TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Dudes and wahines soon may be able to choose from two bodacious license tags to hang from the back bumpers of their woodies when they head to the beach to hang ten.
State bills creating the two surfing plates and other specialty tags for the St. Johns River, catch-and-release fishing and a Marion County horse park cleared a House committee on Wednesday.
One of the surfing tags would be dubbed Let’s Go Surfing and raise money for the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame and Museum through a $25 annual fee.
The other would be called Endless Summer. Its $25 fee would go to the Surfing Evolution & Preservation Corp. to foster interest in the sport.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PHILADELPHIA – Barn Star Productions of Rhinebeck, N.Y., has something very special to offer visitors to the City of Brotherly Love this April. Not only will shoppers at their April 17-19 23rd Street Armory Antiques Show have the opportunity to view and buy from 44 booths of quality and diverse antiques offerings, but they will also be able to explore a special show exhibit titled Honoring Our History.
The exhibit featuring the private military museum on the second floor of the armory contains a visual history of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, from its founding in 1774 to modern times. The artifacts on display include the historically significant Markoe Standard, which is the Troop’s first battle flag. Also on display are fine oil paintings by such celebrated artists as Peale, Waugh and Eakins, plus magnificently conserved sabers and carbines, uniforms, military musical instruments and equestrian outfitting.
The Virgin of Cocharcas. Image courtesy Austin Auction Gallery.
AUSTIN, Texas – On March 7, 2009 at 5:00 pm CST, Austin Auction Gallery will host an important 300-lot auction featuring 13 large 18th and 19th Century Peruvian Spanish Colonial paintings and a large collection of 18th to 20th century religious figures, several by listed artists of the American Southwest. Internet live bidding will be available on all lots through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
The auction will also include a diverse selection of fine antique Italian, Spanish and British Colonial furniture. Within this grouping are ivory inlaid pieces and a monumental French church oratory, decorative arts including Russian icons, sanctuary lamps, a selection of giltwood sunburst mirrors and several sterling silver flatware services.
Headlining the auction are 13 sizeable Peruvian Spanish Colonial paintings from a private collection. Artworks of this type seldom appear in the marketplace. In the popular tradition of Cuzco, these 18th to 19th century paintings reflect an array of classic icons. Among the exceptional offerings is The Virgin of Cocharcas, a serene image of the Virgin and Child.
Vested in a striking red gown heavily gilded and encrusted with jewels, the Virgin with Christ Child stand in a baldacchino supported by cherubs carrying her banner. In the background are mountains and scenes of daily life of nuns, monks, farmers, and merchants. Mary holds a bouquet of roses while her Son holds the celestial orb and extends his hand in a blessing.
At the bottom of the painting, a cartouche states that this is the “miraculous image of Our Lady Virgin of Cocharcas in the year of 1760.” The artwork measures 65 inches high by 50 inches wide (sight).
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – You’ve heard of Paris in the spring and autumn in New York, but now it’s time to saddle up and head out West to the March in Montana Auction and Show.
Manitou Galleries is partnering with the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction to conduct the 22nd annual March in Montana event, held March 19-21 at The Townhouse Inn in Great Falls, Montana. The show portion runs from March 19-21, 2009, and will be open for business from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, while the auction will take place on March 20-21.
Among the auction highlights are several Indian warshirts and dozens of other pieces of Indian beadwork, quillwork and weavings, including several J. B. Moore patterns. Fine art selections include works by Russell, Schwiering, Kleiber, Borein, Poulin, Niblett, Riley, Sprunger, deDecker, Kerswill, O.C. Seltzer and De Yong. Other artists of renown whose works will be auctioned include Swanson, Goodan, Baumann, Fritz, Steve Seltzer, Sharp, Fery, Berninghaus, E. S. Curtis, Scriver, Fechin, Couse, Andy Thomas, Lindneux, Reed, Delano, Swanson, Ken Riley, Clymer, Harry Jackson, Hennings, Grandee, Reiss, Dennis Anderson, Ace Powell, Dave Powell and dozens more
A 3-day dealer show Mar. 19-21 will accompany the event. More than 50 top dealers pf art and “cowboy and Indian” material from across the country will display fine furniture and accessories, vintage clothing and accessories, contemporary and deceased art and sculpture, antique Cowboy items, vintage photography, and Indian collectibles including weavings, basketry, pottery and Indian bead and quillwork. Appraisal and commission services will also be offered.
For additional information, contact Manitou Galleries at 307-635-0019 or e-mail charlajmg@aol.com. Visit their Web sites www.marchinmontana.com or www.manitouartbrokers.com; or The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction at www.cdaartauction.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Feeding Chipmunks, John Clymer (1907-1989). Featured on cover of May 16, 1953 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. John Clymer (1907-1989). Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy Manitou Galleries.
Navajo Sunrise Klagetoh weaving, one of possibly only three of this size woven by the Navajo in the 1950s. Estimate: $30,000-40,000. Image courtesy Manitou Galleries.Handmade plaster and cloth doll with hand-carved wood pipe, by C.M. Russell (1864-1926). Provenance: Richard Flood Collection. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy Manitou Galleries.Circa-1870 beaded Crow warshirt. Estimate: $30,000-40,000) Image courtesy Manitou Galleries.When One is Old (White Paint Mountain), Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953). Estimate: $150,000-$250,000). Image courtesy Manitou Galleries.
NEW YORK – Bloomsbury Auctions presents a curated selection of historic, modern and contemporary work in addition to a new section dedicated to photographic editions on April 2, 2009 at their New York Gallery. Multiple consignors have contributed to the selection of extraordinary photographs included in the sale, which begins at 10 a.m. Live Internet bidding will be available through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
The sale will include material dating from the 19th century to the present day, including works by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, André Kertész, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Edward Burtynsky and Wang Qingsong.
Bloomsbury is also excited to introduce a new section to the sale called Photographic Editions, which will include photobooks and portfolios from such icons as Man Ray, Brassaï, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, William Eggleston, Daido Moriyama and Hiroshi Sugimoto.
Rare and highly collectible first editions, foreign editions and deluxe limited editions will all be offered.
Department Head John Cowey remarked: “Building on the success of our inaugural sale this past October, I am particularly excited about our Photographic Editions section…It is a natural fit for Bloomsbury and one that the current marketplace is ready for.”
Highlights include William Eggleston’s 2¼, 1999 (deluxe limited edition with print, $4,000-6,000); Robert Frank’s The Americans, 1958 (pristine first edition with ephemera, $9,000-12,000); Peter Beard’s The End of the Game, 1977 (first edition thus with multiple signatures, inscriptions and drawings, $3,000-5,000); Eliot Porter’s The Seasons, 1951-1961 (1964 portfolio, $8,000-10,000) and Ernst Haas’ The Creation, 1962-1981 (1981 portfolio, $8,000-10,000).
The 1804 silver dollar stolen from the collection of Willis H. duPont in 1967, and recovered in 1993. Image courtesy National Numismatic Assn.
PORTLAND, Ore. – A famous multimillion dollar rare nickel, a silver dollar specially made for President Andrew Jackson and a $1 billion U.S. Treasury Department display featuring $100,000 bills will be among the eye-opening exhibits at the American Numismatic Association National Money ShowTM in the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, March 13 – 15, 2009. But it won’t cost a cent to see a billion bucks. The three-day educational, family event will be free and open to the public.
Special exhibits include one of the five known 1913 Liberty Head nickels that is insured for $3 million, the legendary “Portland Penny” that was flipped in 1845 to determine the city’s name, and the first Portland display of a famous silver dollar stolen in 1967 from the collection of prominent chemical manufacturer heir and investor, Willis H. duPont. The coin was missing for 26 years and recovered in in 1967.
Although dated 1804, the coin actually was struck around 1835 for President Andrew Jackson to give as a diplomatic gift to an Asian head of state. One of only seven known of its type and insured for $3.5 million, this is its first public appearance outside the American Numismatic Association’s Money Museum in Colorado since the historic coin was recovered by the association 16 years ago.
A colorful $1 billion U.S. Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing display will feature two dozen $100,000 bills, the highest denomination paper money ever made by the U.S. government. Visitors also can watch an engraver at work, and see demonstrations of a 144-year old, hand-turned money printing press and how early coins were struck one-at-a-time by hand over the centuries.
Remington No. 1 long-range exhibition-grade rifle, sold for $85,250. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
On the rare occasion that a firearm featuring engravings from one of several 19th-century masters comes to auction, the interest is high and the bidding fierce. Firearms with engravings by top-tier engravers like Gustave Young, Louis Nimschke, or John or Conrad Ulrich can easily realize a six-figure price at auction today.
Collectors value firearms with engravings in styles such as Bulino, which reproduces birds and other animals using tiny cuts that are enhanced by light and shadow to create a scene. The craftsmanship of these vintage firearms is incredible, especially considering that one hundred years ago, the cost of engraving was a fraction of the total cost of the gun. This is hard to comprehend, since an engraver needed 20-30 years of experience to be considered a master at his craft.
The late-19th century, considered the “Golden Age” of gun engraving, produced four master engravers who were all of German heritage. These engravers have a loyal following by today’s affluent firearms collectors.
Gustave Young was Colt’s primary engraver in the 1850s-1870s. He later engraved for Smith & Wesson, from the 1870s to 1890s.
Louis D. Nimschke, based in New York, flourished from 1850-1900. He worked independently and engraved for Colt, Winchester, Remington, Spencer and over 100 other different gun makers. It is estimated that he engraved 5,000 guns in his lifetime, and he developed an international following. He signed his engraving on long arms about 85 percent of the time, but he rarely signed revolvers.
John Ulrich and Conrad Friedrich Ulrich were brothers who engraved primarily for Winchester in the last quarter of the 19th century. They also occasionally worked for Marlin Co.
Creek or Seminole finger-woven shoulder sash, circa 1840s-50s, total length 118 inches. Image courtesy Cowan Auctions.
CINCINNATI – A rare and important Seminole shoulder sash likely collected during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), will hit the auction block during Cowan’s American Indian Art Auction on April 4, 2009. It carries a presale estimate of $15,000-$20,000.
The fresh-to-the market sash was collected by George W. Martin (1812-189_?), a member of Company E of the 4th Regiment of the U.S. Infantry. He participated in many engagements of the Second Seminole War (1835-1837), including the infamous battle of Lake Okeechobee. It is likely that Martin acquired this sash during his time in service.
The Second Seminole War is defined by the Seminole’s defiance against American troops, who attempted to force the Seminole to leave their Florida home for Western reservations. While most of the remaining Seminole had moved to reservations by the war’s end in 1842, some members of the tribe retreated into the Everglades and remain there to this day.
The sash’s rarity is illustrated by its frog motif, atypical of the motifs usually found on such sashes from Southeastern tribes.
Native populations in the Southeast perceived a three-tiered world occupied by various animals, plants, humans, and deities capable of traveling between cosmic levels. These three tiers – the sky, or upper world, the middle world, and the underworld (often viewed as water) – provided the cosmic framework in which all living things, and even inanimate objects, interacted.
The frog, a clan symbol, was revered for its ability to transcend worlds, and was associated with the eclipse of the sun and certain sicknesses. The wearer of a garment with a creature revered for its powers would be viewed with respect and fear. Frog Clan members are recognized for being peacemakers and advisors and their opinions carry great weight. During a troubled time such the Second Seminole War, the words of a Frog Clan member would have been highly regarded. Another key lot in Cowan’s upcoming sale is a Navajo Germantown weaving (est. $30,000-$40,000). The weaving consists of six panels of varying complex designs in brilliant shades of red, gold, green, blue and cream. Similar examples of six- and nine-panel Germantown weavings can be found in the collections of Anthony Berlant and the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. The Navajo Germantown weaving is made with yarn from Germantown, Pa., which the Navajos are believed to have acquired when they were moved off their land by the government.
The fully illustrated catalog will be available to view online soon at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Cowan’s online at www.cowanauctions.com.
About Cowan’s Auctions:
Cowan’s is one of the nation’s leading auction houses specializing in four divisions: Historic Americana; American Indian and Western Art; Paintings, Furniture and Decorative Art; and Historic Firearms and Early Militaria. Cowan’s has long been helping individuals and institutions to build important collections with sales that routinely set world records for rare offerings.
This Delft figure of a seated dog, circa 1800, could fetch $500-$800. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Nearly 625 quality consignments, most of them drawn from prominent Southern estates, will be sold in a quarterly cataloged auction slated for Saturday, March 21, by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. This will be Little’s last major sale at his 246 S. Nash St. location.
In early April, it will move into spacious new digs, at 620 Cornerstone Court, also in Hillsborough.
“The move makes the March 21 sale a landmark event for us,” said Leland Little.
An audience of about 200 to 300 people – typical for a Leland Little cataloged sale – is expected. “In addition, we’ll have between 700 and 1,000 preregistered absentee and phone bidders in queue,” Little said, “and online bidding will be handled by LiveAuctioneers.com. I’m very proud to be able to represent a full day’s worth of mainly fresh-to-the market consignments. It’s going to be a great sale.”
Two lots, each expected to fetch $25,000-$35,000, might give bidders a sense of déjà vu. The first is a spectacular 84-piece silver service in the Aztec pattern by the renowned Mexican silversmith Hector Aguilar, circa 1940-1945. In December at Little’s Historic Hillsborough Auction a 72-piece sterling silver service by Aguilar, circa 1948-1955, also in the Aztec pattern, realized $41,400.
The other is an original pastel on silk by the noted South Carolina artist Elizabeth O’Neill Verner (1883-1979). The work, signed lower right, is titled Mary and is matted and framed under glass in a contemporary gilt wood frame. It has been professionally conserved. Also in Little’s December auction, another pastel on silk work by Verner, titled Jamie, brought $28,750.
Florida by David Davidovich Burliuk (Russian, 1882-1967). Image courtesy Trinity International.
AVON, Conn. – Trinity International will hold its first auction of 2009 on Saturday, March 14, starting at 11:30 a.m. EST, with live Internet bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Unlike past sales, the auction will be held at Trinity’s corporate headquarters at 2 Arts Center Lane on Avon, Connecticut. The change of venue was made in order to allow extended viewing hours and easier accessibility for those wishing to attend in person.
Trinity International’s president, Stephen Gass, commented that many buying opportunities exist now that were not available in recent times. “The art world is certainly not immune to the global financial fallout, however in this environment it is still possible to find good investment value artwork,” he said.
Gass said the upcoming auction contains a very good range of work with solid long-term value. A prime example is the selection of artworks by David Davidovich Burliuk (Russian, 1882-1967), whose paintings have increased in value at recent auctions in spite of economic conditions. The sale will feature eight of his works, all fresh to the market, including a wonderful Florida scene and several futuristic compositions, one of which is dated 1938.
“We have built up a steady reputation of offering consistently good foreign pieces, and this auction is no exception,” Gass said. Fine-quality Russian art includes works by Ivan with quality pieces from several Russian artists including Ivan Aivazoysky (1817-1900), Alexander Altmann (1878-1932), Marirox Saryn (1884-1963), Konstantin Alexeievitch Korovin (1861-1931), and two works by Pierre (Prince) Troubetzkoy (Russian/American, 1864-1936).
European works include paintings by Emilio Grau Sala (Spanish, 1911-1975) including Woman with a Spring Bouquet dated 1965; and works by Georges d’Espagnat (French, 1870-1950), Michelle Cascella (Italian, 1892-1989), and Claude Venard (French, 1913-1999).
