Nantucket Treasures: Rafael Osona’s Auction of Americana, Antiques & Maritime Art

On August 2 and 3, 2025, Rafael Osona Auctions will host a two-day event on Nantucket Island, featuring over 1,000 lots of fine art, antiques, marine artifacts, and a significant collection of walking sticks. Known for curating exceptional sales that reflect the spirit of New England collecting, Rafael Osona’s latest auction promises a journey through seafaring history, artistic legacies, and refined domestic craftsmanship.
Whether you are interested in whaleman artistry, 19th-century seascapes, or historical furniture from Nantucket estates, collectors will discover treasures that resonate with heritage, style, and a sense of place.

The Van Auken and Rosenthal Walking Stick Collections
One of the most talked about segments of the sale comes from the estates of Eddi Van Auken and Carol Rosenthal; two passionate collectors of antique walking sticks and canes. With over 100 examples ranging from $1,000 to $30,000, the group features pieces carved from whalebone, baleen, exotic hardwoods, and other rare materials. Several will be featured in the upcoming book Masterpieces: The Eddi Van Auken Collection of Antique Walking Sticks and Canes.

The collection reveals both whimsical and elegant forms: hands, ropes, eagles, and sailors which offer a glimpse into 19th-century maritime culture and the unique traditions of whalemen art.

Featured Lot
Masterfully Carved Whaler Capstan Knob Walking Stick, early 19th Century (Lot 182) 
Americana, Fine Arts, and Decorative Arts Auction
August 2, 2025 
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000

Maritime Paintings That Stir the Soul
No Rafael Osona sale would be complete without museum caliber marine art. Leading this summer’s offerings is “Storm Tossed Ship” by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817–1900), the Russian master whose dramatic seascapes inspired Anton Chekhov’s famous phrase “worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush.”

Featured Lot
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky Oil on Board "Storm Tossed Ship" (Lot 213A)
Americana, Fine Arts, and Decorative Arts Auction
August 2, 2025 
Estimate: $100,000 - $150,000

Collectors will also see “Clearing Skies Off Newport” by Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837–1908), whose luminous coastal scenes captured the interplay of light and water. Bricher’s work adds a tranquil note to the otherwise stormy maritime selection.

Featured Lot
Alfred Thompson Bricher Oil on Canvas "Clearing Skies Off Newport" (Lot 99)
Americana, Fine Arts, and Decorative Arts Auction
August 2, 2025 
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000

Other highlights include Nantucket harbor views by Anne Ramsdell Congdon, imaginative marine fantasy scenes by Ralph Cahoon Jr., and luminist works by Robert Stark Jr.

Portraits & Symbolism
The fine art selection continues with works exploring the human figure and its expressive power. Frederick A. Bosley’s “The Violinist” captures the introspective grace of its subject in the warm hues and confident brushwork.

Featured Lot
Frederick A. Bosley Oil on Canvas "The Violinist" (Lot 135)
Americana, Fine Arts, and Decorative Arts Auction
August 2, 2025 
Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000

The sale also includes etchings by Childe Hassam and Anders Zorn, as well as a strong bronze figural work by sculptor David Hostetler.

Historic Furnishings and Nantucket Provenance
In addition to art and maritime material, this sale includes important property from several Nantucket estates:
 Period furnishings and décor from the historic David Paddock and Mary Starbuck House
 Chinese Export sterling silver
 Wedgwood and Bing & Grondahl dinner services 
 Rare 19th-century leather-bound sets of Kipling, Dickens, and Poe
 Early American furniture, including tiger maple and Dunlap School chests, Windsor dining chairs, and a Pennsylvania floral seaman’s chest

Day Two: The Marine Auction
Sunday’s session centers on marine antiques and whaleman arts, including scrimshaw, ship models, nautical tools, and ship’s gear. Notable among them is “Bark Haydn Brown of Boston, Leaving Boston Light, August 1876” by William Pierce Stubbs (Lot 702); a stunning historic ship portrait rendered with precision.

Featured Lot
William Pierce Stubbs Oil on Canvas "Bark Haydn Brown of Boston Leaving Boston Light, August 1876" (Lot 702)
Americana, Fine Arts, and Decorative Arts Auction
August 3, 2025 
Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000

Collectors seeking quality, provenance, and the unmistakable character of Nantucket will find all three at Rafael Osona’s upcoming auction.

Auction Information
Day 1: Americana, Fine Art, Furnishings: Saturday, August 2 at 9:30AM EDT
View Catalog here and register on Bidsquare.

Day 2: Marine Auction: Sunday, August 3 at 9:30AM EDT
View Catalog here and register on Bidsquare.