Sep 13, 2023 10:00 EST
Property from the Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit TASIS
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Venetian Style Border Glass Mirror
Estate / Collection: Property from The Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit The American School In Switzerland (TASIS)
The oval mirror plate within a rectangular frame, the border engraved with the Italian inscription: DI . ME . NON . TI. / DOLER . DONNA . GIAMAI . / CHE . BEN . TI . RENDO . / QVEL . CHE . TV . MI . DAI ., with a blue glass edge, above a cartouche engraved with a coat of arms.
Height 28 1/4 inches, width 16 inches.
The present lot is modeled after a mirror presumably used by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo, who wrote from right to left, required a mirror to read his manuscripts.
It has been suggested that the mysterious inscription in Italian is an anagram in Latin: ET LEONARDO DA VINCI GEMINET LEONARDO DA VINCI HEBENT Q MIHI. MD [And that Leonardo da Vinci doubles Leonardo da Vinci, and both are stunned, 1500].
Sold for $4,095
Estimated at $600 - $900
Includes Buyer's Premium
Estate / Collection: Property from The Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit The American School In Switzerland (TASIS)
The oval mirror plate within a rectangular frame, the border engraved with the Italian inscription: DI . ME . NON . TI. / DOLER . DONNA . GIAMAI . / CHE . BEN . TI . RENDO . / QVEL . CHE . TV . MI . DAI ., with a blue glass edge, above a cartouche engraved with a coat of arms.
Height 28 1/4 inches, width 16 inches.
Provenance:The present lot is modeled after a mirror presumably used by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo, who wrote from right to left, required a mirror to read his manuscripts.
It has been suggested that the mysterious inscription in Italian is an anagram in Latin: ET LEONARDO DA VINCI GEMINET LEONARDO DA VINCI HEBENT Q MIHI. MD [And that Leonardo da Vinci doubles Leonardo da Vinci, and both are stunned, 1500].
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Auction: Property from the Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit TASIS, Sep 13, 2023
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Successful Auction of Property from the Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit TASIS The American School in Switzerland
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Sale on September 13, 2023 Offered the Contents of His Historic Home in Chester, Connecticut
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Auction Total Far Surpassed Expectations Amid Competitive International Bidding!
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle was honored to auction Property from the Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit TASIS The American School in Switzerland. The auction on September 13, 2023 offered the contents of his landmark Greek Revival home, the 1826 Charles Daniels House in Chester, Connecticut.
With competitive international bidding, the sale totaled a highly successful $833,427, far surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $360,900-541,800 with an exceptionally strong $98% of the lots sold.
Highlighting the sale was a 1993 bronze sculpture by Welsh artist Barry Flanagan titled Hare on Globe Form that achieved $119,700, far over its $70,000-90,000 estimate. A painting from 1912 by British artist Henry Scott Tuke depicting Boy on a Beach soared past its estimate of $15,000-25,000 to realize $69,300.
A member of the Class of 1961 of TASIS The American School in Switzerland, Mr. MacDermid was a generous donor to the prestigious school. His gift of several million dollars established the Donald D. MacDermid Center and the Donald MacDermid Endowment Fund for the Fine and Performing Arts.
Mr. MacDermid assembled a remarkably diverse and sophisticated collection reflecting his passion for international travel. Among the decorative arts are fascinating examples of Cape and colonial Indian silver, and the artworks showcase his wide ranging tastes while painting a portrait of the man himself. Important to his self-identification, works by Henry Scott Tuke, Edwin Augustus John, and Tom of Finland all celebrate the male figure. His playful personality and witty sense of humor shine through a small selection of trompe l’oeil paintings in the collection, including works by Yrjo Edelmann and Michael Theise. Something of an anglophile and with many friends in London, sculptural works by Charles Sargeant Jagger and Barry Flanagan account for a number of British artists represented in the collection. Still, his love for his home in Connecticut is a cornerstone of Donald MacDermid’s collection, which is sprinkled with works by local artists that capture the beauty and essence of the region, and the community to which he was connected.
Donald D. MacDermid: Philanthropist & Collector
Read an essay profiling Donald D. MacDermid and his remarkable collection. Read More
