Stair Galleries Auction, Hudson, NY 12 February

We couldn't get up for the auction that Stair Galleries held Friday, February 12th in Hudson, NY.

http://stairgalleries.com/

We did, however, look at the on-line catalog and decided to bid on several lots. The estimated prices looked so good that we decided to take a chance with absentee bids even though we couldn't see the lots in person. I don't like the Stair absentee bidding set up, but we set our top price and went with it. Most other auction houses will sell you the item at an increment above the last bid, but at Stair they will sell it only at your full bid, even if it was a lot more than the last bid from the floor at the auction.

This was one of their 'Exposition' auctions which is for items typically ranging from $25 to $2,000. They don't accept phone or on-line bids for these auctions. This auction was titled "AMERICAN, ENGLISH AND CONTINENTAL Furniture, Silver, Glass, Porcelain, Fine Art and Decorations."

We bid on 3 lots:

• A Louis XVI style brass and marble stand that we gave a low ball bid on. A very decorative item that we figured could go almost anywhere as a display stand.

 Stand: Est. $150 - $175

•  A pair of directoire style steel and brass gueridons (small tables) that would make great end tables. We bid at the low end of the range.

 Gueridons: Est. $200 - $300

•  Four deco style window grills. It's not clear from the description if they are a set, but we guessed that they were not. We bid above the top end of the estimate range because we liked the one pictured quite a bit, and would pay that much for the one. The other 3 would be a bonus. I could see using these as wall decoration on our new house. 

  Four Window Grills: Est. $200 - $300

We were hopeful enough of winning at least one bid that we arranged to drive up Saturday morning. You have to pick up your 'winnings' by 1pm or pay a storage fee.

The result of this experiment was.....!

We got an email from Stair at about 10pm Friday night telling us that we were successful on the window grills with our bid of $425 ($536 with buyers premium and tax). Now we just had to drive up to Hudson to see what we actually bought.

The other items went for:

• Brass and marble stand: $300.00
• Directoire-style gueridons: $550.00

We love the window grills. They are a matched set of four (the catalog description had been unclear). They are two widths, and they are over 6 feet tall. We think we can either use them as mounted wall decorations or bed headboards if hung sideways, or if we get someone to join them together they could be a folding screen.

A good experiment, and we'll definitely be watching out for future 'Exposition' auctions at Stair.

Decorating with Pictures

You may have guessed by now that I lean towards paintings when we go to auction previews. I love walls with interesting pictures, whether they are prints, painting, drawing or photographs. When I go to a home, restaurant, or hotel, one of the first thing I notices are the walls, and bare walls disturb me! Pictures add warmth and character. They don't need to be expensive, just interesting and reflective of you.

I came home to my new edition of Elle Decor, and the cover for March perfectly reflects what I'm talking about.

 

Elle Decor cover March 2010

I love the way the art work is displayed on the walls, and that there's lots of it. There isn't just one picture per wall, and the hanging even adds more depth to the presentation. It's not all symmetrical, but I'm sure it was well planned. There's an article inside the magazine titled 'On Display' that has a few ideas on how to hang art like this (maybe a tad too busy for me in the article).

Auctions are great places to build a collection of pictures for decorating and enjoyment. Over the years we've bought paintings and prints that have added warmth to our home. Our taste has evolved over the years, and some of the paintings we bought early on have now moved on to new homes with our daughters. Even if you are just decorating your first place, an auction can provide the beginnings of a grouping like the one on the Elle cover.

I would call our taste eclectic since we have art work from the 18th century right through to contemporary artists, and ranging from American, to European, to Asian, and Latin American.

Our strategy is to buy what we like, and we will enjoy looking at it in our home.We never buy to fit a style or color scheme in a room. If there is somehow a clash of color, then there will be another room for the picture.

Before we hang pictures we try them in several places first before settling on just the right spot. We might lean them against the wall for a day or two, or group them on the floor to plan the hanging pattern. It's funny how we often have that 'ah-ha' moment when the placing of the picture is exactly right.

I like grouping pictures but have to admit that I don't do it that often. Some of my rules would include:

• If the wall is very large, it probably needs more than one picture on it. This could be several pictures, or pictures and some other art work, say, decorative plates. 

• If the picture is meant to be a focal point for the room, then probably keep the things around it to a minimum. 

• Even nooks and crannies of walls can be very nice places for a group of small pictures. They can be a bit of a surprise to the person who happens on them. 

• No matter what the size of the wall, a large grouping of pictures can be an 'artwork' in itself, somewhat like a collage. Family photos can make wonderful wall decoration in large numbers (vary the size and frames).

I have a book that I have found a good source of ideas and practical information: 'Displaying Pictures and Photographs', by Caroline Clifton-Mogg and Piers Feetham (1993). I checked Amazon and they still have them, even though it's a bit old.

The grouping don't need to be of the same style or genre, and may be more interesting if they aren't. Here we have a 19th century Irish mirror along side a 19th century painting of a young woman (bought at auction) and two contemporary Irish landscape paintings.

 Compared to the Elle cover, I have been very conservative with the number of things I have on this wall. I might have to rethink it!

Auctions this week - results

To my surprise both Doyle's and Christie's went ahead with their auctions today (Feb. 10). There is quite the blizzard in New York, and they wouldn't have had the attendance. That might say something about how many of their bids come in remotely.

In reviewing the Doyle's result, I'd say that in general they looked on the low side with many coming in under or near the low estimate range. There looks to be quite a few bargains. However, the painting we liked (Lot 40) went for $2,250, while the estimate was $800 to $1,200. I'm glad we didn't go!

Quite a bit of the furniture seemed to go for bargain prices. In my opinion, buying furniture at auction is by far the least expensive way to buy, and far below retail - old or new. This table sold for $480!

Doyle's: George III Style Dining Table. Est $700 - $1,000. Sold for $480.

My husband was interested in a mahogany bagatelle table. I had no idea what this was, but he tells me it's like a small version of pool and popular in English bars.

Doyle's: Mahogany  bagatelle table. Est. $500 - $700. Sold for $325 ($406 with buyers premium)

He's disappointed he missed it. 

At Christie's the painting I liked (previous blog) that was estimated at $500 - $700 went for $2,750! Obviously others liked it as well. 

Several other items we had looked at sold for well over the estimates like this sculpture. 

 

Christie's: Bronze 'crows' (signed). Est. $1,000 - $1,500. Sold for $10,625!

There were also many good buys to be had. I picked this table out as an example.

 

Christie's: Burr birch and ebonized center table. Est $1,500 - $2,000. Sold for $688 (including premium). 

You just can't tell what will be a bargain, and what will fly by you when the bidding starts. The trick is to know your limit and not get too emotionally attached to an item. There will always be another auction!

Two auctions this week to decorate your home (week of Feb. 8th)

Last week I highlighted a few auctions coming up in February. I attended two sale previews today with my husband. We just got back from a long trip last night, and I didn't think I had the energy to attend any sale previews, but I am very glad that I did. They both had lots to inspire one for furnishing and decorating a home.

Both Doyles and Christie's are having sales this week focused on decorating rather than collecting: Doyles @Home, and Christie's Interiors. We're not really in the market to furnish a room, let alone a whole house at this stage, but if we were these would provide lots to think about.

The Doyle's preview had a number of interesting pieces of furniture, mirrors and paintings (among other things), but somehow we weren't tempted. Here's a link to the catalog:

http://www.doylenewyork.com/asp/searchresults.asp?t=3487412&sale_no=10FD02&st=D&shopper=&%26q=q&

We were somewhat interested in Lot 40 for this painting of a woman which also has a very interesting frame, but it's in a lot that includes another painting of no interest. This sometimes happens and you need to make a decision on whether it's worth it.

Doyles @ Home - Lot 40 $800 - $1,200

The Christie's offering is huge. We had never been to Christie's in New York before so this was a first for us. The items are spread over three floors and range in styles from very traditional to mid-century. They have the advantage of space so they can arrange things in many cases in room groupings. Here's the catalog link:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/searchresults.aspx?intSaleID=22602#action=refine&intSaleID=22602&sid=13f9dbe1-3331-4576-97f9-9a4ad5867a0f

Here are a few photos from the Christie's sale of room ideas.

 

Christie's Interiors sale 9 & 10 February - Deco 'room'

In the past few years we have developed more of an interest Deco and mid-century styles. We could see several pieces in this grouping in our home. 

    Christie's Interiors sale 9 & 10 February - 'Bedroom'

This room could be a lovely traditionally furnished bedroom: dressers, paintings, mirrors and all!

 

Christie's Interior sale 9 & 10 February - 'Living room'

This could furnish a lovely traditional living room. I even like the red fabric on the sofa and chairs.

We did find that some things we were interested in from reviewing the catalog pictures didn't look as good in person. It reminded us that buying without seeing in person has it's dangers. We've done it, but there are mistakes to be made.

Going to an auction preview & exploring the Meatpacking District

We recently moved back to New York City from London. We were away for 5 years, and while we visited fairly often, the City has moved beyond what we left 5 years ago. And that's what makes it fun being back!

Something we've always enjoyed is exploring different neighborhoods in NY. We decided to visit the Meatpacking district along with the High Line park. But what to do, other than wander around. We were searching for more auction options and found that Phillips de Pury auctions had moved to that area, so that formed our anchor for the day's visit to the neighborhood.

http://www.phillipsdepury.com/

Phillips specializes in contemporary art, and is located at 450 West 15th Street. The scene at the preview was very cool. They served drinks at several champagne bars, had music playing, and most of those wandering the galleries were dressed in hip downtown black. The art was out of our price range, and maybe mostly out of our taste range too, but it was lots of fun.

One of the gallery floors overlooks the High Line, and this added to the 'scene'. We could have hung out there for a while and nibbled on snacks, but we decided to wander the neighborhood.

The High Line is a must. It's the best urban park I've ever been to. It's a wandering garden on elevated train tracks, and the street and river are part of the theater of it. There's actually a theater-like seating area looking to a big plate glass opening over the avenue, making entertainment of watching the traffic and the people going about their day below.

http://www.thehighline.org/

We ate at Spice Market at 403 West 13th Street, which was great. I love Asian fusion food, and also the cool crowd.

http://www.spicemarketnewyork.com/

If you take the High Line and walk north you will end up in Chelsea. There's an exit at West 20th Street. If you still have the energy starting at West 19th Street and going up to West 28th Street is the Chelsea art gallery district. The link has a map of the galleries and what's on at each. There's art for everyone!

http://chelseagallerymap.com/

This might be an outing in itself, and look for show openings where you can spend an evening wandering the galleries and be served free appetizers and wine!

London Auction Results

I went back to the web sites to check the results from the various auction previews we went to while in London earlier this week.

For the Christie's and Sotheby's auctions, the New York Times reported on the news worthy items. These auction results are viewed as one economic bellweather (maybe not one that means much to most of us). There were some record breakers at both sales, with a number of items going for well beyond the estimates. The Giacometti sculpture at Sotheby's went for the highest price ever at auction (including the buyers premium). A Picasso at Christie's went for double the estimate. Both have been in private collections for decades. I am glad we went to see them. The Klimt at Sotheby's went for well beyond the high estimate and sold for £26+million.

Back down to earth, I checked the Bonham's results for the paintings without reserve. I had not realized that a lot of the paintings were by a known British artist, Percy Horton (1897-1970). He is represented in a number of British museums, including the Tate. A quick Google search found a number of results on him. 

 

This Percy Horton sold at Bonhams £72/$115 (inclusive of buyers premium)

I found his paintings quite decorative. You could have picked one up for somewhere between £48 - £144 ($77 - $230). Just think of 3 or 4 on a wall and you have an artist who is in several museums! They might even have fit in my suitcase!

At Lots Road, the chandelier I liked went for £220 (not including buyers premium of 20% - $352). 

  

Chandelier sold at Lots Road Auctions for £220 ($352)

The problem if you live in the US is you'd have to ship it, which would have cost well beyond the purchase price. You'd have to know what something comparable cost in the US and add up on the costs. 

This coming week will be fun in New York at more auctions!

February upcoming auctions

I've been looking at the upcoming auction calendars for some of my frequent auction haunts. Here are a few that I will try to attend this month:

Doyle New York: http://www.doylenewyork.com/default.htm

• Doyle @Home: Fine Furniture, Decorations and Paintings. Auction is February 10 and the preview days are February 6 - 9. The Doyle @Home is usually stocked with well priced decorative items. I almost always see something that I will consider bidding on. 

• Belle Epoque: 19th and 20th century Decorative Arts. Auction February 24th with the previews February 20 - 23. Usually lots of tempting decorative objects and paintings. 

 

Art Nouveau Buffet at Doyle's Belle Epoque: $800 - $1,200

Stair Galleries, Hudson, NY: http://stairgalleries.com/

• American, English and Continental Furniture, Fine Art, Silver... Auction February 12th. Previews every day before from February 5th. Actually not sure I will make it up to Hudson for this, but the on line preview looks interesting and their price ranges are always good compared to New York City.

Bonhams New York: http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=USA&screen=Catalogue&iSaleNo=17623

• The Dog Sale. Now doesn't that sound like fun even if you don't want to buy anything? Auction February 16th with previews February 13 - 15. The on line catalogue looks full of cute and kitschy things (apologies to anyone who collects dog art!). 

 Portable Scottie Heater at Bonham's: $300 - $500

Christie's New York: http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/searchresults.aspx?intSaleID=22602#action=refine&intSaleID=22602&sid=b6d6cd70-c545-4a71-adae-cdf3e01fdf21

• Christie's Interiors. Auctions February 9 & 10 with viewing from February 5th. This is the more affordable Christie's offering and worth going to see what they have. 

 

Joseph Bradley (American 20th C.) at Christie's: $500 - $700

February could be fun even if the weather is not!