Freeman’s April 29 auction of The Collection of Dorrance ‘Dodo’ H. Hamilton was a resounding success with 99% of the works sold, and six auction records. Freeman’s first-floor gallery was standing room only; the sale drew international interest from collectors who competed in the room, on the phone and over the internet for works, with many of the lots doubling and tripling their estimates. Of the 139 lots offered, 84% sold at or above the estimate. The auction lasted nearly four hours and totaled $4.9 million, including buyer’s premium.
“Today’s results are truly a testament to the caliber of the collection,” Alasdair Nichol, Freeman’s Chairman and the principal auctioneer of Sunday’s sale said. “Mrs. Hamilton’s legacy in Philadelphia and beyond is well-known and wide-reaching, and we were honored to have had a chance to bring so much of her personal collection to auction.”
From champagne receptions to gallery talks, Freeman’s held special events in London, Paris, Hong Kong and New York with highlights from the collection on view to a wide range of international interest. The Main Line and Philadelphia exhibitions had extended viewing hours, and works were thoughtfully presented in museum-quality settings. A lavishly produced, nearly 200 page catalogue included specialist essays on most of the artists included in the collection, as well as full-color illustrations and detailed images of each lot.
The undoubted highlight of Mrs. Hamilton’s fine art collection was a painting by Paul Cézanne entitled “La Vie des Champs,” which sold to a phone bidder for $1,450,000. The painting’s original owner was the legendary art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who gave Cézanne his first exhibition in 1895, and whose clients included Dr. Albert C. Barnes of Philadelphia. The painting then passed to Prince Antoine Bibesco, a Romanian aristocrat, who counted Marcel Proust as a close friend amongst the many celebrated artists, musicians and writers who formed his circle. It subsequently passed through the hands of noted dealers such as Pierre Matisse, Alex Maguy and Acquavella Galleries before entering the collection of Elinor Dorrance Ingersoll, ‘Dodo’ Hamilton’s mother.
Paintings formerly in the collection of prominent Philadelphia collectors Meyer and Nancy Potamkin surpassed their estimates: “The Walk Around Island” by Childe Hassam (Lot 23) achieved $430,000 and Maurice Prendergast’s “The Point, Gloucester” (Lot 25) sold for $292,000. Other notable works that attracted attention in the room and from phone bidders were by Pennsylvania Impressionists: “Children in the Garden” by Martha Walter (Lot 34) sold for $21,250, two works by Daniel Garber (Lots 32 and 33) sold for $137,500 each, and “Girard Trust Building: Third Liberty Loan, 1918” by Paulette van Roekens (Lot 35) set an auction record for the artist when it sold for $46,875.
Six auction records were set for American artists Horace Carpenter (Lot 30), Carl Johan David Nordell (Lot 29), Walter King Stone (Lot 27), Adolphe Borie (Lot 31), Paulette van Roekens (Lot 35) and Edgar Hewitt Nye (Lot 28).
Jewelry from Mrs. Hamilton’s collection will be offered in Freeman’s May 9 Fine Jewelry auction. The 17 pieces of jewelry include an impressive 16.56 carat diamond solitaire ring (Lot 1016), which accompanied the painting by Cézanne to London, Paris and Hong Kong in January, and is estimated at $600,000-800,000. Additional highlights from the forthcoming sale include an Art Deco diamond covered bracelet watch by Cartier ($30,000-50,000) and an Art Deco diamond and rock crystal choker ($30,000-50,000).
Mrs. Hamilton’s furniture and decorative arts followed the fine art and garnered similar success. She collected across a range of categories, surrounding herself with what she loved without concerns for trends. The wicker and rattan furniture drew fierce competition with some lots going for as much as ten, 20 and 30 times their estimate. All of the American and European furniture offered sold above estimate. Furniture by Stickley, Meissen and Staffordshire porcelain, and Newcomb College Pottery were equally as popular among buyers. These works were reflective of Mrs. Hamilton’s personal style and love of the natural world in its many forms.
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