Christie's New York Announces Americana Week 2010

Written by Jessica Carrington Monday, 06 December 2010 22:28

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's announced details of Americana Week 2010, a series of public viewings and sales devoted to fine and rare examples of American artistry and craftsmanship. Included in the week are sales of Important American Silver (January 21), Important American Folk Art, Furniture, and Decorative Arts (January 22), and Chinese Export Art (January 25). With over 450 lots, including a number of rare survivals from the 18th and 19th-century and many items never before offered at auction, the Americana series of sales are expected to achieve a combined total in excess of $4 million.

Important American Silver
Christie’s is pleased to announce the January 21 sale of Important American Silver as the first auction in the Americana Week series. Leading the sale is an extraordinary collection from the First Parish Church in Beverly as well as silver from other private collections and exceptional pieces from Tiffany & Co.

Property of the First Parish Church in Beverly
Beverly played a central role in the nautical history of the Revolutionary War, serving as the naval headquarters for the Colonial forces, and is often referred to as the "Birthplace of the American Navy." The silver, through its donors, represents virtually every aspect of early New England history, bringing to life the important theological, political, and intellectual movements of the Colonial and Federal Periods. Silver, equivalent to currency in the 17th and 18th-centuries, was originally given to the Church in the spirit of financial support, and it is hoped that the sale of these bequests will help preserve this extraordinary and historical institution. As in most collections of American church silver, the eight pieces from First Parish Church in Beverly were given by members of the Church for use during Communion and often bear the inscription of the donor.

Many of the pieces in the sale are historically important in that they have direct ties to patriot and silversmith Paul Revere. Leading this collection is an important and monumental silver ewer, mark of Paul Revere, Boston, circa 1798 (estimate: $200,000-300,000) and a pair of silver communion dishes, one with mark of Paul Revere, Boston, circa 1801 (estimate: $70,000-100,000). In keeping with the New England tradition of using domestic silver forms as communion vessels, Revere chose a design normally used for coffee ewers or claret jugs to serve as wine flagon for the church. At 15.5 inches high, it is one of the largest examples of silver by Paul Revere. The communion dishes were purchased by the Pastor, Deacon Benjamin Cleaves and Deacon Robert Roundy in 1801 and are also recorded in a rare surviving bill from Paul Revere dated April 22, 1801.

Rare Double Portrait by Ammi Phillips (1788-1865)
The lead highlight of the Americana Week sales is an exceedingly rare, full-length double portrait of Theron Simpson Ludington (1850-1922) and His Older Sister Virginia Ludington (1846-1865) by the prominent 19th-century American portrait artist Ammi Phillips (estimate: $300,000-500,000). Unknown among Phillips works until earlier this year, this dynamic, even humorous portrait of two young siblings has been passed down through generations of the Ludington family of Goshen, CT until the present day. Phillips was commissioned sometime around 1852 to paint the family’s members, which included formal portraits of the children’s parents, Theron Daniel Ludington (1826-1900) and Eleanor Bailey Ludington (1826-1863), also to be offered in the sale (estimate: $12,000-18,000).

The full-length double portrait of the children is unusual for its departure from the conventional poses Phillips typically employed in his formal single portraits. Here instead, in a moment of playfulness and insight into the sibling’s relationship, the artist depicted the younger boy leaning away from his older sister to hug the shaggy dog by his side, while a small grey cat bites at a single strawberry that has fallen from the bunch in Virginia’s hand. While hundreds of single portraits by Phillips survive today, only a small number of full-length double portraits of this type are known to exist – a measure of rarity that is sure to attract collectors.

Additional Highlights
The sale also features a rare silver miniature caudle cup, mark of John Hull and Robert Sanderson, Boston, circa 1665 (estimate: $150,000-250,000). John Hull (c.1624-1683) and Robert Sanderson (c.1608-1693), the first working silversmiths in North America, became the Colonies' first mint masters when the Massachusetts Bay Colony established a mint in 1652. In that year, they established a partnership producing silver objects as well as coins, most notably the famous "Pine Tree" shilling. Only 30 surviving pieces of hollowware and six spoons have been recorded from their 31-year partnership; the recent discovery of this cup by a Massachusetts family, descendants of the original owners, adds a 31st object to this group. While five full-size caudle cups survive, there is only one other miniature or "toy" caudle cup by these makers that is currently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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