Diverse Offerings

Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers experiences a successful spring sale from a collection of 200 lots across categories By Chelsea Koressel

Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers closed out their Spring Fine Art Auction in April with robust results across various categories. Overall, the sale totaled $1.8 million with 82 percent of the lots sold. There were bidders participating from all over the world with buyers from six countries and 30 from the United States.

Mary Abbott (1921-2019), Yellow Diamond I. Oil on canvas, 41 x 53½ in. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $106,250

“It was a very diverse sale with top lots in American impressionism, modern and contemporary, 19th-century European paintings and 19th-century American landscapes,” says auction house owner, Sandra Germain. “The varied offerings brought our catalog to the attention of new bidders; a large number of new participants.”

The top selling lot was Yellow Diamond I, a modernist oil painting by Mary Abbott achieving $106,250, greatly surpassing its estimate of $30,000 to 50,000. “Following a trend of successful sales for female abstract expressionist artists including Lynne Mapp Drexler, Alice Baber and Emily Mason, Shannon’s was able to effectively market this painting to its extensive client list,” says Germain.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Mick Jagger, 1975. Screenprint on Arches Aquarelle paper, FS II.147, 43¾ x 28¾ in. Estimate: $70/90,000 SOLD: $100,000

While contemporary art lots performed strongly during the sale—including a print of Mick Jagger by Andy Warhol, selling for $100,000 (est. $70/90,000) to a private collector in Connecticut—American impressionism also achieved notable results. “A three-quarter portrait of a lady by William Merritt Chase sold for $93,750,” Germain adds. “The work titled Portrait of a Lady with a Rose, stored in a private collection for over 30 years, had extensive exhibition history and was well documented. A Charles Courtney Curran portrait, Spring on the Mountain Side (est. $40/60,000), of a woman standing in a Cragsmoor landscape, sold for $50,000; and a Louis Ritman impressionist scene of two women on a porch in dappled sunlight, Summer Day (est. $40/60,000), sold for $43,750.”

William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), Portrait of a Lady with a Rose, ca. 1901. Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 in. Estimate: $80/120,000 SOLD: $93,750

The 19th-century American painting category was led by an untitled Edward Mitchell Bannister landscape view of the Rhode Island shore, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. “This identifiable location sold for $41,275,” Germain shares. “A sleeper in the auction, an Aaron Draper Shattuck, titled Autumn Snow on Mt. Washington, proved that location matters. The small 10-by-16-inch landscape flew past the high estimate selling for $41,125 after fierce bidding by two phone participants.”

Charles Courtney Curran (1861-1942), Spring on the Mountain Side. Oil on canvas, 25¼ x 30 in. Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $50,000

Shannon’s holds two cornerstone auctions each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. These auctions typically feature roughly 200 paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture. Clients follow Shannon’s for artworks from the 19th century, as well as contemporary art—having demonstrated success in many categories. Shannon’s is especially known for consistently featuring quality examples of historic American art. The next fine art auction at Shannon’s is scheduled for October 29. Consignments are invited year-round. —