Christie's Announces Americana Week 2022
New York – Christie’s presents Americana Week 2022, a series of three live and one online sales comprised of 19th Century American Art on January 19, The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman on January 20, Important Americana on January 20-21, and an online sale of Chinese Export Art open between January 11 – February 2. Viewing is by appointment beginning January 13 at Christie’s Rockefeller Center Galleries.
Outstanding paintings across the auctions include a masterpiece portrait by Ammi Phillips from The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman, majestic landscapes by Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Church, and portraits of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart and Charles Peale Polk. Exceptional works offered in Important Americana include a 1776 Ratzer map of New York City, a Jacob Hurd silver salver, and furniture is highlighted by a magnificent Philadelphia Queen Anne armchair. Prized examples of Chinese Export Porcelain include a selection of China Trade paintings led by a portrait of Houqua.
Americana week 2022 | sale overview
19th Century American Art | JANUARY 19
Christie’s is thrilled to launch 19th Century American Art during the January 2022 Americana Week. The curated sale of 69 lots is dedicated to 19th Century American paintings, drawings and sculpture, and is anchored by two noteworthy collections from Houston, Texas—the James William Glanville and Nancy Hart Glanville Collection and the Estate of Patrick Rutherford, Jr.—which feature important works by Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Church and John Frederick Kensett.
Leading the sale is the resplendent In the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt which captures the awe of Cathedral Rocks on a crystalline day, and is among the property from the Estate of Patrick Rutherford, Jr. (estimate: $300,000-500,000). Frederic Church’s Winter Scene in Hartford, painted circa 1846-47, is a beautiful winter landscape of the artist’s hometown which reflects the influence of Thomas Cole (estimate: $200,000-300,000).
Along with Hudson River School landscapes, the auction will also feature historical Western art by Alfred Jacob Miller and Charles Schreyvogel; still-life paintings by James Peale, William Michael Harnett and John Frederick Peto; Maritime paintings by James Edward Buttersworth and Fitz Henry Lane; and genre scenes by Winslow Homer and J.G. Brown.
The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman | JANUARY 20
The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman stands as one of the most astutely curated assemblages of American Folk Art to come to market in recent years. The collection is remarkable for its beautiful works in pristine condition and consistent high quality, with many of the offerings representing the best of their type. Offering fresh to the market works acquired beginning in the 1950s, highlights range from masterpieces of American Folk Portraiture to early furniture forms with old surfaces to painted toleware and Shaker boxes.
A leading highlight of the Goodman Collection is Ammi Phillips’ Woman with Pink Ribbons, a vibrant, minimalist and mesmerizingly beautiful portrait that stands as one of the artist’s masterpieces. Phillips has brought the sitter forward and only included the smallest of background details, resulting in a powerful composition with maximum impact. Woman with Pink Ribbons is estimated at $800,000-1,200,000, the same estimate as Phillips’ current auction record holding work, Girl in Red Dress with a Dog.
Additional painting highlights include Samuel Addison Shute’s Woman with Two Canaries, A Pair of Portraits of Husband and Wife by Jacob Maentel, and The Dow Twins and Captain John Bourne, both by John Brewster. Three-dimensional works include a red-painted Centre County chest, illustrated in both Lipman and Armstrong’s The Flowering of American Folk Art 1776-1876 and The Pennsylvania-German Decorated Chest by Monroe Fabian, and an Angel Gabriel weathervane that had been exhibited at the United States Pavilion at the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka, Japan.
The sale represents the evolution of the Goodman’s collection from one of their earliest acquisitions – a pair of portraits by William Matthew Prior purchased in 1953 – to one of Peter’s last purchases, a portrait of a woman by Jane Anthony Davis that he obtained in 2008.
Important Americana | JANUARY 20-21
Christie’s Important Americana is the cornerstone sale of Christie’s Americana Week, offering more than 260 lots during the two-day sale on January 20-21. Displaying the height of colonial craftsmanship, the furniture highlights include a magnificent Philadelphia Queen Anne carved walnut armchair, a bombé chest of drawers from Marblehead and a Salem Queen Anne high chest and dressing table suite. The robust folk art section includes cigar store and carousel figures, sculptures by John Scholl and exceptional New England portraits. Bernard Ratzer’s Plan of the City of New York is widely considered a cartographic masterpiece from 1776-77, and is the finest example known in private ownership.
Highlights of historic portraiture include Charles Peale Polk’s portrait of George Washington, Gilbert Stuart’s Atheneaum-type portrait of George Washington and Ralph Earl’s likeness of Captain Jabez Huntington. Also featured is a selection of marine art from the esteemed India House Club collection. Consisting of works from the 18th to the 20th centuries, this season’s American silver selection includes a number of beautiful works by Tiffany & Co., such as a tea service in the ever popular chrysanthemum pattern, as well as important examples of Colonial American silver, including tankards, porringers, and a rare Jacob Hurd salver.
Chinese Export Art | JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 2
The annual Chinese Export Art sale will be offered online from January 11 through February 2. The sale is led by the fourth tranche of the famed Tibor Collection, including models of porcelain birds and animals as well as a rare pair of European court figures. The sale also features a selection of China Trade paintings from India House, the storied New York club— most notably a portrait of Houqua, the most powerful and wealthy of the Chinese merchants who made up the Co-Hong in Canton. Other offerings include garnitures of vases, ‘mistake’ wares and European subject pieces from the collection of Dr. Shirley Mueller.
SALE SCHEDULE
ONLINE | January 11 – February 2:
Chinese Export Art
January 19 at 10am:
19th Century American Art
January 20 at 10am:
The Collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman
January 20 at 2pm – January 21 at 10am:
Important Americana
