Well-known artists' work to be revealed at estate sale
Stonington — An estate sale at 59 Stony Brook Road will feature items of historical interest to the region, including paintings by two well-known American artists, and a letter signed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
The two artists are portraitist Elizabeth Gowdy Baker and John Alden Twachtman, son of the renowned Cos Cob painter John Henry Twachtman, who, along with famed Lyme Art Colony founder Childe Hassam, formed The Ten — a group of artists who famously banded together in the 1890s to exhibit their works.
The sale at a 19th century home of Nick Houghton is being run by Steve Femiak and Jeff Mullen, local auctioneers. It will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Femiak pointed to the 5-foot-tall Baker watercolor, a stunning portrait of Houghton's great-grandmother and grandmother dated 1907, and said a representative of Sotheby's auction house had put the private-sale price at an estimated $21,000 to $27,000, recognizing Baker's work right away.
"It's been private, never been seen," said Femiak's associate, Maureen Gallagher, who has done research on the paintings. "I couldn't find anything online about it."
Femiak was unsure of the value of the Twachtman piece, a Madonna painting of dark hues. But other pieces of art and antiques could be seen scattered throughout the house Thursday, including a painting of three terriers by British artist J. Langlois, a Chippendale mirror, a leather flying helmet, a 1910 pastel by American artist Elmer Livingston MacRae, a Merryweather Fire Brigade Helmet and old preserved papers dating back to at least 1776.
The weathered letter signed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been preserved in a wooden frame, but Femiak didn't have many details on the find. Another framed document dated 1844 pertains to the whaling era that once dominated the region's economy.
"We keep stumbling into things," Femiak said.
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