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.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
