Waterford has been synonymous with fine crystal, including glass chandeliers. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers archive.
DUBLIN (AP) – Ireland’s historic Waterford Crystal factory is for sale one year after its parent company went bankrupt and sold its brands and many assets to an American private equity firm, the plant’s liquidators confirmed Tuesday.
Bankruptcy officials shut the debt-crippled factory in January 2009, ending more than 60 years of lead-crystal production in the southeast city of Waterford. The new owners of the Waterford brand, KPS Capital Partners of New York, have already shifted production to Germany and Eastern Europe.
KPS did not buy the factory itself in Waterford, where local business and tourist chiefs had hoped that a white-knight investor might step in to revive production on the 38-acre site.
David Carson, the Irish accountant overseeing the demise of Waterford Crystal’s Irish operations, said the factory is being offered for sale as a development site rather than as a continuing operation.
The decision follows a November Internet auction of the vast bulk of the plant’s manufacturing equipment to bidders from Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The centerpiece of the factory, a furnace capable of holding 50 tons of molten glass, remains unsold.
Irish real-estate experts say the site and buildings are worth between euro 10 million and euro 20 million ($15 million to $30 million) – but could lie idle for years given Ireland’s moribund market for commercial property.
KPS continues to employ about 50 people at the Waterford site in the city at its visitors center and product-marketing offices. But more than 1,800 former Waterford Crystal employees have lost their pensions as part of the company’s collapse.
The city of Waterford has been particularly hard hit by Ireland’s recession. Several other major city employers, including U.S. contact-lens maker Bausch & Lomb and Israeli drugmaker Teva, also announced major layoffs in 2009.
The best R.J. Horner clock money could buy was this nine tube oak grandfather clock no. 10. Standing 10 feet high, this clock has its original finish and a $65,000-$85,000 estimate. Image courtesy of North Georgia Auction Gallery.
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Beautiful full-bodied women carved from hardwood and cast in bronze will be the featured attractions at North Georgia Antique Auction’s debut sale Jan. 9. The auction house will present what is described as the rarest collection of antique figural furniture from one estate ever offered for sale to the public. The auction includes furniture and accessories from such makers as R.J. Horner, Karpen, Belter, Tiffany and the Shop of the Crafters.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
“The large majority of the figural pieces came from a longtime dealer-collector from Pennsylvania. It is the rarest and cleanest collection of furniture that I’ve ever encountered. The owner was extremely picky in what he bought,” said Vincent Lindley, owner of North Georgia Antique Auction and 20-year veteran of the auction trade.
A no. 10 R.J. Horner nine-tube grandfather clock, considered to be the best of the best in tall case clocks, could be the top item in the 400-lot auction. Standing 10 feet tall, the clock features carved griffins framing the movement along with mermaid-like full figures flanking the case and a draped woman crest. The works are signed Walter Durfee and play Whittington and Westminster chimes. The face is marked J.E. Caldwell & Co. The clock is in working order and carries an estimate of $65,000-$85.000, although other no. 10 Horner clocks have sold for as much as $125,000.
A smaller (98 inches high) nine-tube Horner griffin grandfather clock in a highly carved mahogany case has an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. It has full-bodied women flanking the clock face, draped women down the sides and winged griffins on the base.
Another outstanding piece by Horner is a quartersawn oak desk with a hand carved shields on the slant front, which is supported by full-body standing soldiers on each side. In original finish, this 1890s desk has a $6,000-$8,000 estimate.
Carved from solid mahogany, a Man in the Mountain bookcase attributed to R.J. Horner has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. It measures 66 1/2 inches high by 63 1/2 inches wide by 18 1/2 inches deep, and is in excellent original condition.
Also in the collection, a museum-quality Renaissance Revival credenza by Pottier & Stymus, New York City, is one of the finest the auctioneers have ever handled. It features signed “GPG” (G.P. Giru foundry, New York) bronze plaques depicting women on the doors and bronze draped women on both sides. Made of Rosewood with 18K gold incising, a marble top and bird’s-eye maple interior, the 6-foot-wide credenza has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate.
The New York City shops of John Henry Belter produced a laminated rosewood étagère in the Rosalie pattern, which has its original marble top base. The étagère is 85 inches high, 60 inches wide and 15 inches deep. In excellent condition, it carries an $18,000-$20,000 estimate.
An authentic Tiffany Studios three-light Lilly Lamp with its original LCT-signed Pulled Feather shades in original condition – no chips or cracks – has a $3,000-$5,000 estimate. The base is signed, “Tiffany Studios New York #319.”
Two slag glass lamps produced by Apollo Studios in New York, which was started by a longtime Tiffany Studios employee, will be offered. A floor lamp (estimate $4,000-$5,000) that has its original glass and brass overlay is 74 inches high. A similar table lamp that stands 21 inches high and has a 15-inch slag glass shade has a $2,000-$3,000 estimate. Lindley said that a leading Tiffany lamp dealer has authenticated the Apollo lamps.
From the Shop of the Crafters in Cincinnati, a scarce pair of prints of lions in oak frames fitted with iron bars to resemble cages, 33 1/2 inches high by 43 inches wide, has a $2,500-$3,500 estimate.
A rare Karpen bat-wing Morris chair that features drop-leaf armrests is made of solid mahogany. It retains the original label that reads: “Karpen Guaranteed Upholstered Furniture, Chicago.” With later upholstery, the 1880s chair has a $1,500-$2,500 estimate.
Numerous paintings by listed artists will be offered. One standout is a maritime scene titled Clipper at Full Sail by Danish-American artist Antonio Nicolo Gaspara Jacobsen (1850-1921). The 12- by 24 1/4-inch oil on canvas carries a $4,000-$8,000 estimate.
The sale will be conducted at North Georgia Auction Gallery, 31 Successful Way in Dawsonville, which is a 30-minute drive north of Atlanta. For details phone 706-265-9000.
To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
It’s rare to find a large Pottier & Stymus figural Renaissance Revival credenza in such outstanding condition. This one made of rosewood with 18K gold incising and a marble top is 72 1/2 inches wide. It has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy of North Georgia Auction Gallery. J.H. Belter’s laminated rosewood étagère is from the popular Rosalie pattern. It is 85 inches high, by 48 inches wide. In excellent condition, the étagère has an $18,000-$20,000 estimate. Image courtesy of North Georgia Auction Gallery. Johann Hamza (German, 1850-1929) painted this oil on canvas titled ‘Introductions in an Interior.’ The 29- by 39-inch signed painting has a $12,000-$15,000 estimate. Image courtesy of North Georgia Auction Gallery. Apollo Studios, New York, produced this slag glass and brass overlay floor lamp, which stands 74 inches high. The rare lamp has a $4,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of North Georgia Auction Gallery.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A lawsuit filed on behalf of a Kansas boy who fractured his skull at the City Museum in St. Louis has been settled just before a scheduled weeklong trial.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the settlement was reached Monday, the day the trial was to begin. Terms were confidential.
The family of Gavin Kirk of Lawrence, Kan., filed suit after the boy fell 13 feet at the outdoor gym of the eclectic museum in 2006. Gavin was 10 at the time and was hospitalized for four days. The family says MRIs showed brain damage.
Neither side commented. Previously, museum co-founder Robert Cassilly maintained the museum is no more dangerous than a playground. But the attorney for the family had said the museum should have taken better steps to protect visitors.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Aerial view of Woodburn Circle on West Virginia University’s downtown campus. 2004 photo by Wvuuam, Creative Commons license, courtesy Wikimedia Commons. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Work on the first phase of West Virginia University’s new art museum is expected to be completed in May.
The old Erickson Alumni Center is being renovated to house the museum’s staff offices, a gift shop and a hall for performances and other events.
The second phase involves construction of a three-story building next to the Creative Arts Center. Curator Bob Bridges says about 3,000 works of art owned by WVU will be moved to the new building.
Museum director Joyce Ice says the building is slated to open in 2012. She isn’t sure when construction will start.
The project’s total cost is about $10.5 million. Ice says WVU has raised about $8.5 million to $9 million so far.
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Information from: The Dominion Post, http://www.dominionpost.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Karlheinz Kaupp sitzt zwischen den Schätzen für den Auktionshandel. Foto von Auktionshaus Kaupp.Der deutsche Kunstmaler Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885) wird für seine romantischen und humorvollen Darstellungen des alltäglichen Lebens geliebt. Gemälde wie Der arme Poet, wo ein verarmter Dichter seiner tristen und undichten Kammer entflieht, indem er sich unter einem Regenschirm in die Wäme seiner Bettdecke flüchtet, haben schon Millionen Menschen als Reproduktion für Kalender oder Postkarten entzückt.
Aber um einen echten Spitzweg sein Eigen nennen zu können, sollten Sie das Auktionshaus Kaupp in Sulzburg, Baden Würtemberg zu Rate ziehen. Seit ihrem Umzug in die eindrucksvolle Residenz im Jahr 2004 haben sie es irgendwie geschafft, zumindest ein Spitzweg Gemälde in jeder Auktion anbieten zu können. Während der 3-tägigen November Auktionen kamen nicht weniger als vier Spitzweg´s zu Versteigerung.
Der Direktor des Auktionshauses, Karlheinz Kaupp, sagt: „Wir sind bekannt für unsere Spitzweg Gemälde.“
Dieses Mall wurde allerdings nur ein Spitzweg verkauft. Eine weniger bekannte Arbeit, ein kleines Ölgemälde mit dem Namen Landschaft mit kleiner Stadt, welches ein abgelegenes französisches Städtchen gesprenkelt in Licht und Schatten zeigt, brachte 26.000 Euro.
Sogar nach 15 Jahren im Geschäft als Auktionator, spricht Kaupp noch mit aufrichtigem Enthusiasmus über die ihm zum Verkauf anvertraute Kunst und Antiquitäten. Es wird allerdings klar, wenn er über Gemälde spricht, dass Kunstobjekten seine größte Zuneigung gilt.
„Wir haben 1991 als Kunsthändler begonnen“, erklärt Kaupp, „Ein paar Jahre später entwickelten wir dann die Idee, ein Auktionshaus zu gründen.“.
Sogar nach der Anmietung eines historischen Ratssaales als Ausstellungsraum und eines Lagerhauses in einem Industriegebiet war nie ausreichend Raum vorhanden. Schließlich fand Kaupp`s Co-Direktor, Melanie Edelbruch, das perfekte Gebäude – ein historisches Schloß, welches Markgraf Ernst von Baden im Jahr 1515 errichten lies. 2,4 Millionen Euro für Renovierungen sowie Modernisierungen machten daraus einen eleganten Rahmen für klassische und zeitgenässische Kunst, antike Möbel, glitzernde Juwelen und andere dekorative Antiqitäten. Die nahezu 10 Meter breite Festhalle bietet jetzt den perfekten Auktionsraum durch moderne Beleuchtung gepaart mit Möbeln der Renaissance.
Seit dem Umzug fand keine Kaupp Auktion ohne zumindest ein Gemälde von Spitzweg statt. Frau Edelbruch berichtet, dass ihr Markt für moderne und zeitgenössische Kunstr weiterhin im Aufwind ist, und das sogar gegen den allgemeinen Trend im Markt.
Das Kaupp Auktionshaus plant die nächste Versteigerung für Mai 2010. Für das genaue Datum und die Details, die es zu entdecken gilt besuchen Sie www.Kaupp.de.
Eingang zum Auktionshaus Kaupp in Sulzburg, Baden-Würtemberg. Foto von Auktionshaus Kaupp.Dieses Öl auf Leinwand Gemälde von Carl Spitzweg zeigt den üblichen Witz des Malers mit dem pflichtbewussten aber gähnenden Soldat und im Winde flatternde Wäsche. Eines der neusten Angebote des Auktionshauses Kaupp. Foto von Auktionshaus Kaupp.
Eine aus den USA stammende, freischaffend tätige Journalistin – Heidi Lux ist in der Nähe von Rochester, NY, aufgewachsen – und hat das Studium am Nazareth College in Rochester erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Ihr derzeitiger Wohnsitz befindet sich in Sachsen, Deutschland, wo Sie als Englisch Redakteur und Privatlehrer für Englisch arbeitet. Ihre journalistischen Arbeiten wurden sowohl in den englisch sprachigen Magazinen “Transitions Abroad” und “German Life” veröffentlicht, sowie auch in mehreren US-amerikanischen Publikationen des Antiquitätenhandels.
Karlheinz Kaupp sits among the treasures and trappings of the auction trade. Photo courtesy Auktionshaus Kaupp.German painter Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885), is beloved for his romantic and humorous scenes of everyday life. Works like The Poor Poet, where an impoverished author escapes his drab and leaky room by bundling up in bed with an umbrella, have delighted millions as reproductions on calendars and cards.
But to own a genuine Spitzweg, you may want to consult Kaupp Auctionshaus in Sulzburg, Baden Württemburg. Somehow, since they moved into their impressive historic residence in 2004, they have managed to have at least one Spitzweg painting in every auction. Their three-day November auctions featured no less than four Spitzweg paintings.
“We are known for our Spitzwegs,” said auction director Karlheinz Kaupp.
This time only one Spitzweg painting sold. The lesser-known work, a small oil on wood entitled Landscape with Little City depicting a distant French village dappled in light and shadow, brought 26,000 Euro.
Even after 15 years of running an auction house, Kaupp speaks with genuine enthusiasm over the art and antiques entrusted to his sale. It is clear as he talks about a painting, that his first love is art.
“We started out as art dealers in 1991,” said Kaupp. “A few years later the idea of an auction house developed.”
Even after renting a historic Ratssaal as a showroom and a warehouse in an industrial area, there was never enough room. Finally Kaupp Co-Director Melanie Edelbruch found the perfect building – a historic castle built in 1515 for Count Ernst von Baden. A 2.4 million Euro renovation and modernization made it an elegant backdrop for classic and contemporary art, antique furniture, glittering jewelry and other decorative antiques. The nearly 10-meter wide Festival Hall now serves as the perfect auction space, with modern lighting pairing perfectly with Renaissance furniture.
Since the move no Kaupp auction has been without its Spitzweg. And Edelbruch reports that their market for modern and contemporary art has continued to climb, even against drops in the market.
Kaupp Auktionshaus slates their next sale for May of 2010. For exact date and details on what surprises wait to be discovered, visit www.Kaupp.de
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
Entry to Auktionshaus Kaupp in Sulzburg, Baden Württemburg. Photo courtesy Auktionshaus Kaupp. This 1808 oil on canvas painting by Carl Spitzweg, ‘Auf der Bastei,’ shows the artist’s usual wit with the dutiful soldier yawning, and laundry flapping in the breeze. A recent offering by Kaupp Auktionshaus. Photo courtesy Auktionshaus Kaupp.
An American freelance writer, Heidi Lux grew up near Rochester, N.Y., and is a graduate of that city’s Nazareth College. She presently lives in Saxony, Germany, where she works as an English language editor and private tutor. Her work has appeared in Transitions Abroad and German Life magazines, as well as Style Century Magazine.
NEW YORK – LiveAuctioneers App Technologies, a division of LiveAuctioneers LLC, has launched the world’s first app (application program) for real-time bidding through Apple-brand mobile devices. The downloadable app is compatible with both Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch series, and interfaces with sales conducted by the nearly 900 auction houses worldwide who use LiveAuctioneers.com for Internet live bidding.
“This is one of the most exciting developments in the history of our company,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. “In July we took an initial step in this direction by introducing an iPhone app that enabled users to browse our clients’ catalogs and leave absentee bids. Our first-generation app was the first of its kind within the auction industry to connect smart phone users with sales at hundreds of auction houses worldwide. Now we’ve taken it to the next level with an enhanced functionality that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to bid and interact, in real time, in any auction facilitated by LiveAuctioneers’ bidding platform.”
The LiveAuctioneers live-bidding iPhone app is a free download available from Apple’s App Store. Those who already have the original version of LiveAuctioneers’ app on their iPhone or iPod Touch also can upgrade directly from their devices through the App Store. The technology is compatible with iPhone or iPod Touch software version 3.0 or later.
To bid in real time via iPhone using LiveAuctioneers’ new app, the user simply registers online with the auction house of choice, no differently than if they were registering through their PC or Mac. Upon approval from the auction house, the user is authorized to bid through their iPhone/iPod Touch as the auction is taking place. The app isn’t just for bidders, however. Anyone can use the app to view auctions in progress.
Julian Ellison stressed that bidders will always be able to participate in LiveAuctioneers-supported auctions conventionally through their PCs or Macs, but adds: “There’s no denying that we are an increasingly mobile society that conducts more and more of its business through mobile phones and PDAs. When we first saw the launch of online bidding, which was back in the early days of eBay Live Auctions, people were able to bid against the auction floor through their laptops. Now they don’t even need their laptops. They can be anywhere at all, as long as they have access to their iPhone or iPod Touch. This is the next big step forward for Internet live bidding and will give many more people instant access to auctions worldwide.”
Founded in November 2002, Manhattan-based LiveAuctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to 898 auction houses in a dozen countries. LiveAuctioneers.com has opened up once-exclusive sales to the cyber community worldwide through online publication of auction catalogs, and universally accessible Internet live bidding. For further information, log on to https://www.liveauctioneers.com/news.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Nearly two dozen new state statutes take effect in Lousiana with the start of the new year. Some are arcane or technical changes to existing laws while others are more sweeping.
One of the new statutes prohibits the sale of novelty cigarette lighters. An exemption has been written into the statute, however, that exempts cigarette lighters manufactured before 1980, which are considered collectibles.
Violators could be fined up to $250.
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On the Net:
Louisiana Legislature: www.legis.state.la.us
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This important bronze ritual wine jar, Fanglei Late Shang to Early Western Zhou, is 9 1/4 inches high and has a $60,000-$80,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery.
WICHITA, Kan. – Chinese antiquities are anticipated to carry the highest bidding at Wichita Auction Gallery’s 200-lot auction on Jan. 6 beginning at 2 p.m. Central. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
A large and important bronze ritual wine jar dating to the Fanglei Late Shang or Early Western Zhou Dynasties tops these items with a $60,000-$80,000 estimate.
The auction will also include a Tang Dynasty painted pottery figure (estimate: $1,500-$2,000), fine Chinese ceramics, Meissen porcelain, Japanese ivory and American oil paintings.
A fine Famille-Verte Hehe Erxian vase from the Qing Dynasty, probably late 17th century, is 18 inches tall and is painted with the Hehe Erxian twins and Liu Hai looking at a toad, while red bats swoop overhead. This vase is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
A Warring States Period disk topped with a carved dragon figure, 6 inches high overall, is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. A rare gilt bronze sword from the Warring States Period is 25 1/4 inches long and has a $2,000-$3,000 estimate.
A cloisonné enamel tripod censer and cover from the Qing Dynasty, 9 1/2 inches high, has a $1,500-$2,000 estimate.
Approximately 20 Japanese carved ivory figures will be offered with estimates ranging from $100 to $800 apiece.
Paintings include a scene of five cowboys on horses by Ross Stefan (American 1934-1999). The oil on canvas, 21 1-2 by 29 1/2 inches, has a $5,000-$6,000 estimate.
A signed painting by George Rondolph Barse Jr. (American, 1861-1938) of a Classical woman arranging a flowers in a vase has a $2,000-$3,000 estimate. The oil on canvas painting is 42 1/2 by 20 inches.
The sale will be conducted at Wichita Auction Gallery, 1020 E. English St. For details phone 316-269-1111.
To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
The interior of this rare archaic bronze wine vessel from the Western Zhou period is cast with more than 30 character inscriptions. It stands 12 1/4 inches and has a $30,000-$50,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery. This bronze ritual food vessel form the early Western Zhou period is 5 3/4 inches high by 12 1/2 inches in diameter. It has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery. Raised on three blade-form supports, this bronze ritual wine vessel is 7 1/8 inches high. It dates to the Ji Shu reign and has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery Also carrying a $20,000-$30,000 estimate is this Famille-Verte Hehe Erxian vase of the Qing Dynasty, probably the late 17th century. It is 18 inches high. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery.
Eine aus den USA stammende, freischaffend tätige Journalistin – Heidi Lux ist in der Nähe von Rochester, NY, aufgewachsen – und hat das Studium am Nazareth College in Rochester erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Ihr derzeitiger Wohnsitz befindet sich in Sachsen, Deutschland, wo Sie als Englisch Redakteur und Privatlehrer für Englisch arbeitet. Ihre journalistischen Arbeiten wurden sowohl in den englisch sprachigen Magazinen “Transitions Abroad” und “German Life” veröffentlicht, sowie auch in mehreren US-amerikanischen Publikationen des Antiquitätenhandels.
