Keno Auctions will hold its Boutique Winter Auction on January 24, 2016 at its Upper East Side gallery at 1 p.m. The highlights include a Gilbert Stuart Portrait of George Washington, circa 1796, a colorful work by American Impressionist Richard Edward Miller, and a recently discovered Hudson River School landscape by Asher B. Durand.

This is the third year that Leigh Keno has held an exclusive auction during New York’s Antiques Week. “We are very excited about the quality of the objects in this sale. In putting together this boutique sale we were very selective. The format of offering just a few choice pieces at auction in an intimate setting but with world-wide internet platform bidding and phone bidding available has worked extremely well for both our consignors and purchasers.”

The past two sales appear to bear this out and have resulted in Keno Auctions netting –for two years in a row-- the highest price for any item sold at Auction during Americana Week. In 2014, Keno Auctions set a world record for any Revolutionary War manuscript when an historic document written by the Second Continental Congress hammered for $912,500, and last January the Chippendale Potter-Crouch-Jordan tea table brought a strong $1,895,000.

The Portrait of Washington being offered is one of Stuart’s “Vaughan” examples, named after the Philadelphia merchant who purchased the 1795 painting of Washington – the first time that the President had sat for the artist. Versions of this earliest portrayal of Washington by Stuart rarely come to market and most reside in major institutions such as the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Winterthur, the Frick, Harvard University, and Colonial Williamsburg.

Stuart painted this particular “Vaughan” Washington for Philadelphia merchant Philip Nicklin, The third owner, Moses Kimball exhibited it at his newly built Boston Museum in 1849. Five owners later, the extant bill of sale notes that it was sold by the well-known Boylston Street, Boston Painting Dealer Robert B. Campbell to Count Ivan N. Podgoursky on Feb.5, 1945, “Oval Portrait of George Washington (Vaughn Type) $350.00”. It has descended in his family and was consigned by the Estate of the Count to Keno Auctions present sale.

Keno is proud have the opportunity to offer the Gilbert Stuart. “It is an iconic image. This presents a rare opportunity to purchase a piece of history. Stuart is one of America’s true masters of portrait painting and this is one of his best versions of his Washington portraits. In terms of quality, rarity, condition and provenance, this portrait rates a ‘10’. One added rarity is that our country’s first president is depicted by Stuart with a glimmer of a smile! ” notes Keno. The painting is modestly estimated at $150,000- 250,000.

A second major work in the sale is an American impressionist work by the American painter, Richard Edward Miller that Keno thinks might be the gem of the sale. “The setting, with an attractive young woman at her toilette-- her reflection showing her love visage-- is a classic work by Miller--vibrant and painterly -and it is in untouched condition. Painted between 1910 -1915 it has been consigned by Estate of the descendant of an old New England family.” Woman at Her Dressing Table with Earring carries a presale estimate of $200,000- 400,000.

The oldest works in the sale are five circa 1795 Chinese Export reverse paintings on glass depicting months of the year. Consigned by the descendant of an old New York and New England family, they retain their original frames and backboards. They are closely related to a set of months of the year in the collection of Winterthur Museum.  

"All are welcome to come by and preview the sale anytime during Antiques Week. With comfortable seating, the stop might provide a welcome respite from the bustle of week!”

The live auction begins on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. The preview opens on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and continues through the day of the sale, Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. EST.  Address: 127 E. 69th Street, NY. N.Y. Viewing hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (or by appointment outside of scheduled hours). Please contact the gallery for more information: 212-734-2381. Online bidding will be available on several platforms. We also welcome telephone bidding. To view images and descriptions, please visit www.kenoauctions.com

Keno Auctions, a premier auction house specializing in masterworks, is headquartered at127 East 69th Street in Manhattan, specializes in a variety of categories including, but not limited to, fine art, jewelry, furniture, decoration, and Asian works of art. 

About Keno Auctions:

With more than 40 years of experience in the art world, founder Leigh Keno has assembled an exceptional client base of buyers and sellers, as well as, an eminently qualified network of top-notch experts and specialists involved in the disciplines of paintings, furniture, decorative arts and jewelry. Through their longevity in the business, these experts and specialists visit collections and clients advising them on how best to navigate the marketplace.

Keno Auctions works with estate executors, fiduciary advisors and private clients who regularly use their valuation services to provide comprehensive appraisal and auction opportunities. Through their meticulous, well-researched assessments, Keno Auctions has earned the company a distinct reputation for expertise, dependability and integrity, building a broad collector base of buyers and consignors from around the world with record-breaking results.

For more information, visit www.kenoauctions.com