Auction Sells A Bit Of History Sale Of Items From Walla Walla Estate Attracts Buyers From Around World
Buyers from England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria don’t usually pay much attention to Walla Walla estate auctions.
Then again, most Walla Walla estate auctions aren’t held under tight security at the local National Guard Armory.
The estate auction of Donald and Virginia Kelly Sherwood, Saturday and next Sunday in Walla Walla, is no run-of-the-mill estate auction.
The centerpiece of the auction is “At The Ford,” an 1855 Belgian oil painting by Eugene Verboeckhoven and Henri Marcette. It should fetch five figures, although Doug Macon of Macon Brothers Auctioneers never would have guessed it when he first saw it.
“It had a sticker on the back that said ‘$300,”’ said Macon.
That’s apparently how much the Sherwoods paid for it in the ‘20s or ‘30s from Marshall Field Galleries in Chicago. Now, however, it is causing a considerable stir in international art collecting circles.
“We’re getting a lot of interest in the painting from Europe,” said Macon.
In fact, when Macon asked a Belgian expert on Verboeckhoven to provide him with an estimate of the painting’s value, the expert politely declined. The reason: The guy didn’t want to tip his hand. He wants to bid on it himself.
Macon said that Verboeckhoven paintings have been auctioned recently for $60,000. However, collaborations with lesser-known artists, such as this, are more commonly sold in the $10,000 to $30,000 range. The painting is on public display through Friday at the Paula Ray Gallery, 230 E. Main St. in Walla Walla.
The painting is only one of many notable items in the estate. Macon said that when he first started cataloging the sale items, he was most impressed with the Oriental rugs. There are 20 of them, all purchased before 1940, and they may fetch as much as $7,000 each.
The estate also contains museumquality furnishings - a Victorian pump organ, for instance - and ethnic artifacts, such as a Peruvian moon-goddess tomb offering, estimated at 1200 A.D.
These items were accumulated by the Sherwoods in a lifetime of traveling. Donald Sherwood was one of Walla Walla’s leading businessmen and philanthropists.
Sherwood was born in 1901 in Colville and came to Walla Walla in 1918 to attend Whitman College. After graduation, he began a business career with Standard Oil and then returned to Walla Walla in 1929. He married Virginia Kelly, became publisher of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and later, publisher emeritus.
He also founded Sherwood & Roberts Inc., a financial firm; acquired Church Grape Juice Co., which he later sold to Welch’s for a considerable profit; and was the treasurer of American Sign and Indicator Corp.
He has been called the “financial savior” of Whitman College because he led a committee in 1936 to save the institution from bankruptcy. He was a member of the Whitman board of trustees.
When he died last September, he had given almost $10 million to the college.
And the giving still continues. The couple’s mansion has been deeded to Whitman College, and it will become the college president’s residence.
All proceeds for the estate auction will go to the Sherwood Trust, a charitable organization the couple founded.
xxxx What: Donald and Virginia Kelly Sherwood Estate Auction April 8 and 9, previews beginning at 8 a.m. each day, auction beginning at 9 a.m. Where: The National Guard Armory, corner of Poplar and Colville, Walla Walla. Special selling times (April 9 only): Verboeckhoven-Marcette painting, noon; Lincoln Continental, 12:30 p.m.; Oriental carpets, 1 p.m. For information: Macon Brothers Auctioneers, (509) 529-7770.