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Bermuda cedar Chippendale chairs expected to sell well at Sotheby’s

Hot seats: This pair of Bermuda cedarwood side chairs, circa 1770, go under the hammer next Friday at Sotheby’s New York. They are expected to fetch several thousand dollars at least.

A pair of rare Bermuda cedarwood chairs could fetch more than twice their expected price at an auction at Sotheby’s in New York next week, local collectors and appraisers say.The Chippendale side chairs, circa 1770, go under the hammer next Friday during Sotheby’s Important Americana: Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Porcelain, and Prints auction.Sotheby’s liaison here Margot Cooper says the chairs are both very fine pieces and it would be great if they could come home to Bermuda.Sotheby’s expects the chairs to sell for an estimated $2,000 to $3,000.But local auctioneer and appraiser Andrea Casling of Hammers Ltd says: “They are on Spanish feet, which is a great indicator of date and quality, and I love the yoke backs. They look to be in remarkable condition with some minor issues only.“I am hesitant to place a value without proper viewing, but they are certainly worth the presage estimate, and could certainly go for $5000-$6000 the pair.”The chairs are illustrated in Bryden Bordley Hyde’s collectable book, Bermuda’s Antique Furniture & Silver, and were deaccessioned from the museum of the City of New York to benefit its furniture acquisitions fund.Also up for auction on the same day is a Queen Anne mahogany side chair, Bermuda, circa 1760, which is expected to fetch $800 to $1,200.