The Collection of Michael Rainey, Beaufort, South Carolina
Michael “Irish” Rainey led two remarkable professional lives: first as a decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot and then as one of the Southeast’s most respected antiques dealers. A graduate of Top Gun, Mike flew the F-4 Phantom and F/A-18 Hornet during a 20-year Marine Corps career, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993 and settling in Beaufort, South Carolina.
In Beaufort, Mike transformed his lifelong appreciation for history, craftsmanship and beautiful objects into Michael Rainey Antiques. The shop became recognized as one of the finest in the Southeast, while Mike earned the respect of collectors, curators and fellow professionals alike. He was known for his exceptional eye, exacting standards and deep knowledge, which he generously shared with clients and fellow collectors. His work was published in many magazines and he decorated many well known clubs, such as Ford Plantation and Palm Beach National Croquet Club.
Lot 517
Four Pennsylvania Chippendale Figured Walnut Side Chairs, Sotheby’s Provenance
Lot 638
English Silver Tray, Carrington & Co
His collecting reflected the man himself: knowledgeable, passionate, and deeply appreciative of objects with history and character. Whether selecting an antique, preserving an aviation artifact, tending his extraordinary garden or caring for one of his prized vintage aircraft, Mike believed that things worth doing were worth doing exceptionally well.
Lot 511
Fine Peabody Family Queen Anne Figured Maple High Chest
Lot 539
Attributed to Alvin Clark, Portrait of George Sparhawk, Skinner Provenance
Lot 704
Marble Bust of Apollo Belvedere
Lot 501
Franklin D. Briscoe, Schooner on the Sea
The collection reflects decades of connoisseurship, with particular strengths in British and American 18th and 19th century furniture, silver, landscapes, portrait miniatures and sporting art, and decorative arts, including examples by silversmiths Elizabeth Godfrey and Hester Bateman, and artists Franklin D. Briscoe, George Inness, Jr., William Chadwick, John Noble Barlow, Paul Ehrenberg, Martin Theodore Ward and Alfred Heber Hutty, among many others. The collection presented here represents decades of looking, learning and collecting by a dealer whose reputation rested on his enthusiasm for connoisseurship and history. Together, these objects offer a glimpse into the distinctive and remarkable life and style of Michael Rainey.
Lot 616
Goyard Canvas and Leather Steamer Trunk
Lot 619
WWII US Army Air Forces Captain’s Uniform Top
Lot 596
Royal Enfield 1995 Bullet Motorcycle