A monumental, 10-foot-tall antique grandfather clock made of carved oak, by R. J. Horner brought a monumental price of $97,750 at a multi-estate sale held April 4 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. The antique grandfather clock was the top earner of the more than 400 lots that changed hands in a sale that grossed over $1.4 million. The auction was held at Fontaine’s spacious gallery, located at 1485 Housatonic Street in Pittsfield.
“It’s fitting that a clock should take top honors, since vintage clocks and watches are a niche we have successfully and aggressively pursued in recent years,” said John Fontaine of the Fontaine Gallery. In fact, there is another Cataloged Important Antique Clock & Watch Auction for the weekend of May 30-31. May 30th will be dedicated to clocks, while May 31st will focus on watches.
Nearly 1000 registered bidders participated in the April 4 sale. The 2 day preview had a crowd of about 400 people strolling through Fontaine’s huge showroom. In addition, there were around 150 registered phone bidders. About 200 absentee bids were also recorded. In addition, another 150 internet bidders were facilitated by Artfact.com. The bulk of the sale (about 75 percent of all lots) comprised the living estate of Dale Miller, who collected high-end Victorian-era furniture, lighting and accessories.
Other clocks that did well included an Elliot 8-tube mahogany grandfather clock ($9,200, a large carved Black Forest double mechanical cuckoo clock ($9,200); ); a Tiffany & Company 9-tube mahogany grandfather clock ($8,050); and an Ansonia antique standing clock ($8,050). Also, a gorgeous Botems Paris 12-bird automaton with built-in timepiece changed hands for $16,100.
Hundreds of rare and vintage clocks and watches will cross the block that first weekend in May at the scheduled auction, but the star lot promises to be a Howard #61 Astronomical Regulator, highly coveted and consigned by the original family. It will be the third such Howard #61 offered by Fontaine’s within a year. The first set a world record selling for $195,500 in June of last year, while another example went for the princely sum of $189,750 at an auction conducted in November.