Christie’s Americana Week Live Sales Total $23,686,438
New York — Christie’s week of Americana sales totaled $23,686,438 and established 8 auction records. The week of sales was led by Ammi Phillips’ Woman with Pink Ribbons, a masterpiece of American Folk Portraiture from The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman which sold for $3,870,000 and established a world auction record for the artist.
OVERVIEW OF SALE RESULTS
Important Americana
New York | January 20-21
Sale Total: $7,866,188
Sold by lot: 90% | 139% hammer sold above low estimate
Important Americana totaled $7,866,188 and was 90% sold by lot and 139% hammer sold above low estimate. Gilbert Stuart’s Atheneaum-type portrait of George Washington was the top lot of the sale, totaling $930,000, and far surpassing its estimate of $200,000-300,000. Other portraits of America’s first President also exceeded their estimates including works by Charles Peale Polk ($562,500) and James Sharples ($625,000), which also established a new auction record for the artist.
The top work of furniture was a magnificent Philadelphia Queen Anne carved walnut armchair which realized $750,000, exceeding its estimate of $300,000-500,000. Among the historic maps, a pair of the celebrated and extremely rare Amos Doolittle suite of prints depicting the Battle of Lexington and Concord achieved $750,000 and Bernard Ratzer’s Plan of the City of New York from 1776-77, sold for $625,000, established a record for a printed map of New York City. Folk art was led by a cigar store figure of a 'Racetrack Tout' which sold for $375,000.
Sallie Glover, Associate Specialist, American Folk Art, comments, “We’re thrilled to see the strong results across the Presidential material and especially pleased with the record setting price of the James Sharples portrait of George Washington, which doubled the previous record. Additionally, historic printed manuscripts saw strong prices and a record was set for Bernard Ratzer’s ‘Plan of the City of New York.’ We look forward to the Outsider Art sale on February 3 in New York.
The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman
New York | January 20
Sale Total: $10,852,875
Sold by lot: 97% | 341% hammer sold above low estimate
The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman, one of the most astutely curated assemblages of American Folk Art, achieved a total of $10,852,875, far exceeding its estimate of $2,000,000-4,000,000. The sale was 97% sold by lot, 340% hammer sold above low estimate, and established six new world auction records. The sale attracted 22% new registrants and 11% of all registrants were Millennials or Generation Z.
The top lot of the sale was Ammi Phillips’ Woman with Pink Ribbons, a masterpiece of American Folk Portraiture which sold for $3,870,000 and established a world auction record for the artist. World auction records were also established for John Brewster’s portrait of Caption John Bourne ($2,670,000), Samuel Shute’s Woman with Two Canaries ($1,170,000), Thomas Chamber’s View of Nahant [Sunset] ($437,500), Jacob Maentel’s A Pair of Portraits of Husband and Wife ($562,500), and William Prior’s Boy in Red with Hammer ($200,000).
Cara Zimmerman, Head of Americana and Outsider Art, remarks, “The incredibly strong results demonstrate the strength and depth of the Folk Art market. Peter and Barbara Goodman assembled a remarkable collection that celebrated color, surface and form, and today the market celebrated their eye and vision.”
19th Century American Art
New York | January 19
Sale Total: $4,967,375
Sold by lot: 90% | 134% hammer sold above low estimate
Christie’s new curated sale of 19th Century American Art held during the Americana Week marquee sales was a resounding success; the sale totaled $4,967,375, exceeding its high estimate, with 51% of lots sold above their high estimates. New clients were notably active, with new buyers accounting for 26% of the sale and several millennials participating for the first time. 47% of lots were sold to or directly underbid by online bidders.
The sale was led by Albert Bierstadt’s In the Yosemite, which realized $786,000, above its estimate of $300,000-500,000, and was among the property offered from the Estate of Patrick Rutherford, Jr. which was 100% sold. Bierstadt’s On Route to Yellowstone Park, Company A's Camp of the 86th U.S. Army, sold for $400,000, exceeding its estimate of $120,000-180,000.
Additional notable lots include David Johnson’s Mount Lafayette from Franconia, New Hampshire, which realized $350,000 and Charles Schreyvogel’s bronze The Last Drop, which achieved $275,000, above its estimate of $40,000-60,000, and established an auction record for the artist’s medium.
Caroline Seabolt, Junior Specialist American Art, comments: “As the second phase of American Art's newly development sale strategy, our inaugural 19th Century American Art sale was a resounding success, making a strong debut within Christie's marquee Americana week. Notably, the auction saw significant participation from traditional and new buyers alike, the later especially active in online bidding.”
