In this month’s report, a Surrealist painting by Gertrude Abercrombie sold for $469,900 at an auction by the merged Freeman’s and Hindman auction houses. Other noteworthy items sold included a 19th-century French painting, a Cartier pendant, white gold and diamond earrings and Jackie Kennedy’s dress from her wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
The Potomack Company
Shepherd Boy with Dog “Mercure et Argus”
Estimate: $1,500–$3,000
Sold for: $19,000
This oil on canvas by Alexandre-Eugène Castelnau (1827-1894), an artist from Montpellier, France, is signed and dated in the lower right corner: “E. Castelnau 1869.” Castelnau’s works can be found in several French museums, including the Musée Paul Valery, Sète; the Musée des Beaux-arts, Rennes; and the Musée Fabre, Montpellier. The painting sold for over six times the high estimate.
Doyle
Estimate: $1,000–$1,500
Sold for: $19,200
This 14-carat gold pendant features heart-shaped oval and turquoise stones and a red and white enamel lighthouse. There are also nine round diamonds. It is signed: “Cartier, no. 11141.”
Freeman’s | Hindman
“The Magician” by Gertrude Abercrombie
Estimate: $70,000–$90,000
Sold for: $469,900
A Surrealist 1956 painting by the Chicago artist Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977) sold for nearly a half-million dollars, more than five times the high estimate. The winning bid was reportedly fueled by a bidding war via phone. The work, in its original frame, shows a pale woman in a pink gown levitating above a chaise lounge, with a black cat at lower left.
Bonhams
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Valentino Wedding Ensemble
Sold for: $24,320
This ensemble, from Valentino’s “Sfilata Bianca” collection, shown in Rome in 1968, was owned and worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at her wedding to Aristotle Onassis on Oct. 20, 1968, in Skorpios, Greece. It includes a pleated sleeveless dress of cream silk crepe and a chiffon and lace overlay shell. The overall condition was noted as very good, with no visible tearing and a working zipper.
Weschler’s
18-Karat White Gold and Diamond Earrings
Estimate: $1,200–$1,500
Sold for: $1,800
This pair of white gold, blue zircon and diamond pendant earrings went for more than the high estimate. The zircon measures 9.3 by 7.5mm and the total carat weight of the diamonds is approximately 1.50.
