Bracket Clock Is a Real Show-Stopper

June 21st, 2014


The high lot of the Evans sale was this unassuming bracket clock by Samuel Betts of London (active 1645-73). The clock features an engraved brass dial signed “Samuel Betts Londini,” with a double-fusee movement, dating from the mid-17th century. The case is ebonized wood resting on a separate base. The case may date later than the works. The clock measures 19¾" in overall height, with an 8¼" x 9" dial. The clock sold to an Internet buyer for $109,250 (est. $800/1200), which caused jaw-dropping awe. To understand why, see the story.


This diminutive child’s chest of drawers is constructed of hard poplar with yellow pine as its secondary wood. The chest is from New Market, Shenandoah County, Virginia. The chest features four graduated scratch-beaded drawers set in a dovetailed case with the original wooden knobs. The front feet are in a French style, and it has cutout front and side skirts. The chest dates 1795-1805 and measures 27" x 25¼" x 10¾”. This nice little chest sold for $10,925 (est. $6000/9000).

Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Inc., Mt. Crawford, Virginia

Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates

Twice a year, Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Inc. presents a catalog auction dedicated to “Americana and Fine Antiques Featuring Virginia and the South.” Those are the sales that often produce spectacular items (and prices) representing some of the country’s finest and unique antiques. The June 21 sale catalog listed 680 quality lots, but nothing jumped out as being a real show-stopper.

Surprise! The high lot of the day came out of nowhere and left the salesroom as quiet as an empty church. The bracket clock was by the early English clockmaker Samuel Betts, who was actively working in London 1645-73. The clock featured a brass dial engraved “Samuel Betts Londini” in script along the lower edge. The clock was housed in a simple Classical Greek-inspired ebonized wood case resting on a separate base with small bun feet. The clock carried an $800/1200 presale estimate.

The estimate was low, in part due to the fact that there appeared to have been some alterations to the clockworks. After the catalog and the estimate had been posted, a 1991 report by W. David Todd, museum specialist at the Smithsonian Institution, came to light. That report indicated there had indeed been alterations to the clockworks, but those alterations were likely done by the “hand of its maker, and the conversion of its escapement was undertaken only to improve its timekeeping ability.” That information was added to both the on-line posting and the print catalog as a “CONDITION UPDATE.” The estimate was not changed.

In an e-mail following the sale, Jeff Evans stated, “I believe that having that report coupled with the low estimate sparked the bidding frenzy.” The bidding frenzy that Evans was referring to was among seven telephone bidders, four of whom were overseas, and numerous Internet bidders. None of the in-house bidders participated. Bidding for the clock opened at ten times the low estimate and raced onward and upward from there. The clock ultimately sold for $109,250 (includes buyer’s premium) to an individual in Australia bidding on the Internet.

Clocks fall within the furniture category at Evans’s sales, and although that category has lagged in recent years, many of this sale’s most successful lots came from the group. Aside from the items listed within the photo section, several other lots deserve mention. A 1785-95 Petersburg, Virginia, Chippendale mahogany corner chair, with broad D-shaped arm rail and complex vase-form pierced back splat, brought $16,100, more than twice its high estimate. A 1760-80 figured walnut with yellow pine secondary wood Chippendale desk-and-bookcase from the Tidewater area of Virginia made $23,000 against an estimate of $2000/3000. And a fine 1765-80 Chippendale side chair attributed to the Roanoke River basin of Virginia or North Carolina and constructed of river birch brought $4887.50, nearly ten times its high estimate.

One category that usually provides much of the fireworks at an Evans sale is pottery. That was not the case this time. Sales in that group were good, but with only a few exceptions, the lots sold neatly within presale estimates.

For additional information, contact Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Inc. at (540) 434-3939 or on the Web (www.jeffreys evans.com).

This carved mahogany side chair created quite a stir. The chair is attributed to Robert Walker (1710-1777) of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The chair features a shaped crest rail with heavily scrolled ears. The back splat is pierced and carved with an interlaced “floating square” decorative element seen in other Walker pieces. The trapezoidal seat frame is raised on slightly cabriole legs with shell-carved knees with husks carved below, terminating in compressed ball-and-claw front feet. This particular chair dates 1745-60. Catalog notes indicate that this chair was likely disassembled and reassembled at some point, with blocking removed, corner brackets replaced, and rails repined. The so-called “Walker school” has been the subject of a great deal of investigation, scholarship, and speculation over recent years, and this chair will certainly fuel new forensic fires related to that body of work. The chair was hotly contested and ultimately sold to one of several telephone bidders for $28,750 (est. $3000/5000).

This brightly paint-decorated pine blanket chest is from Pennsylvania, circa 1830. The chest is a convenient diminutive size at 25" x 30¾" x 18¾". The case is dovetailed, with molding applied to the lid and at the base. The piece is raised on turned acorn-form feet. The surface features the original dry green and yellow paint on a salmon ground. The chest is in overall excellent condition, with some warping to the lid. The winning bidder took this chest home for $7450 (est. $2000/3000).

This framed theorem-style appliqué panel features a two-handled vase with an overflowing floral arrangement. The flowers are stitched cotton fabric with inked outlines and embellishments. Three ink inscriptions are found on the panel. Lower left is an eagle or dove holding a banner with the name “Amanda H. Donohoe.” Below that device is an inscription, “Philomont, Va,” a Loudoun County, Virginia, village. Lower right is the date “December 25, 1849.” The textile measures 9¾" square sight size and is presented under glass in a maple and walnut block corner frame. The panel was won by a telephone bidder for $3220 (est. $500/800).

This painted tin sign speaks for itself. It carries the same request on both sides. The piece is mounted in a painted wooden frame and measures 13¾" x 24" overall. The sign is American and dates from the first quarter of the 20th century. There is no information as to its specific origin. The sign sold to an Internet bidder for $920 (est. $100/150).

This Civil War-era broadside is titled “A Fair, Candid and Unbiassed [sic] Statement of the cause which led to the execution of my Son, Capt. Geo. W. Summers, and the circumstances connected therewith, Grove Hill, Page Co. Va, July 24, 1865.” The broadside is a rare original account of what has become known as the “Summers-Koontz Incident.” The facts detailed in this broadside are presented by Summers’s father; the account was published less than a month after his son’s execution by a Union firing squad on June 27, 1865, without benefit of a trial. All this took place two months after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. This document is in good overall condition, 20½" x 11" sight size, and framed. An Internet buyer won this broadside for $2300 (est. $300/500). Readers are encouraged to read the various accounts of both sides of the incident. As is often the case, the truth probably lies somewhere between the two versions.

Among the fine art lots, this Texas landscape by Porfirio Salinas (Mexican-American, 1910-1973) was a standout performer. The oil on artist board depicts a springtime scene of a field of blossoming bluebonnets beside what appears to be a winding stream with a mountain range in the background. The painting dates 1940-60 and measures 8½" x 11½" sight size. The piece is in excellent condition and is signed lower left. This Salinas landscape brought $8050 (est. $1000/2000).

As far as broken plates go, this is a really nice one. It is a 9½" diameter dinner plate from the Abraham Lincoln White House. The plate is from a set ordered by Mary Todd Lincoln in 1861. The plate is decorated in the Solferino or royal purple pattern with a wide purple band at the shoulder and an Alhambra gold border. The center is decorated with an American eagle atop an American shield amid puffy clouds, with a banner containing the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM” below. The plate has a 1½" x 4" glued repair and a small loss to the rim. The plate was hotly contested and sold for $9200 (est. $300/500).

This small (5" x 9" x 4½") valuables box is constructed from pine and features dovetail construction, and the lid is attached with cotter-pin hinges. The ends of the lid have beveled battens attached with rosehead nails. The box is also strengthened with wrought-iron corner mounts. The lock and hasp are original. The front panel of the box is decorated with polychrome painted tulips, and the end panels display additional floral elements. The box dates from the 18th century and is in as-found condition. This little box sold for $862.50 (est. $200/300).


Originally published in the September 2014 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2014 Maine Antique Digest

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