A new auction record for North Carolina artist, teacher, and activist Maud Gatewood was set over the weekend. The previous record at auction, set in 2011, was eclipsed when her 40 x 36 inch acrylic entitled Blues sold for $28,320. It sold to a private bidder after rigorous bidding in-house, on the phones, on Bidsquare, and by absentia.
The only known painting of third and last Georgia Royal Governor James Wright sold for $40,000 hammer price. The painting, by Andrea Soldi, sold to an institutional bidder to be named at a later date.
Three watercolor and ink scrolls from contemporary master Fan Zeng brought exceptional results during the auction. The three scrolls, offered in three separate lots, were all purchased by the consignor in Beijing in 1986. They brought $64,900, $82,600, and $40,120 respectively. Fan Zeng was born in 1938 in Nantong, China is currently a Professor at the University of Glasgow. The scrolls all sold to a private bidder on Bidsquare.
Antiquities brought outstanding prices over the course of the auction. The high lot in the sale was a Fine Egyptian Limestone Relief probably from the 19th Dynasty (1292-1190 BCE). The limestone relief sold for $165,000. Other Egyptian objects with like provenance sold above estimates as well. A 6th Dynasty Alabaster Headrest sold for $33,040, a 30th Dynasty Limestone Relief sold for $20,060, and a 19th/20th Dynasty Limestone Relief sold for $49,560. The catalog cover lot, an Ancient Roman Mosaic Panel depicting various sea creatures, sold for $51,920.
The two-day, 800 lot auction, brought $1.64 million and achieved a 92.3% sell through rate.
All prices listed include buyer’s premium unless otherwise noted.