Previous restorations, sunfaded and mellow color, condition commensurate with age and use, old marks and scratches, scuffs and wear to legs and feet, repaired glued breaks to right side of top rail and top of armrest at juncture, repaired breaks to scroll bottoms of both armrests at juncture with seat rails, small triangular loss to back of seat, 3” loss to top of left leg next to hinge, later panels to treads, repaired breaks to back legs at junctures of rails and now with metal braces, one with plugged repair.

Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.

Auction: Property from the Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit TASIS, Sep 13, 2023

• Successful Auction of Property from the Estate of Donald D. MacDermid Sold to Benefit TASIS The American School in Switzerland

• Sale on September 13, 2023 Offered the Contents of His Historic Home in Chester, Connecticut

• 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 

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