A number of prominent items from the esteemed collection of Dr Larry McCallister are to lead a forthcoming Important Americana sale, which is scheduled to take place at Sotheby's New York on January 26.
 Will the Potts family Chippendale desk meet its $400,000 high estimate? |
McCallister's collection is remarkably diverse in both scope and scale, while retaining a degree of period integrity - pieces set to feature in the sale are all from the early 18th to the mid 19th centuries.
The furniture collector has accrued masterpieces from a number of the major colonial cabinetmaking centres, including Salem, Boston, New York, Portsmouth, Philadelphia and Baltimore, with Sotheby's suggesting that the collection "is testament to Dr. McCallister's discerning eye, refined taste and passion for the finest quality."
 An 18th century chest-on-chest, thought to be the work of cabinet maker Benjamin Frotheringham |
Highlights include the impressive Potts family, Chippendale carved, mahogany scroll top desk, which features a bust of the father of classical liberalism, the philosopher and physician John Locke. The circa 1770 desk, which is known to have been created in Pennsylvania, carries a presale estimate of $200,000-400,000. Its elegance and eminence communicate something of Dr McCallister's luxurious proclivities.
Another important Chippendale piece, which carries a $150,000-300,000 valuation, is a mahogany, block front chest-on-chest, which originates with the Massachusetts Hall family, circa 1770. The Massachusetts masterpiece has been attributed to American cabinet maker Benjamin Frotheringham (1734-1809), whose Chippendale, mahogany high chest of drawers that originated with the Andrew family, circa 1760-1780, brought $1m when it was offered at Christie's in January 2008.
Notable Americana has been hitting the headlines recently, with a John Townsend Bureau table set to highlight Christie's Americana sale on January 25.
Here at Paul Fraser Collectibles we also have a range of 18th and 19th century furniture in stock, including this exceptionally fine swivel top card table dated 1860.
