Skinner American Furniture & Decorative Arts Auction
- by Bruce E. McKinney
Every salad needs some dressing.
By Bruce McKinney
Skinner's, the Boston auction house, recently issued a catalogue for their upcoming sale of antiques and decorative arts. It will be held on November 7th. Their catalogues are always worth a careful examination even if your collecting interests are at the margin of the catalogue's focus. They combine the appeal of attractive four-color magazines with the potential for finding something to bid on. They are well done and this most recent catalogue is no exception.
Book people will be wondering where the books are in this catalogue and I'll admit I didn't see any in the textual descriptions. Undaunted I looked further. Lot 1 looks interesting. This is an Auburn Boattail Speedster Style Convertible, a "custom fabricated reproduction" or as we say in the book trade, a reprint. If I'm going to drive down backroads looking for booksellers who haven't yet discovered the internet and want $10 for all their damn books I think I want to be driving this car. It's estimated at $25,000 to $35,000. For those who insist on buying a book I'll bet that an operator's manual is included.
No. 111 is a painting and easy to include. It's an unsigned portrait of Ebenezer French [1787-1850]. To those who don't know him Ebenezer was born in Boston and originally worked for the Boston Patriot newspaper. Later he founded, with Isaac Monroe, the Baltimore Patriot which was the first newspaper to publish The Star Spangled Banner. He was active in the defense of Baltimore during the War of 1812 and later a minor official under John Quincy Adams in the State Department. This 26" x 24" piece of American history is estimated at $2,000 to $2,500.
Lot 113 is an unsigned watercolor, guache, pen and ink work of Commodore Preble's attack and bombardment of the harbor at Tripoli in 1804. It is only fractionally larger than 9" x 13" framed but quite eye catching. Those who collect the Barbary States with a subtle American twist will find this appealing. $1,000 - $1,500
For book lovers there is lot 167, the portrait of Webster Tucker c. 1844 holding two books. It's a large painting, 45" by 32". It is also an expensive painting estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 so if you buy it you probably won't be buying much else for a while.
Lot 305 is the unsigned Portrait of Fire Engine Pumper Excelsior Eagle 3. This is a beauty and looks like it should be on the wall behind one of those bars that charge $10 for a martini. It is a large painting, 44" x 77", so measure your den walls carefully before committing yourself to the fray. The estimate is $5,500 to $6,500.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
