THOMASTON, ME:  In addition to the sailing, scenery and seafood, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ biggest sale of the year Aug. 25, 26 & 27 is another great reason to love summertime in Maine. Titled “August Grandeur,” this year’s auction will present an amazing array of important art, antiques, and decorative rarities sourced primarily from local collections and estates.  

Thomaston Place owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux said: “Every August our gallery becomes a veritable museum of treasures discovered right here in Maine, including wonderful paintings, estate jewelry, folk art, and many other amazing items. Best of all, all are available for purchase in our auction.”       

Featured artwork will include: “New York City,” a beautiful oil on panel work by Childe Hassam; Fairfield Porter’s painting titled “December 1967”; George Inness’ work, “Banks of Tin Brook”, depicting a stream near Waldon, NY; and “Selling the Wool”, an early 19^th C. painting by British artist Thomas Paine. Additionally, there will be paintings by Winslow Homer, John Sloan, Diego Rivera, David Teniers the Younger, Pierre Auguste Renoir, James Buttersworth, Stephen Scott Young, Frederic Church, Bernard Buffet, and many others.

Another highlight will be Robert Indiana’s complete “Numbers” portfolio of signed serigraphs. There will also be modernist works by Christiaan Beekman, Rene Portocarrero, Ron Walotsky, Oscar Dominguez, Raymond Parker, and Wolf Kahn.

August auctions at Thomaston Place typically include an extensive collection of Maine art, and this year will be no exception. This will include a one-of-a-kind, three panel folding screen with 25 frolicking pug dogs painted in 1957 by Dahlov Ipcar, noted by the artist as one of her first “big commissions”; and “Cape Elizabeth”, a beautiful seascape painted in 1918 by George Luks.  There will also be works by Jamie Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Eric Hopkins, Waldo Peirce, Charles Rousse, Percy Sanborn, William Zorach, William Stubbs, William Thon, Stephen Etnier, Carroll Thayer Berry, and many others.

The sale will offer a diverse group of folk art, such as two carved and painted figural plaques by Clarke Voorhees Jr., a full-bodied codfish weathervane, a group of figural sculptures by Gil Russell and Larry Koosed, plus a monumental Wilhelm Schimmel carved rooster, a selection of shorebird carvings, ship dioramas, and scrimshaw.

There will be four first edition books by Ernest Hemingway, published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, three of them inscribed by the author, including: “Across the River and Into the Trees,” 1950, and two copies of “Old Man and the Sea”, 1952. 

The 114-lot collection of estate jewelry & watches will be led by an Edwardian platinum ring set with a 4.0-carat diamond, and a gent’s 1972 Red Submariner model Rolex wristwatch. Leading the silver group will be an 18^th C. coffee pot by Boston silversmith Barnabas Webb (active in Boston 1756-1789) and a 1920s era 3-piece “Blossom” pattern beverage set by Georg Jensen. 

Featured among the large selection of Asian artifacts will be a Chinese Ming Dynasty period bronze seated Guanyin figure and a Qing Dynasty period celadon glazed porcelain stem cup.

The diverse 108-lot furniture collection will include fine antiques and modern custom pieces, such as: an American Pilgrim century painted chair-table, a Thos. Moser custom crafted “Element” writing desk in walnut and cherry, and an elegant Louis XVI style three-part gilt bronze and marble cocktail table in the manner of Maison Jansen. 

There will be a group of rare classic automobiles, including: a 1940 Plymouth Super Deluxe Coupe originally owned by renowned Maine politician Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), the first woman to serve in both houses of the US Congress; and a 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk.

Other items of interest will include: a large and important ancient Greek bronze mount depicting the Head of Dionysus; an early 20^th C. coin operated Nickelodeon music machine by Stultz & Co., New York; a 1920s era Louis Vuitton monogram wardrobe trunk; a circa 1860 life size Carrara marble bust of Abraham Lincoln by Leonard Wells Volk (1828-1895); an intricately carved 17^th C. oak pew door in custom stand; and 2 Old Town canoes.

The auction will begin at 11 a.m. each day.  All lots can be viewed at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ website, www.thomastonauction.com. 

The gallery will be open for previews from Monday thru Friday, Aug. 14 - 18 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.); Saturday, August 19 (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.); and Monday – Thursday, Aug. 21 - 24 (9 a.m. - 4 p.m.). Previewing will be available on auction days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25, 26 & 27 from 9 - 11 a.m.

Call 354-8141 to reserve seats at the sale. Telephone, absentee, and live online bidding on three internet platforms will also be available. Visit our website or call 354-8141 for more info.

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries is Northern New England’s premier international auction company located on U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston.  Thomaston Place is a leader in discovering antique and fine art treasures by offering Free Appraisals each Tuesday at the gallery, creating fundraiser events for civic and charitable organizations, and providing house call appraisal services.  Their expertise in researching and marketing antiques and fine art has earned Thomaston Place the respect of buyers, collectors, and experts worldwide.