New York – Christie’s annual sale of Important Americana totaled $9,294,784, more than doubling last year’s total, and selling 122% hammer against low estimate, with 80% of lots sold. More than one in four buyers and bidders in the sale was new to the category at Christie’s. The auction achieved strong results across two live sessions 18 and 19 January 2024, with important prices for fine portraits, folk art, silver, Chinese export porcelain, and more. The two top lots in the sale reflect the wide range of the Americana category. A rare lifetime depiction of George Washington by the first President’s greatest portraitist, Gilbert Stuart, from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, made $2,833,000, while an intimate portrait of Mrs. Martha Dorsey and Mary Ann Dorsey, by the first known Black American professional portraitist, Joshua Johnson, set a world auction record, bringing $1,134,000.

A Christie’s Americana Specialist, Julia Jones, said: “Americana is thriving. “We set a world record for the stunning Joshua Johnson portrait, and achieved remarkable prices for Gilbert Stuart’s ‘George Washington (Vaughan Type)’ and the ‘Pocket Pistols’ owned by Alexander Hamilton, both sold to benefit The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s acquisition fund.”

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Founding Fathers: In addition to the magnificent Vaughan type portrait of Washington, the sale included a significant group of works related to the Founding Fathers, including Thomas Sully and Jane Cooper Sully’s portrait of Benjamin Franklin after David Martin, which came from the collection of direct Franklin descendants, and brought $176,400; a Rembrandt Peale portrait of George Washington, made $529,200; and a pair of pocket pistols belonging to Alexander Hamilton, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, made $819,000.

Folk Art: Beyond the Joshua Johnson Dorsey portrait, the sale saw great results for a range of works including, Ammi Phillip’s portrait of Ruth Palmer, which made $201,600; Ralph Earl’s elegant 1790 pair of portraits of Thomas and Anna Tucker, which fetched $163,800; and a carved and painted trade figure of a Racetrack Tout from the 1880s, which brought $163,800.

Decorative Arts: Highlights among the wide range of decorative arts included, a group of 40 items from the Estate of Marvin Davidson led by a very rare pair of dragon-carp tureens, covers, and stands, which made $40,320; the Deshler side chair, the work of the master Philadelphia carver John Pollard, which brought $126,000; a Massachusetts bombé chest-of-drawers that fetched $163,800; and an early New York silver tankard bearing the mark of Benjamin Wynkoop, which went for more than three times its low estimate, bringing $151,200.