$882
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
American Furniture, Folk and Decorative Arts
Auction: November 15, 2022 12:00 PM EDT
Comprising a painted model of the ship Fredricka, inscribed "Fredricka New York", with carved passengers, and two models of sailboats, one accompanied by a carved wood and gesso figure of a sailor wearing eighteenth-century attire.
H: 25 1/2 in. W: 34 in. D: 6 in. (Fredricka), H: 26 in. W: 18 in. D: 8 in. (small), H: 30 in. W: 27 in. D: 7 in. (sailboat)Provenance
The Charles J. McManus, Jr. Collection.
Thence by descent.
Charles J. McManus, Jr. (1922-2011) was noted interior designer and a passionate collector of antiques with a particular interest in the unusual and unexpected. As an interior designer, McManus worked on several important commissions in his birthplace of Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia Club and the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. He acquired pieces for his own collection during his extensive travels throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean, where he owned a former sugar plantation in Antigua. His style of entertainment was widely admired as he hosted elaborate parties in his home, the former French Consulate in Philadelphia. The New York Times Magazine detailed one such cocktail party, and McManus described his goal for his collection as: “creating a mood, a feeling of warmth and otherworldliness,” for others to enjoy.