On Sunday, June 5th Grogan & Company will hold its annual June Auction, featuring over 400 lots of fine art, jewelry, silver, decorative arts, furniture, and Oriental rugs. The sale will begin at noon with an impressive selection of over 100 lots of of fine American paintings, furniture, and decorative arts from the estate of a Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts gentleman. Highlights from this important estate include a Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926) oil portrait, a Chinese export plate designed for Martha Washington in 1796, a tall case clock with works by Joseph Gooding, and a secretary bookcase attributed to Calvin Willey.

Mary Cassatt’s striking oil portrait, titled Augusta with Her Forefinger on Her Cheek, measures 26 ¾ x 22 3/8 in. and is estimated at $100,000-200,000. In the portrait, Augusta, who was the subject of several of Cassatt’s oils, stares out at the viewer with deep, doe-like brown eyes, a coy expression on her face, with her mouth closed and the hint of a smile in the dimples at each edge of her lips. She seems relaxed, leaning on her right arm, with her right forefinger resting on her cheek as she sits in quiet repose. The creamy skin of her décolletage is enveloped by the bright blue textured silk and masterfully rendered white lace of her robe.  

Painted by Cassatt in 1910, the portrait of Augusta was with Galerie Durand-Ruel in Paris until at least 1914, at which point it sold to James Jewett Stillman (1859-1918), a wealthy financier and an avid art collector. Upon Stillman’s sudden death in 1918, the work passed by bequest to Stillman’s son, Dr. Ernest Goodrich Stillman of New York, who ultimately gave the painting to the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1922. Augusta hung in Cleveland for many years and was exhibited at museums across the United States throughout the mid-20th century. In 1969, the museum deaccessioned the work and, in 1971, the family of the Chestnut Hill gentleman purchased the painting at Hirschl & Adler in New York.

“This portrait of Augusta is truly a museum-quality by Cassatt – one that we are delighted to have the chance to offer at auction. We hope that prospective bidders and fans of Cassatt alike take the opportunity to come view Augusta and contemplate this example of Cassatt’s masterful portraiture while it hangs in our Charles Street gallery,” remarks Georgina C. Winthrop, fine art specialist.

Another highlight from the estate of the Chestnut Hill gentleman is a Chinese export plate from the “Lady Washington States China” tea service. The plate (diameter: 9 3/8 in.) is one of fewer than twenty remaining pieces from the original 40 piece service. The majority of known examples today are in public collections, while shards of other pieces have been found during excavations at Mount Vernon. The tea service was presented to Martha Washington in April 1796 by the Dutch trader Andreas van Braam Houckgeest, who brought the service from Canton to Philadelphia in a box labeled “for Lady Washington.” Designed for Mrs. Washington by van Braam himself, the service celebrated the nascent United States of America through the decorative motif repeated on each piece: a serpent swallowing its tail (symbolizing eternity), a Latin motto derived from Vergil’s Aeneid (roughly translated “[Our Union is our] Glory and [our] Defense against [Him]), a linked chain encompassing the names of the fifteen states in the Union (symbolizing strength and unity), and Martha Washington’s monogram surrounded by a laurel wreath (symbolizing victory) atop a golden sunburst. The plate is estimated at $25,000-50,000.

The Chestnut Hill gentleman’s estate also features several strong examples of American furniture, including a federal inlaid and figured mahogany tall case clock made for Thomas Jefferson Burt, an ancestor of the Chestnut Hill gentleman. The clock, which measures 88 in. tall, dates to ca. 1815 and carries an estimate of $20,000-30,000. The works are by Joseph Gooding, of Dighton, Massachusetts, a clockmaker who lived from 1773-1853. He is thought to have made approximately 40 tall case clocks, most of which he numbered on the dial (the highest known number is 38). This example is numbered 34 and signed by Gooding on the dial.

A rare Chippendale carved cherrywood desk and bookcase in original condition is estimated at $15,000-25,000. It measures 90 in. high and is attributed to Calvin Willey of Lenox, Massachusetts, ca. 1790. Grogan & Company president Michael B. Grogan notes, “it has a majestic presence that makes it a delight to behold; it is a beautifully proportioned example with splendid details.”

Approximately 170 lots of jewelry from various consignors follow the items from the estate of the Chestnut Hill gentleman. Highlights include a pair of diamond and gem-set “Tutti-Frutti” earrings from Cartier, France, estimated at $15,000-25,000, a platinum, natural untreated Colombian emerald, and diamond ring, estimated at $10,000-15,000, and a 3.7 cts. diamond and platinum ring, estimated at $15,000-25,000. There is also a broad selection of timepieces, including a men’s gold and diamond Rolex “Oyster Perpetual Day-Date” wristwatch, estimated at $6,000-8,000, and a lady’s gold and diamond Rolex “Oyster Perpetual Datejust” wristwatch, estimated at $4,000-6,000. “The variety of private collectors and estates is reflected in the diversity of the jewelry offerings in the June sale. From the iconic Cartier Tutti-Frutti earrings to unusual carved cameo jewelry, there is truly something to satisfy every collector’s taste,” remarks jewelry specialist Lucy P. Grogan.

The June Auction also features nearly 100 lots of fine art from various collectors. A number of striking marine works lead the fine art, including a luminous 9 x 14 in. oil depiction of an arctic sunset off of Labrador by William Bradford (American, 1823-1892) that carries an estimate of $40,000-60,000, a spirited 8 x 12 in. oil of the 1887 America’s Cup race by James Edward Buttersworth (British/American, 1817-1894), estimated at $20,000-40,000, and a 8 x 10 in. oil of guiney boats in Gloucester, MA by Frederick Mulhaupt (American, 1871-1938) with an estimate of $20,000-30,000. Collectors of China Trade paintings will be interested in a 36 x 48 in. oil depicting the clipper ship the Flying Cloud entering Hong Kong that is estimated at $5,000-7,000, which was passed down by descent in the family of Alexander Windsor, the captain of the Flying Cloud, as well as a pair of early 19th century China Trade 8 x 12 in. oils estimated at $8,000-12,000.

Several paintings in the auction are being sold to benefit the Sandwich Glass Museum, in Sandwich, Massachusetts, including two colorful works by Will Barnet (American, 1911-2012). One, which measures 28 x 13 in., is entitled The Lesson II and depicts a young child sitting in the lap of his piano teacher, hands poised over the black piano. The other, measuring 11 ¾ x 8 3/4 in. and called Father and Child (Self-Portrait), is an intimate portrait of a man holding a small baby in his arms. Both works carry estimates of $5,000-10,000.

Other notable paintings in the auction include works by American artists such as William Lester Stevens (1888-1969), William Louis Sonntag, Sr. (1822-1900), Albert Ernest Backus (1906-1990), Karl Knaths (1891-1971), Charles Webster Hawthorne (1872-1930), and Laura Coombs Hills (1859-1952).

A number of lots in the sale come from a Cohasset, Massachusetts family, including a commemorative glass plate with a cat etched on it, by Isamu Noguchi (Japanese/American 1904-1988) for Steuben Glass and a Hans Wegner valet chair, by Johannes Hansen, Copenhagen, ca. 1958. The glass plate is estimated at $8,000-12,000 and the valet chair at $4,000-6,000. From the same family also comes a remarkable grouping of works by the author and artist Ludwig Bemelmans (American, 1898-1962), who was best known for the children’s book series Madeline. There are two oils by Bemelmans in the sale, each 32 x 23 ¾ in., and each with an estimate of $3,000-5,000. One, titled Femme a la Rose, depicts a woman alone at a table, smelling a rose, with a glass of wine by her arm, while the other, entitled Solitude, depicts a man staring out at the viewer, his female companion with her back to him. There are also seven watercolor and ink sketches by Bemelmans, including A Christmas Card for Miss Clavel, estimated at $500-800, and Sketch for Madeline in London, estimated at $800-1,200.

For more information and to view the illustrated online catalogue, please visit www.groganco.com. The auction will be held at Grogan & Company’s Beacon Hill gallery at 12 noon on Sunday, June 5th. The sale exhibition will open to the public on Thursday, June 2nd at 12 noon.