Not quite a decade after the notorious Salem Witch trials of 1692, the judge who presided commissioned a pair of silver standing cups, made in 1701 by the goldsmith Jeremiah Dummer of Boston. That judge was Governor William Stoughton of Massachusetts, whose cups will be a highlight at Sotheby’s Americana sale on January 20-21st in New York. They’re expected to sell for $1m-$2m.
Two other items are expected to be even more valuable. One, estimated at $2m-$3m, is a Lt. Colonel Oliver Arnold Queen Anne Shell-Carved and figured Mahogany chest of drawers, attributed to John Townsend of Newport, dated 1765. The second is a Jeremiah Sheldon Chippendale Block-And Shell-carved and figured Mahogany chest of drawers, also attributed to John Townsend,and also circa 1765, a year when the noted cabinet maker was clearly busy.
