The recent Summer Grandeur auction, hosted by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, brought in a total of $2.3 million in sales. The top lot was a painting by Frederick Judd Waugh titled Moonlight Serenade, of a full moon casting a bright light through the clouds over a rising coastal tide. The piece more than doubled its $12,000 high estimate when it sold for $28,800 with buyer’s premium.
Frederick Judd Waugh (1861-1940), Moonlight Serenade. Oil on canvas, 38 x 45 in. Estimate: $8/12,000 SOLD: $28,800
“We had it displayed in our main gallery prior to the sale, and we were all transfixed by the way the impasto technique Waugh used to create the waves actually reflected ambient light to bring the image to life,” says Kaja Veilleux, Thomaston Place founder and auctioneer.
“We know Waugh spent time in the early 1910s here on the Maine coast, but whether the piece depicts a local scene, or an image recalled from his days in England, or even a scene drawn from his imagination, it really is a magnificent work, and we know the buyer will appreciate it as much as we did.”
Carroll Sargent Tyson (1887-1956), Snowy Owl. Lithograph. Estimate: $3/5,000 SOLD: $7,500
Additional high-performing lots in the summer sale included an impressive offset lithograph by Carroll Sargent Tyson Jr., the nephew of acclaimed portraitist John Singer Sargent. A portrait of a stately avian creature of white and gray, Snowy Owl achieved $7,500 against a presale estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.
“It’s always satisfying to see a rare piece like this receive its due appreciation in one of our sales,” says Veilleux.
A complete set of these Carroll prints will be on offer during the auction house’s upcoming Autumn Majestic Auction in November. —
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