September 22, 2009 - Auction Central News

Fine jewelry and silver add sparkle to Cowan’s Oct. 2-3 auction

Platinum and diamond articulated brooch (est. $10/12,000)

CINCINNATI – Cowan’s 900-lot Fall Fine and Decorative Art auction offers a broad selection for collectors, with Continental paintings, furniture, and other decorative arts to be sold on the first day of the two-day auction, and American furniture, folk art, paintings (including a group of works by Cincinnati artists), and decorative arts on board for the second day.

The sale features significant Continental and American silver pieces from several centuries, English porcelain from the collection of the late Tom Forshee of Chelsea, Mich., the contemporary fine art collection of Betty Asher of Los Angeles, the antique scrimshaw collection of an Atlanta, collector, and groupings of fine jewelry and English Regency furniture.

“We are pleased with the diversity of this auction, as comprehensive collections of a number of different categories of fine and decorative art are represented. Buyers are sure to find objects of interest to enhance collections, however varied they may be,” said Diane Wachs, Director of Fine and Decorative Art.

A Georg Jensen sterling coffee and tea service in the “Blossom” pattern (est. $20/30,000) is the highlight of a wide-ranging group of silver to be offered. While the service is circa 1940-60, Jensen designed the pattern around 1905 to 1908. The earliest examples of hollow and flatware offered include nearly 20 lots by Hester Bateman, the 18th-century London silversmith who, at 52 years of age, took over the silver business at her husband’s death in 1760. She developed and popularized the Classical style in English silver in her own right; several such works are presented in this auction. Several pieces of Cincinnati silver, including silver vessels by Beggs & Smith (est. $4/600), a julep cup by J. J. Bangs (est. $6/800) and an Edward and David Kinsey repoussé cream and sugar (est. $8/1,200) are featured.

Cowan’s will also offer porcelain from the collection of the late Tom Forshee, which represents the evolution of styles in English teawares, from lovely Chinese export of the 18th century, to English renditions of Chinese export, to the true English style of the 19th century. American porcelain examples to be offered include two selections from White Houses china services; a porcelain soup bowl from Abraham Lincoln’s State Service carries an estimate of $20/25,000, while a dessert saucier from what is possibly John Quincy Adams’ daily service is estimated to sell for $5/7,000.

Fine art to be sold during the first day of the auction includes works from the collection of the late Betty Asher, a collector and dealer in Los Angeles who represented in her gallery and collected works by living artists. Included in this auction is the oil on canvas Man with Figurines by Viola Frey (American, 1933-2004) (est. $10/15,000); a mixed-media sculpture by Horace Clifford Westermann (American, 1922-1981) titled The Unaccountable (est. $20/30,000); and works by Claes Oldenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol, among others. Several Cincinnati paintings will also be sold, including a trompe-l’oeil by Charles Meurer (1865-1955), which is estimated to bring for $6/8,000.

For the first time, Cowan’s will offer over 30 lots of fine jewelry, highlighted by a platinum and diamond articulated brooch that is estimated to bring $10/12,000. Other featured pieces include two lots of Art Deco jewelry, a platinum and diamond line necklace and a gold and diamond brooch, both estimated at $4/6,000; a multi-colored South Sea pearl necklace estimated to sell for $3500-4500; and a circa 1950 14-karat gold and diamond covered watch estimated at $2/3,000.

Folk art to be sold includes a strong collection of over 50 pieces of antique scrimshaw, featuring a whale’s tooth with whaling scene and American ship estimated at $10/15,000. The detailed piece is engraved with polychrome ink on two sides, one side with a whaling scene of fully rigged ship, a pod of whales, and whale boats, the other with a ship under sail flying the stars and stripes. The comprehensive collection includes busks, sewing baskets, several jagging wheels, canes, and cribbage boards, among other fine scrimshaw examples. An 1850s Southern portrait of a child with pet dog and squirrel attributed to Louis Bahin (1813-1857) is another leading folk art work, with an estimate of $8/12,000. French-born Bahin lived and worked in Natchez, Miss., in the 1850s, painting portraits for prominent families, as well as landscapes.

An English Regency Mahogany Library Bookcase, estimated to sell for $4/6,000, is a focal point of a fine group of Regency furniture to be sold during the first day of the auction. Other furniture highlights include a Tennessee sugar press, circa 1840-1850 (est. $2/4,000); a New York mahogany chamber/dressing table, circa 1790-1800 (est. $2/4,000); and a Massachusetts tiger maple chest on frame, circa 1740-1760 (est. $4/$6,000).

For questions about any item in this sale, call 513-871-1670. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Click here to view Cowan’s Auction, Inc.’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Georg Jensen sterling coffee and tea service in Blossom pattern (est. $20/30,000). Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.

Louis Bahin attributed Southern portrait (est. $8/12,000). Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.

Scrimshawed whale's tooth with whaling scene and American ship — Scrimshawed whale’s tooth with whaling scene and American ship

Important genre painting by Abbott Graves (est. $30/50,000). Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.

Abraham Lincoln State Service porcelain soup bowl (est. $20/25,000)

Lifetime collection of Americana, folk art at Morphy’s, Oct. 8-10

Circa-1890s lithographed-paper sign advertising Soapine Soap, Kendall Mfg. Co., Providence, R.I., with desirable whale image, 38 inches by 30 inches. Estimate $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

DENVER, Pa. – An honored lifetime collection of Americana and folk art, the Joseph and Lilian Shapiro Collection, headlines Dan Morphy Auctions’ Fall Sale slated for Oct. 8-10 at the Morphy gallery in Denver, Pa. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

More than 500 lots of select offerings from the Shapiro Collection – antique advertising signs, salesmen’s samples and patent models; product cabinets and packaging; and early hand-carved folk art – will be offered. The celebrated 30-year collection has been featured in numerous national magazine and newspaper articles, and was showcased in a special 2005 exhibition at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Mass.

The Thursday, Oct. 8 session opens with 40 jewelry lots, followed by 150 general antique lots and the day’s main attraction: the Shapiro collection.

“This collection is going to make a lot of people happy because it crosses over into so many subcategories, like black Americana, Native Americana, early American inventions, and even Halloween and political themes,” said gallery owner Dan Morphy.

Within the Shapiro collection is a remarkable grouping of 100+ folk-art bride sticks. Skillfully hand-carved and painted, the rarely seen decorative objects date from the early 19th century to around the turn of the 20th century. Each was a custom design, to be given as a gift to a new bride. While not meant for practical use, they replicate the plainer forked sticks that women of the 19th century used for pushing down laundry into tubs of boiling water. “Some of these sticks have cross-hatching, mother-of-pearl inlay, and wonderful folk-art carving on them – hearts, half-moons, a horse’s head, even a carved, caged ball that’s like a whimsey,” said Morphy. “Many of the pieces were formerly in the collection of folk art dealers Betty and Joel Schatzberg.”

The more than 200 advertising items in the Shapiro Collection include dye cabinets, display cases, and a huge array of tin, enameled-metal, porcelain and reverse-on-glass signs. A late-19th-century Soapine Dirt Killer reverse-on-glass sign, estimate $10,000-$15,000, with sharp, rich colors and desirable whale-logo graphic, was once displayed in the executive offices of Kendall Manufacturing Co. in Providence, R.I., producers of Soapine. A paper version of the same sign carries a presale estimate of $15,000-$20,000, a reflection of its rarity and extraordinarily fine condition.

The graphics on some of the signs, soapboxes and packaged soap bars in the collection display insensitive themes that were considered acceptable in previous centuries. A lithographed-paper sign depicting Uncle Sam kicking a Chinese man out of the country, a reflection of the anti-Asian sentiment during the mid-19th-century Gold Rush era, is estimated at $2,500.

Although the Shapiro collection is first and foremost an Americana and folk art collection, its underlying laundry and soap theme reflects Joe’s profession – he was a distributor of Whirlpool commercial laundry equipment. The collection includes a 30-piece panoramic timeline of washing machines, mostly of wood and dating back as early as the 1830s. Additionally, 25 to 30 early salesmen’s samples replicate drying racks, ironing boards, scale model washers and related equipment – some of which were featured on PBS Television’s Antiques Roadshow.

The Friday, Oct. 9 session commences with 100 marble lots from California-based collectors Bob and Penny Robbins. Top lots include a superb selection of hand-made Indian Lutzes, sulphides, onion skins and swirls. A rare, red-base Guinea sulphide is expected to bring $3,000-$5,000. A fantastic selection of machine-made marbles from the Robbins collection features examples by Peltier, Akro Agate and Christiansen Agate Co., with most in 9.5 out of 10 condition or better.

Bob and Penny Robbins’ advertising collection consists of “smalls” of many types, with most in near-mint or near-mint-plus condition. More than 600 lots are devoted to the collection, which includes 100+ coffee cans, 50 tobacco cans, 200 talc tins, 100+ peanut butter pails, 100+ pocket mirrors, 100 tip trays more than 25 match strikes. Among the collection’s highlights are a near-mint Lowney’s Cocoa string holder, $4,000-$7,000; and Five Brothers Plug Tobacco tin-over-cardboard sign, $4,000-$7,000.

Day two concludes with 150 holiday lots. “This group includes some of the rarest and best Halloween material we’ve ever auctioned,” said Morphy, pointing to a veggie man driving a pickle-shape hot air balloon, $3,000-$4,000; elephant-head jack-o-lantern, $2,000-$3,000; and veggie man candy container, $3,000-$4,000.
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The Saturday, Oct. 10 session features more than 200 examples of early comic character toys, including Popeye, Felix and rare Disney. Highlighting the selection is a lineup of 100 premium-quality comic character toys from the Carl Lobel Collection, including literally every Popeye toy ever made by Marx and Chein, with original boxes. Popeye-related toys in the collection include a flawless example of Hoge’s tin Popeye in a Rowboat, considered by many collectors to be the quintessential Popeye toy. The rowboat carries an estimate of $4,000-$6,000.

Obscure and rare, a Louis Marx Smitty Scooter toy from the Lobel Collection, estimate $3,000-$5,000, retains its very rare original box and is one of only a few known to exist. Other elusive 1920s comic-strip toys depict Buttercup and Spare-Ribs; and Snowflake and Swipes. Each of the toys is boxed and estimated at $1,000-$1,500. The grouping is rounded out nicely with Charlie Chaplin, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd toys.

Other consignors have added choice inclusions to the third session, including boxed Disney celluloid toys, additional Disney and Popeye toys, mostly boxed; and a fine-quality single-owner collection of 100 cowboy cap guns and holsters, also mostly boxed. A Roy Rogers Flash Draw boxed gun and holster could hit the bull’s eye at $2,000-$3,000.

The closing session will also feature cast-iron horse-drawn toys, trains, pressed-steel and cast-iron toys; trains, figural doorstops, and approximately 100 bank lots. A Girl Skipping Rope mechanical bank, from the family of the original owner and in excellent working order, is estimated at $18,000-$22,000. In the still bank section, a Battleship U.S.S. Iowa in pristine condition could make $3,000-$4,000.

For questions about any item in the sale, call 717-335-3435. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Click here to view Dan Morphy LLC’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Tin litho Lowney’s Cocoa string holder, patent date March 18, 1908. Estimate $4,000-$7,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Cast-iron still bank replicating Battleship Iowa, circa 1902, manufactured by J.& E. Stevens. Estimate $3,000-$4,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Miss Pepsi-Cola cardboard sign, copyright 1907, framed size 27½ inches by 34 inches. One of only three known examples. Estimate $7,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Marx Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd tin wind-up toy car with original box, 16 inches long, dated 1939. Provenance: Collection of Carl Lobel. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Cast-iron mechanical bank known as Girl Skipping Rope, manufactured by J. & E. Stevens Co. From original owners. Estimate $18,000-$22,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Roy Rogers toy gun double holster set with original box. Estimate $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Joseph swirl marble, 1- 5/16 inches in diameter, brilliant colors. Estimate $800-$1,200. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Rare Halloween jack-o-lantern depicting veggie man piloting a pickle-shape hot air balloon. Estimate $3,000-$4,000. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Folk-art wooden laundry 'bride stick' with nicely carved and etched hearts, diamonds and stars; 19th century. Estimate $400-$800. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions. — Folk-art wooden laundry ‘bride stick’ with nicely carved and etched hearts, diamonds and stars; 19th century. Estimate $400-$800. Image courtesy Morphy Auctions.

Ancient civilizations come to life in Malter’s Oct. 4 auction

Roman, Apulia, Underworld Painter, large red figure hydria, estimate $20,000-$40,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Roman, Apulia, circa 4th century B.C., hydria, estimate 20,000-$40,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

ENCINO, Calif. – Southern California’s Malter Galleries Inc. has a treat in store for collectors of antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Mexico and other ancient cradles of civilization. The company’s Sunday, Oct. 4 Ancient Art from Around the World auction, which will commence at noon Pacific Time (3 p.m. Eastern Time), features more than 250 select items, some coming from long-held collections. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

The sale will open with a fine selection of Ancient Egyptian art, led by a choice early dynastic alabaster vase measuring 10½ inches tall, with a pre-auction estimate of $5,000. Another beautiful piece from this section is lot 5, a brilliantly painted Middle Kingdom wooden coffin mask estimated at $8,750. Scarabs, ushabti, several nice bronzes and other attractive wooden pieces make the Egyptian offering in this auction quite desirable.

The auction continues with exceptional Greek antiquities. A life-size marble head of (perhaps) the goddess Aphrodite, lot 87, dates from the late 5th to the early 4th century B.C., and comes to Malter Galleries from an old New York City Collection. It has a pre-auction estimate of $14,000. Lot 93 is a wonderful Hellenistic, circa 2nd-1st century B.C. bronze figure of Mars, with an estimate of $6,000.

The Roman art section is highlighted by two especially fine pieces. Lot 96 is a fantastic, large circa 330-315 B.C. Apulian red-figure “hydria” that was painted by the Underworld Painter.” Standing 20 inches tall and coming from an old Florida collection, the vessel is expected to fetch $20,000.

An equally stunning red-figure skyphos, a wine krater for the funerary revels, is entered as lot 97. It stands over 10 inches tall and has an estimate of $10,000.

Lot 102 is a large and quite impressive terra cotta Daunian “askos.” Its pre-auction estimate is $3,500.

Roman glass, Luristan bronze weapons and ancient through modern jewelry are also included. Lot 217 is a stunning lady’s 7-inch yellow and white metal ruby and diamond bracelet has an estimate of $4,500. An exquisite design with perennial appeal, it was appraised in 1995 for $9,200.

Chinese and Japanese art is also strongly represented in this auction. Snuff bottles, ivories – including lot 171, a circa-1900 artwork of top quality, featuring Japanese Samurais, might earn in the vicinity of $1,500 at auction.

The auction continues with great Pre-Columbian art, some of which came from the same Florida collection mentioned previously. Lot 224 is a large and choice Colima “dog.” Lot 220 is a marvelous 12-inch crème ceramic Jalisco “hunchback” figure, and lot 223 is a tall standing Jalisco “ball player.” The auction concludes with a couple of nice, old maps and a fine selection of antique canes.

For additional information on any item in the sale, call 818-784-7772. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Click here to view Malter Galleries Inc.’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Egypt, Early Dynastic alabaster vase, estimate $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Egypt, Middle Kingdom, funerary coffin mask, estimate $9,000-$17,500. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Greek, marble head of woman, estimate $14,000-$28,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Hellenistic, circa 2nd-1st century B.C., bronze figure of Mars or warrior, estimate $6,000-$12,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Japanese, carved ivory Samurai warriors, circa 1900, estimate $1,500-$3,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Lady’s 7-inch ruby and diamond bracelet, estimate $4,600-$9,200. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Western Mexico, Jalisco, circa 250 B.C.-350 A.D. figure of hunchback, estimate $4,500-$9,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Western Mexico, Jalisco, circa 250 B.C.-350 A.D. figure of bell player, estimate $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Western Mexico, Colima, redware dog, estimate $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Malter Galleries.

Iraq arrests three men, charges them with trafficking antiquities

BAGHDAD (AP) – Authorities in northern Iraq have arrested three men on charges they were trying to traffic stolen antiquities, including the bust of a Sumerian king, a local army commander said Saturday.

The three were arrested in a sting operation after attempting to sell one of the artifacts for $160,000 to an undercover intelligence officer of the Iraqi Army’s 12th division in a village southwest of Kirkuk, division commander Maj. Gen. Abdul Amir al-Zaidi told reporters.

The sting operation, which took place around two weeks ago, was set up based on intelligence from local residents, he said.

“The duty of Iraqi army is not only to chase the terrorists but also to protect state treasures,” he said.

In total the men had eight pieces from the Sumerian period, which dates from around 4000 B.C. to 2000 B.C., that they were trying to sell.

A fourth man is still being sought in the case, al-Zaidi said. He gave no further details.
It was not clear where the items came from, but after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government, looters stole and smashed priceless treasures from the National Museum in Baghdad and other museums and libraries. At the time, Iraq’s museums held priceless, millennia-old collections from the Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylonian cultures that chronicled some 7,000 years of civilization in ancient Mesopotamia.

Some have been recovered but many remain missing.

Elsewhere in Iraq on Saturday, a roadside bomb killed an 11-year-old boy and wounded his two friends in the violence-plagued northern city of Mosul.

The bomb exploded around 4 p.m. after a police patrol that was the apparent target had already passed by, a Mosul police officer said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

An off-duty Iraqi soldier was also killed in Mosul in a drive-by shooting, he said.

Mosul is in an area rife with tension between Arabs and Kurds over territory. The U.S. military says it is also the last urban battleground of al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni extremist groups. The level of violence there remains high even as it has dropped elsewhere in Iraq.
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Associated Press Writer Yahya Barzanji contributed to this report from Kirkuk

AP-CS-09-19-09 1728EDT

Amer. Indian, 1880s missionary’s Maori tribal items in Skinner sale, Sept. 26

Plains Indian pictograph book, Lakota, Brule, pre-1881, estimate $8,000-$12,000. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

BOSTON – Skinner’s next American Indian and Ethnographic Art sale will be held in the company’s Boston gallery on Saturday, Sept. 26, commencing at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The sale features an eclectic array of material from more than 100 consignors, including both historical societies and private collections. The vast majority of the property is fresh to the market and in fine condition, with estimates reflecting current economic conditions.

The sale starts off with an interesting grouping of Pre-Columbian material highlighted by a feathered cocoa bag, c. 500-800 A.D. (lot 52, est. $300-400); a thousand-year-old poncho (lot 51, est. $350-450); a Peruvian balance beam, likely used for weighing spices (lot 56, est. $250-350); a stone and metal necklace, with crystal pendant (lot 43, est. $300-400); and a shell and silver necklace, with warrior amulet beads (lot 42, est. $300-400).

Other Pre-Columbian offerings of note include a carved-wood lime container (lot 49, est. $400-600); a Northern Argentinean carved stone bowl, c. 200 B.C.- 300 A.D., with two spotted feline forms looking up from the rim (lot 77, est. $4,000-6,000); a Huastec limestone figure (lot 17, est. $6,000-8,000); and two Mayan stucco panels, c. 550-950 A.D. (lot 16, est. $4,000-6,000).

The September sale features an extensive selection of tribal material. The show-stopping piece might likely be a Maori carved wood male figure from 19th century New Zealand (lot 203, est. $30,000-50,000). The figure comes from the collection of Rev. Alfred Fairbrother, by descendant of his family. Rev. Fairbrother was living in New Zealand on expedition with the Baptist church in the 1880s. The 1886 eruption of the volcano Mt. Tarawera destroyed the small Maori village and forced the minister to leave. At the time of his departure, the chief of the tribe bestowed upon him several hand-carved idols, tools and weapons, including the above reference lot.

Also from the Rev Fairbrother’s collection is a Maori Tiki carved wood figure (lot 195, est. $3,000-4,000). Additional tribal highlights include a large Polynesian carved wood treasure box (lot 196, est. $12,000-16,000); an Amazonian Tomoko mask (lot 123, est. $300-500); an Indonesian carved wood panel (lot 128, est. $900-1,200); a Hawaiian feathered lei from the last quarter of the 19th century (lot 184, est. $800-1,200); a Hawaiian poi bowl (lot 189, est. $8000-1,2000); and a nice selection of a dozen Aboriginal spears.

From Africa comes a carved stone head (lot 119, est. $6,000-8,000); a Boli figure (lot 120, est. $3,000-4,000); a ceremonial trough (lot 118, est. $5,000-7,000); a Yoruba carved wood helmet mask (lot 105, est. $7,000-9,000); and a carved wood drum, possibly Fang (lot 115, est. $400-600).

In the American Indian section, very fine examples of Plains material will be up for bid, highlighted by a beaded and quilled buffalo hide rifle scabbard (lot 240, est. $10,000-15,000); a beautiful beaded and quilled hide pipe bag from the late 19th century, beaded on one side with two American flags over a single bison, the other side with a single horse and geometric and cross devices (lot 233, est. $4,000-6,000); a rare carved wood triple-blade club (lot 234, est. $25,000-35,000); and an Indian pictograph book, c. pre-1881, entitled Indian Autographs (lot 245, est. $8,000-12,000). Among the American Indian offerings is a Northwest Coast carved wood raven rattle (lot 345, est. $6,000-8,000); a lovely pair of Northeast beaded and quilled cloth and hide moccasins (lot 256, est. $5,000-7,000); a Southwest late classic Moki blanket (lot 376, est. $8,000-12,000); and a Germantown weaving depicting a locomotive (lot 378, est. $600-800).

The sale also features one of the largest selections of Navajo jewelry to ever be offered in a Skinner American Indian sale. The jewelry comes from two collections and features an incredible selection of bracelets, as well as belts, rings, necklaces and pins. The majority of lots 262 to 309 are estimated between $200 on the low end and $2,000 at the high.

Finally, the sale rounds out with a fine variety of Kachina dolls, pottery and twined basketry.

For information on any item in this sale, call Skinner Inc. at 617-350-5400. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Skinner Inc.’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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