Making Impressions
Buyers connect with impressionistic landscapes and cityscapes during Freeman’s December 3 sale
Buyers connect with impressionistic landscapes and cityscapes during Freeman’s December 3 sale
Located in Philadelphia, Freeman’s Auctioneers specializes in the works of Pennsylvania Impressionists and has two yearly sales prominently featuring their paintings.the auction house’s second American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists sale of 2017 took place on December 3 and continued its trend of being a leader in the category. During the sale, which yielded a total of $1.8 million, the segment had a 94 percent sell-through rate. There also was strong in-house participation in the auction, as well as a number of new buyers showing interest in the sale.alasdair Nichol, Freeman’s chairman and director of fine art, says, “Fifty-six percent of bidders were in the room.”the number was higher than those bidding online and by phone, which Nichol says is “unusual these days, but I thought it was encouraging.” In addition, he pointed out that the top three lots went to private collectors.
Daniel Garber’s A Jersey Road (est. $200/300,000), the highest selling piece of the day, was what Nichol called a “perfect storm.”the painting, he cites, was fresh to the market, in untouched condition, a great subject and in its original Harer frame. It brought $334,000. The second highest achieving lot was Edward
Willis Redfield’s The Snow Storm (est. $100/150,000), which also sold above its presale estimate at $187,500. “The Redfield went to someone in the room who had bought four lots in the sale,” says Nichol.“it was his first time bidding at auction. We’re still getting new collectors coming into the field, which is healthy for that market.” Rounding out the top three was The Old and New New York by Guy Carleton Wiggins, which doubled its low estimate when it sold to a phone buyer for $100,000. The piece had come to market from a family in upstate New York, and was indicative of Wiggins’ paintings but in a rather large size.
A new auction record for Susette Inloes Schultz Keats was set during the sale when her piece The Inner Harbor (est. $10/15,000) achieved $40,625.“It was the best one [by the artist] I’ve ever seen,” says Nichol.“it came from the artist’s granddaughter, and sold to a private collector who had bought from us before. I was pleased it did well.”
Other standout results were Fern Isabel Coppedge’s The Garden Wall (est. $30/50,000) at $87,500; a European scene by Redfield titled Coast of France (est. $30/50,000) at $81,500;Thomas Eakins’ portrait Miss Eleanor S.F. Pue (est. $50/80,000) at $56,250; and Alexander Phimister Proctor’s bronze Buffalo (est. $30/50,000) at $35,000.