Past Auction

Rare Lebanese Landscape by Frederic Edwin Church Achieves $353,000 at Doyle New York

Wed, Apr 01, 2015 at 10am EDT |
New York
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Circa 1868 'View of Baalbek' Highlighted the April 15 Auction of American Paintings, Furniture & Decorative Arts

  • Circa 1868 'View of Baalbek' Highlighted the April 15 Auction of American Paintings, Furniture & Decorative Arts
  • Circa 1770 Boston Chippendale Mahogany Side Chair from a New Jersey Collection Fetches $40,625
  • Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Fall 2015

A rare, exceptionally detailed small study of an important archaeological site in Lebanon by Frederic Edwin Church achieved a stunning $353,000 at Doyle New York on April 1, 2015. Estimated at $80,000-120,000, the circa 1868 landscape was entirely fresh to the market, having descended in the family of the artist to the consignor.

A key member of the Hudson River School, Church traveled throughout the Near East in 1867 and 1868. While there, he visited the Lebanese town of Baalbek, known in Roman times as Heliopolis and and notable for its extensive complex of temple structures. Church spent eight days exploring Baalbek and making drawings and studies. Baalbek has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In addition to the landscape by Church, the sale offered a wide selection of American paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries, including fine examples of portraiture; Hudson River, western and regional landscapes; marine paintings and still lifes.

A charming 1900 view by John George Brown (American, 1831-1913) titled Shoe Shine Boy with Dog (Mutual Admiration) and descended in the family of Brooklyn’s Samuel Abrams, who founded the Esquire Shoe Polish Company, sold for $56,250, just surpassing its estimate of $30,000-50,000. From a New Jersey Collector was a circa 1866-69 Landscape (Landscape with a Pond) by George Inness (American, 1825-1894), which achieved $25,000, doubling its estimate of $10,000-15,000.

Property of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the sale featured a dramatic 1927 bronze sculpture by Allan Clark (American, 1896-1950) titled Kongo Voodoo, height 21 1/4 inches, which also sold for $25,000, far surpassing its estimate of $2,000-4,000.

Furniture & Decorative Arts

The sale also featured American furniture and decorative arts from the Colonial period through the Federal and Classical styles, including silver, ceramics, mirrors, folk art, quilts, samplers, Chinese Export porcelain and rugs. The prints section of the sale offered Audubon, Currier & Ives and topographical prints.

Highlighting the furniture offerings was a circa 1770 Boston Chippendale mahogany side chair from a New Jersey collection that sold for $40,625 against an estimate of $20,000-40,000. The chair was one of a set of at least eight descended in the DeWolf family of Boston, Massachusetts and Bristol, Rhode Island. Other examples from the set are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Winterthur Museum.

A Federal style inlaid mahogany dwarf clock in the manner of Joshua Wilder of Hingham, MA, measuring 47 1/2 inches in height and estimated at $2,000-3,000, fetched a staggering $21,250. A Classical mahogany and bird's-eye maple dressing table with mirror attributed to Thomas Seymour of Boston, MA, circa 1812-17, achieved $18,750, tripling its estimate of $5,000-7,000.

With competitive bidding from the salesroom, the telephones and the Internet, the sale totaled $1,094,844, surpassing its estimate of $559,250-859,350 with an exceptional 89% sold by lot and 98% sold by value.

All prices include the buyer's premium.

NEXT AMERICANA AUCTION: Fall 2015

Doyle New York's next auction of American Paintings, Furniture & Decorative Arts is scheduled for Fall 2015. Consignments are currently being accepted. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.

For information, please contact:

David E. Gallager, American Furniture & Decorative Arts, 212-427-4141,ext. 271, or [email protected]

Anne DePietro, American Paintings, 212-427-4141, ext. 249, or [email protected]

Consignments are currently being accepted

To have your property evaluated for possible consignment in the next auction, please contact:

David Gallager

Media Contact

Louis LeB. Webre
SVP, Marketing & Media
212-427-4141, ext 232
[email protected]

  • A Pennsylvania Estate
  • A Private Connecticut Estate
  • El Morocco: The John Perona Collection
  • Estate of a New Jersey Gentleman
  • Estate of a New York Collector
  • Estate of Joan Oakey Benjamin
  • Estate of Susanne Schnitzer
  • Estate of Varue W. Oishei, Eatonton, Georgia
  • Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, Sold for the Benefit of the Acquisitions Fund
  • Property Formerly from the Estate of Lois Collier
  • Property Formerly in the Collection of Nils and Elaine Testor
  • Property of a New Jersey Collector
  • Property of an English Gentleman, North Carolina
  • Property of Robert E. Schmidt, New York
  • Property of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • The property of Doyle New York
  • The property of Joseph R. Messina
  • The Spanierman Gallery, LLC
  • The Spanierman Gallery, LLC

A Selection of Auction Highlights