Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln), 1884-1887, cast before 1926. Courtesy Skinner, Inc. Estimate $700/ 900,000 SOLD: $1,152,500

Marlborough, MA
Skinner, Inc.
January 28
American Works of Art
The winter edition of Skinner’s American Works of Art sale took place this past January 28, featuring an array of historic works of American fine art by such prolific artists as Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, John Leslie Breck, Henry Farny and Charles Paul Gruppé, among many others. Headlining the sale was a bronze of Abraham Lincoln by Saint-Gaudens, which broke past its $900,000 high estimate when it sold for a massive $1,152,500. Additionally, Breck’s painting A Mill-stream sold for $75,000, more than doubling its $35,000 high estimate; and Charles E. Prendergast’s Carved and Gilded Frame with Birds and Flowers reached $32,500.

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Mitchell Fulcher (1869-1950), Published Pintail. Carving. Courtesy Leland Little Auctions.  Estimate: $7/8,000 SOLD: $12,500

Hillsborough, NC
Leland Little Auctions
March 3
Winter Decoy & Sporting Art Auction
$404,820
Leland Little Auctions’ Winter Decoy & Sporting Art Auction achieved a total of $404,820, including buyer’s premiums. The March 3 sale saw 377 participating bidders, 28 percent of which were new bidders, vying for 376 lots of fine art and decoy art. “What we are doing at Leland Little is trailblazing. We are thrilled to see so many North Carolina carvers, including those who have long gone undiscovered, now getting the recognition they deserve,” says Robbie Smith, director of sporting art at Leland Little. Leading the sale was a pintail decoy by celebrated North Carolina carver Mitchell Fulcher, which sold for $12,500. Other standout lots include a Root Head Green-Winged Teal decoy by Percy Carawan, which sold for $13,800 and a Rare Ruddy Duck by James Best which achieved $13,200.

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Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819-1905), Dog with Three Quail. Oil on canvas, 14 x 22 in. Courtesy Copley Fine Art Auctions. Estimate: $50/80,000 SOLD: $90,000

Hingham, MA
Copley Fine Art Auctions
March 4-5
Winter Sale
$3.5 million
The Winter Sale at Copley Fine Art Auctions realized $3.4 million in total sales, marking the second-highest Winter Sale total in the company’s history. There was a frenzy of bidders participating on all three online platforms and across all categories, with new buyers, established collectors, dealers and institutions fully engaged throughout the auction. Over the energetic two-day sale, 94 percent of the total 556 lots were sold.

The top painting lot of the sale was Dog with Three Quail, an oil by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait depicting a pointer with bobwhite quail, selling to a phone bidder for $90,000, above its $80,000 high estimate. Ogden M. Pleissner’s watercolor fishing scene Golden Hours achieved $69,000, and his Grassing the Boat sold for $46,125, landing squarely in its $40,000 to $60,000 estimate. Additionally, Aiden Lassell Ripley’s Grouse on a Winter Morning sold for $33,000, just shy of its $35,000 high estimate.

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Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Among the Crags, 1935. Etching and drypoint, 7¾ x 10¾ in., signed lower right: ‘C. Rungius’. Courtesy Santa Fe Art Auction. Estimate: $3/5,000 SOLD: $6,000

Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe Art Auction
March 11-12
Prints, Multiples + Works on Paper
$300,000+
Santa Fe Art Auction’s March 11 and 12 Prints, Multiples + Works on Paper auction brought in more than $300,000 in sales, with a sell-through rate over 80 percent. Session I included an exclusive selection of 127 black-and-white artworks, with strong performances from 1920s and 1930s Western scenes. Among these works is Carl Rungius’ Among the Crags, a 1935 drypoint etching of a small herd of rams traversing a rocky mountainside. The piece sold for $6,000 against a presale estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.

Other top lots include Howard Cook’s 1926 Governor’s Palace [El Palacio Real], which sold for $2,600, just over its high estimate; and Gene Kloss’ Mexican Wood Vendor, which reached $3,400 (est. $1,5/3,000). Session II offered 241 lots in full color. Highlights included an ice fishing scene by Canadian artist Jessie Oonark, as well as vibrant works by Harry Fonseca and John Nieto. —

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