KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A blizzard hammered much of Tennessee and the East Coast on Jan. 23, but at the Winter Case Antiques Auction, the records were falling faster than the snow. It turned out to be the most successful sale in company history, with a record sale total that exceeded the high estimate by 20 percent; a record-smashing 4,770 bidders from 70 companies participating in person, by phone, Internet, and written absentee bid; a 96 percent sell-through rate, and several individual artist auction records.
Remarkably, the Knoxville gallery where the auction was happening received less than an inch of snow. More than 100 people were able to attend in person – including some bidders who flew in or drove in from Washington, D.C., Chicago, Las Vegas and Kentucky a day early to avoid the snow. Others homebound by bad weather found phone and Internet bidding an enjoyable way to spend a snowy day.
“One of the most encouraging aspects of this sale was the consistently strong level of bidding,” said company president John Case. “It wasn’t just one or two stellar objects responsible for most of the interest or most of the dollars. We saw an overwhelming number of lots meet or exceed their estimates across multiple categories – it was just a rock solid sale all the way around.”
Asian material played a key role in the sale, including a jade collection assembled in the 1940s and 1950s by a Memphis architect and his wife. A 6 and 5/8-inch diameter Qianlong white jade bowl (below) attracted keen interest from bidders in China and the U.S. It sold for to $40,920 to a bidder using the LiveAuctioneers.com platform. A Qing ruyi scepter with earlier carved white jade plaques, depicting the life of a famous Chinese poet, ruled at $26,040 (all prices in this report include the buyer’s premium).
New artist records emerged in the fine art category. An early 20th century oil on board landscape of Mount LeConte in the Smoky Mountains (below) climbed to $24,780, setting a new auction record for Charles Krutch of Tennessee.
Other successful paintings included a small oil of the Vale of Cashmere in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park by Paul Sawyier, which doubled its estimate at $28,980, a Jim C. Norton Western oil of three Native Americans on horseback, $17,360, and an 8-by-12 inch Edouard Cortes oil of Boulevard Capucin in Paris, $15,930. A New York City snow scene canvas by Johann Berthelsen accumulated $9,676, double its low estimate.
A pen and ink Moon Girl comic book cover piece rocketed to $10,912, a new world auction record for illustration artist Sheldon Moldoff.
LiveAuctioneers.com facilitated absentee and Internet live bidding.
Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.