Earliest Settlers

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On September 16, 1620, a group of Puritan Separatists (better known as “Pilgrims”) set sail from Plymouth, England aboard the Mayflower. These settlers spotted land off of Cape Cod on November 9 and began to make way for their destination. Shallow shoals near Nantucket made it virtually impossible for the Mayflower to advance. She was forced to turn around and finally dropped anchor off of present-day Provincetown, Massachusetts on November 21, 1620. The Pilgrims created a new home for themselves, suffering through the cold New England winters, but eventually thriving and creating a strong community.

A mere decade later another group of Puritan colonists, led by John Winthrop, arrived in North America. They first landed in Salem in June of 1630, but continued down the coast in search of clean, fresh water. The Shawmut Peninsula became their eventual home, as the town of Boston was officially founded in September of 1630. The Puritans came upon the lone resident of the Shawmut Peninsula, Reverend William Blackstone – an Anglican Priest who had left England in 1623 on a quest to find peace and quiet. He welcomed the Puritans onto “his land,” sharing the location of the fresh water spring. For his generosity, the Puritans granted him 50 acres of his own land, which he sold back to them 4 years later. Blackstone decided to leave Boston for present-day Cumberland, Rhode Island , saying, “I left England on account of the bishops, and I leave Boston on account of the brethren.”

Eldred’s, East Dennis, Massachusetts

Photos courtesy Eldred’s

Rising interest in American furniture drove Eldred’s November 19 and 20, 2020, auction. Many of the lots came from New England collections and estates. One of those collections was that of Richard I. M. Kelton (1929-2019), a collector extraordinaire. Kelton’s collection has been sold at auctions across the globe. Christie’s has mounted four sales (two in London and two in New York City); Oceanic and tribal works were sold at Clars Auction gallery; African, Oceanic, and pre-Columbian art was sold at Bonhams; and maritime art and artifacts were offered this past summer at Eldred’s and again in this sale. More lots from the Kelton collection will be offered in future sales.

Other collections of interest were that of Carl and Mary Breyer of West Springfield, Massachusetts, and a Provincetown estate that included a selection of art by Maurice Sendak.

When The Cabbage Patch, Bermuda by Edwin Ambrose Webster (1869-1935), a 34' x 24½' (sight size) oil on canvas, sold at Eldred’s in 2009, it was unsigned and in its original frame. The frame was subsequently removed as was a label indicating that the painting was titled Cabbage Patch. It ended up in the care of scholar Dr. John Driscoll (1949-2020) of Driscoll Babcock Galleries, New York City, which handled much of the artist’s estate. The painting was exhibited in 2016 and given an estate-signed and authorized stamped signature. Driscoll thought the picture was a lost work depicting Jamaica that had been exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show. From a Cape Cod estate and estimated at $15,000/20,000, the painting went for $45,000.

The auction’s top lot was The Cabbage Patch, Bermuda by Edwin Ambrose Webster (1869-1935). When the oil on canvas had sold previously at Eldred’s in 2009, it was unsigned and in its original frame. The frame was subsequently removed, as was a label indicating that the painting was titled Cabbage Patch. The painting ended up in the care of scholar Dr. John Driscoll (1949-2020) of Driscoll Babcock Galleries, New York City, which handled much of the artist’s estate. It was exhibited in 2016 and given an estate-signed and authorized stamped signature. Driscoll thought the painting was a lost work depicting Jamaica that had been exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show. From a Cape Cod estate and estimated at $15,000/20,000, the painting sold for $45,000 (with buyer’s premium).

For more information, see the website (www.eldreds.com) or call (508) 385-3116.

Wedding Dance by Ralph E. Cahoon Jr. (1910-1982), a 25½' x 38' (sight size) scene in oil on masonite, has a lot going on outside a shoreside teahouse with American ships and Chinese junks nearby. There are three sailors, one at rest on the deck and two dancing, four women, and two mermaids flying kites, one in the form of an eagle and the other a bat. The painting, signed “R. Cahoon,” came from a New England collection and had been acquired in Boston, likely at Vose Galleries, in the mid-1960s. It sold for $37,500 (est. $30,000/50,000).

Newburyport shelf clock by David Wood (1766-1855) in mahogany, birch, and satinwood veneers, with three plinths on the bonnet, two with brass urn-form finials and the central one topped by a brass spread-wing eagle. An ebonized sawtooth border is on the edge of the dial door, and birch veneer, geometric bandings, and inlaid swirls decorate the lower portion of the case. The dial is signed faintly “David Wood Newbury Port.” From a New England collection, the clock brought $20,000 (est. $8000/12,000).

This rare half-hull model of the clipper ship Staffordshire by Donald McKay Shipbuilders, East Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1851, was built up in 24 lifts. The keel, the rudder, and the bowsprit were applied. Its provenance includes Samuel L. Lowe of Boston, Albert Goodhue Jr. of Boston, and Hyland Granby Antiques, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, from whom collector Richard I. M. Kelton had acquired it. Estimated at $3000/5000, the half-hull sold for $10,000.

The Massachusetts Chippendale mahogany serpentine bureau, circa 1780, with four graduated drawers and original brasses realized $8750 (est. $4000/6000). From the Carl and Mary Breyer estate, the bureau had been acquired in 1979 from Brimfield Antiques, Brimfield, Massachusetts, and was offered with the original sales receipt and copies of newspaper clippings describing the sales of similar chests.

This early 19th-century Simon Willard patent banjo clock in a mahogany case with its original reverse-painted throat and door glass in white, salmon, and gilt came from a New England collection. The door glass is marked “S. WILLARD’S PATENT”; the brass eagle finial and sidearms are replacements. Estimated at $1000/1400, the clock realized $20,000.

Connecticut Chippendale cherry chest-on-chest, circa 1780, with a broken-arch pediment on the bonnet top, three carved finials, dentil edges, rosettes at the end of the scrolls, and replaced brasses, sold for $11,250 (est. $3000/5000).

Chippendale mahogany serpentine-front slant-lid desk from the school of William King of Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1780, with a block-and-fan interior, a fan drop on the skirt, claw-and-ball feet, and replacement hardware. It realized $8750 (est. $8000/10,000).

This Aaron Willard mahogany tall-case clock, circa 1800, with grain mahogany veneer on the paneled pendulum door is signed “Aaron Willard” on the painted dial. The moon-phase dial is decorated with a ship. Estimated at $10,000/15,000, the clock realized $16,250.

The Chippendale bonnet-top secretary in rich cherry, made in north coastal Connecticut and dating from 1780, bears the characteristics of fine Newport construction, with three plinths supporting spiral finials and arched raised panels. Estimated at $3000/5000, the secretary represented a stunning buy for the bidder who paid only $2000 for it.

Red Dory, a sweeping view of a dory on the sand by Anne Packard, brought $20,000 (est. $20,000/30,000). The 48' x 72' (sight size) oil on canvas is signed by the artist and hangs in a Guido frame.

Red Dory at Dock, a 60' x 36' (sight size) oil on canvas by Provincetown artist Anne Packard (b. 1933), realized $17,500 (est. $10,000/15,000). It is signed and dated 2002.

This rare diminutive Portsmouth Federal mahogany server with flame satinwood drawer fronts was attributed to Judkins and Senter, circa 1810. It came from the collection of important New Hampshire furniture gathered carefully by Lawrence and Dorothy Perkins. Only seven or eight other examples are known, and they are in museum collections. A similar example is illustrated in Portsmouth Furniture: Masterworks from the New Hampshire Seacoast (1993), edited by Brock Jobe. The server sold for $15,000 (est. $10,000/20,000). It had been offered in Eldred’s July 2020 auction but did not sell.

After Church, Provincetown by Iowa-born Provincetown artist Ross Embrose Moffett (1888-1971) sold for $27,500 (est. $15,000/20,000). The 39½' x 49½' (sight size) oil on canvas was published in Cape Cod Gardens and Houses (1994) by Catherine Fallin and Taylor Lewis. The artist was a founder of the Provincetown Art Association and prominent in the town. The painting came from the same Provincetown estate that provided a cache of Maurice Sendak ephemera.

Five framed sketched greetings inscribed by Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), circa 1970, from a Provincetown estate brought $10,000 (est. $2000/3000). The consignor had published Sendak’s work.

The 19th-century Canadian carved figure of a winged angel, 9' x 29', wears a flowing gown and holds a bunch of grapes. From a Provincetown estate, it was said to have been part of a side panel on a hearse. It sold for $5625 (est. $150/250).

This 48' long salesman’s sample of an Old Town canoe, circa 1915, in green-painted canvas on a wood frame, with “Old Town Canoe” on both sides in yellow lettering with red and white highlights, retains the original labels on both sides. Estimated at $10,000/15,000, the canoe brought $11,250.

This early 19th-century mahogany and mahogany veneer lady’s writing desk was attributed to Duncan Phyfe. It has a canted arrangement of shelves with pierced galleries, an adjustable writing slant, delicate hairy-paw front legs, and turned and tapered back legs. Estimated at $1500/2500, the desk brought $5000.

One doesn’t often see giraffes on Cape Cod, but Eldred’s brought an impressive bronze pair to auction. One is 92' tall, and the other is 78'. They had been part of a Hollywood collection and came most recently from a Provincetown collection. Estimated at $10,000/12,000, the pair fetched $10,000.

Dating Site City In Provincetown Massachusetts Town Hall

Originally published in the March 2021 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2021 Maine Antique Digest