Boston high chest sells for $48,300 while paintings, Native American pieces make a respectable showing.

NEW YORK, NY - On April 25, Doyle New York offered an auction of American Furniture and Decorations to a crowded salesroom of bidders from around the country. A wide range of Americana was featured, from 18th and early 19th century furniture, to Folk Art paintings, historical prints and decorations, in addition to a selection of American Indian baskets, pottery, masks and rugs. Of the 452 lots in the auction, 95 percent were sold by value.

Furniture

The most anticipated lot of the sale was a carved oak Hadley chest, a type of early American chest that was made in the Connecticut River Valley and named after the town of Hadley, Mass., in which many were found. Only about 200 examples remain from 1680 -1730, and as a result, they are one of the most sought after categories of early American furniture today. Hadley chests were created for daughters of wealthy families as dower chests and often bore the owner's initials. The chest offered in the sale was made in Hampshire County, Mass., circa 1700, and is initialed MM.

In his 1935 book, "The Hadley Chest," the Rev. Clair Franklin Luther cited this MM chest as descending in the Severance family of Bellows Falls, Vt. Ebenezer Severance (1673-1723) married a woman named Mary in Deerfield, Mass., on May 9, 1695. Although Mary's last name is unknown, the chest was probably made for her marriage. Despite the restoration of the chest's drawer front and bottom rail many years ago, it hammered down at a respectable $40,250 to a telephone bidder.

Also attracting much interest was a handsome Queen Anne walnut veneered high chest from Boston, circa 1730-50, that achieved $48,300. Another top lot was a William and Mary gumwood kas, circa 1800, which brought $10,925. American examples of kasten, such as this one, originated only in New York and northeastern New Jersey, with areas of significant Dutch populations. Also doubling its estimate was a fine example of an early Rococo revival marble top rosewood center table from Philadelphia, circa 1845, with an original finish, that realized $8,050.

Decorations

Accompanying the furniture was a selection of American decorative items. A silk and linen needlework family record, circa 1825, documenting the Richard Wilcox family with a house and a weeping willow tree, fared well at $8,050, as did a late 19th century framed needlepoint of George Washington after Gilbert Stuart at $4,600. Another highlight was a large classical gilt-wood pier mirror from the mid-18th century that sold for $6,325.

Native American

American Indian works in the sale performed well above their estimates. A Tec Nos Pas Navajo rug (1920-30), that carried an estimate of $1,000-1,500, brought $5,462. Contributing to the rug's high price was its provenance (Collection of Gilbert Maxwell), impeccable condition and bright colors. Other top American Indian items were an Apache coiled basketry bowl, comprised of a band of alternating human, dog and diamond forms, that realized $6,325, and a blackware pottery jar from the San lldefonso pueblo, signed by Maria Martinez and Popoui Da, that went for $6,612.

Paintings

Highlights among the fine art included a Folk Art painting of an adorable young girl in a blue dress holding a bouquet of flowers by William Matthew Prior (1806-1873), which soared past its pre-sale estimate of $3,500-4,500, to sell for $27,600. Doyle New York's November 2001 American Furniture and Decorations sale will again offer a pair of portraits by Prior (est. $5,000-6,000). Another interesting lot was an American School painting of a "View of a Church Along the James." A bidder from Virginia purchased the painting for $6,900, which depicts St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Va. It was at this church on March 23, 1775, that Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech.

Doyle New York's next exhibition and auction is in November. For further information regarding the November sale, contact Jeni Sandberg at (212) 427-4141, Ext. 271. To order a catalogue, call the Client Services Department at (212) 427-4141, Ext. 257. Browse their free, fully illustrated catalogues and leave bids online at www.doylenewyork.com.