasons, probably from Dieppe, France, for $13,750, far surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $4,000-6,000.

Furniture in the auction featured a handsome set of six mid-18th century Continental Rococo mahogany and walnut dining chairs, probably Portuguese, that doubled their pre-sale estimate of $6,000-9,000 to achieve $13,750 from a New York buyer. Also noteworthy was a late 18th century Louis XVI gilt-bronze mounted mahogany and tulipwood bureau plat that sold to a buyer from France for $13,750 against a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-6,000. Italian furniture included a Baroque walnut cassone, 17th/18th century, from the estate of Edmund A. Renno, that sold to a buyer from the Mid-Atlantic for $13,750, well over the pre-sale estimate of $2,500-3,500.

The Well-Appointed Room

The Well-Appointed Room section of the auction comprised almost 200 lots of furniture and decorations from Jonathan Burden, LLC and John J. Gredler Works of Art, and globes and other articles from George Glazer Gallery. Through the vision of acclaimed interior designer Jeffrey Bilhuber, these renowned taste-makers created their own version of today’s Well-Appointed Room.

The Well-Appointed Room featured a Regency mahogany terrestrial globe on stand by W. & T.M. Bardin, London, circa 1807, which sold to a buyer from New York for $25,000. A pair of Regency Boulle inlaid gilt-bronze mounted rosewood side cabinets, first quarter of the 19th century, sold to a buyer from New York for $21,250, and a bidder from the Mid-West was the successful buyer of a Regence gilt-wood center table, possibly English, second quarter of the 18th century, for $18,750.

Booksigning with Jeffrey Bilhuber

During the pre-sale exhibition of The Well-Appointed Room, Doyle New York hosted a cocktail reception for over 200 guests honoring Jeffrey Bilhuber. Mr. Bilhuber signed copies of his lavishly illustrated book, Defining Luxury: The Qualities of Life at Home, published by Rizzoli. Presenting Jeffrey’s projects from coast to coast, the book is filled with charming anecdotes and observations by the designer, whom Hamish Bowles has likened to a 21st century Billy Baldwin.

Next Auction in This Category

Doyle New York’s next auction in the category of Important English and Continental Furniture and Decorations, including Old Master Paintings and Drawings is scheduled for May 19, 2010. We invite you to contact us to discuss consigning your property to this sale.