When reached by phone a few days later, Albert Sack said it would not go to the Kaufmans but to another anonymous collector. Its case is inlaid with an American eagle, a fox clutching a goose, and an urn, and its painted dial is signed Jacob Klingman, Reading. Of all the decorations, a small needlework picture of a tree, a lion, and a lioness, stitched in Philadelphia in the late 18th century, provoked the most competition. The Sunday sale began with Outsider art, reflecting a strong market for midrange material. Most lots sold to buyers in the salesroom.
Prices are still uneven.
Some of the most charming pieces of folk art came from the collection of Marjorie Wyman of St. Louis, Missouri, and some folk art was consigned by Artvest, the art investment portfolio put together seven years ago by Connecticut dealers Fred Giampietro and Allan Katz. We are not sure we will go public with how we did. Two painted pine boxes sold above their estimates to dealer David Wheatcroft. After a day off for Martin Luther King's birthday, the sales continued on Tuesday with Chinese export porcelain and silver. There were a few lots of porcelain that excited collectors.