Hummingbirds, Hamilton’s Pistols, and the ‘Acme of Perfection’ Table at Auction

Earlier this week, I wrote about The Winter Show, the year’s marquee dealer show of antique American furniture, silver, clocks, glass, textiles, and paintings, augmented these days by European things and some contemporary art. Since the ’70s, Christie’s and Sotheby’s have timed their sales of these things, called Americana, for the same week. American collectors and curators from all over the country descend on New York City to see what’s new.

What the dealers sell is retail, at markups starting at 100 percent. What the auction houses sell is wholesale, though sometimes auction sales ignore the laws of prudence and common sense. I follow both markets. This year, as always, the Americana sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s are chockablock with this-and-that, and, to challenge preconceived notions of Americana, I spotted only one duck decoy and few weathervanes. Over the past week and a half, and seven or eight sales, on the block went portraits of Washington, Alexander Hamilton’s pistols, two cigar-store Indians, what seems like a ton of silver, a case of bourbon, and a tea table known in the furniture world as the “Acme of Perfection,” among hundreds of other objects.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

Earlier this week, I wrote about The Winter Show, the year’s marquee dealer show of antique American furniture, silver, clocks, glass, textiles, and paintings, augmented these days by European things and some contemporary art. Since the ’70s, Christie’s and Sotheby’s have timed their sales of these things, called Americana, for the same week. American collectors and curators from all over the country descend on New York City to see what’s new.

What the dealers sell is retail, at markups starting at 100 percent. What the auction houses sell is wholesale, though sometimes auction sales ignore the laws of prudence and common sense. I follow both markets. This year, as always, the Americana sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s are chockablock with this-and-that, and, to challenge preconceived notions of Americana, I spotted only one duck decoy and few weathervanes. Over the past week and a half, and seven or eight sales, on the block went portraits of Washington, Alexander Hamilton’s pistols, two cigar-store Indians, what seems like a ton of silver, a case of bourbon, and a tea table known in the furniture world as the “Acme of Perfection,” among hundreds of other objects.