The unusual interior configuration makes this mid-18th-century Queen Anne walnut secretary bookcase unusual. It has a $8,500-$10,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

Boston Queen Anne secretary stands out at Wiederseim’s sale May 8

The unusual interior configuration makes this mid-18th-century Queen Anne walnut secretary bookcase unusual. It has a $8,500-$10,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

The unusual interior configuration makes this mid-18th-century Queen Anne walnut secretary bookcase unusual. It has a $8,500-$10,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

GLENMOORE, Pa. – With a star-studded lineup of Americana and more – from a Boston Queen Anne secretary to a collection of Staffordshire figures – Wiederseim Associates Inc. will conduct their Spring Antique Auction on May 8. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding. The 593-lot auction will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern at Griffith Hall, Ludwigs Corner Firehouse.

The Queen Anne walnut secretary bookcase, circa 1740, should sell in the early afternoon. This rare example features an interior fitted with pigeonholes and document drawers – in the upper section. Contained in the lower section behind a slant lid are more pigeonholes and drawered compartments over four graduated drawers. Standing on straight bracket feet, the secretary bookcase is 78 1/2 inches high by 36 inches wide by 22 1/4 inches deep. It has a conservative $8,500-$10,000 estimate.

“It’s a beautiful piece,” said Ted Weiderseim. “It was purchased recently for $30,000. I don’t know if it will bring that again but it should do well.

Another fine period piece is a Pennsylvania Queen Anne mahogany dish-top candlestand, circa 1780, with a birdcage support, ball turned shaft and snake feet. It is expected to bring $4,500-$5,000.

Wiederseim said that another highlight will be the collection of Staffordshire figures from the estate of Leonard E.B. Andrews of Malvern, Pa. Andrews, a writer-publisher who died Jan. 2, 2009, made news when he bought 240 previously unknown Andrew Wyeth works depicting a mysterious woman known as Helga, and later sold them for a big profit. Wiederseim said that Andrews bought the Staffordshire figures years ago from a Philadelphia collector.

Included will be nearly a dozen pairs of Staffordshire spaniels. One rare pair is red and white and has arched bases. The pair is estimated at $2,000-$2,500.

Estate jewelry will be another highlight of the sale, said Wiederseim. “There are 14- and 18-karat gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings that should do well,” he said. Included are several pieces by jewelry designer David Yurman. A ladies’ Piaget Polo wristwatch with pavé diamonds consisting of 26 single cut diamonds and an 18K gold case and bracelet carries a $5,000-$7,000 estimate.

Four paintings by Chester Springs, Pa., artist Albert Van Nesse Greene (1887-1971) will be sold including a large oil on board picturing the Brooklyn Bridge in winter.

“His paintings are doing very well now,” said Wiedersim, noting that Greene, a veteran of World War I, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

For details about the auction, phone 610-827-1910.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Preliminary bidding has been active on this coin silver ewer produced by Wood & Hughes of New York. The 16 1/2-inch-high ewer has a $700-$1,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

Preliminary bidding has been active on this coin silver ewer produced by Wood & Hughes of New York. The 16 1/2-inch-high ewer has a $700-$1,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.


Bidding is expected to reach $4,500-$5,000 for this Pennsylvania Queen Anne mahogany dish-top candlestand, which features a birdcage support, ball turned shaft and snake feet. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

Bidding is expected to reach $4,500-$5,000 for this Pennsylvania Queen Anne mahogany dish-top candlestand, which features a birdcage support, ball turned shaft and snake feet. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.


The artist signed her name in gilt on this reverse-painted watercolor painting of a basket of fruit and a dove with a floral border. Mounted in an ornate gilt frame, the early watercolor measures 25 inches by 24 inches overall and has a $4,500-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

The artist signed her name in gilt on this reverse-painted watercolor painting of a basket of fruit and a dove with a floral border. Mounted in an ornate gilt frame, the early watercolor measures 25 inches by 24 inches overall and has a $4,500-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.


The impact of baseball on American culture is evident in these Heubach porcelain figures, which stand 13 inches high. The pair has a $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

The impact of baseball on American culture is evident in these Heubach porcelain figures, which stand 13 inches high. The pair has a $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.


Best in show – these dogs represent nearly a dozen pairs of Staffordshire spaniels that are in the auction.  These are 9 1/2 inches high by 8 inches wide. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

Best in show – these dogs represent nearly a dozen pairs of Staffordshire spaniels that are in the auction. These are 9 1/2 inches high by 8 inches wide. Image courtesy of Wiederseim Associates Inc.

A 1789 map of Delaware shows the vicinity of Avery's Rest, somewhere between Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth Bay to the south. Image courtesy of Malter Galleries Inc. and LiveAuctioneers archive.

Archaeological digs dispel myths about Delaware settlers

A 1789 map of Delaware shows the vicinity of Avery's Rest, somewhere between Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth Bay to the south. Image courtesy of Malter Galleries Inc. and LiveAuctioneers archive.

A 1789 map of Delaware shows the vicinity of Avery’s Rest, somewhere between Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth Bay to the south. Image courtesy of Malter Galleries Inc. and LiveAuctioneers archive.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) – In the earliest decades of Colonial settlement in Delaware, coastal Sussex County was the frontier – an isolated place where living was far from easy.

But for John and Sarah Avery, it wasn’t without some comforts.

It is likely, archaeologists believe, that the couple lived in a house near Rehoboth Bay and that the house had plaster walls.

What’s known of the Averys and their home place – Avery’s Rest – has come alive thanks to a detailed search of public records and a dig at a property just west of Rehoboth Beach.

Artifacts and a detailed story of Avery’s Rest will be on display beginning Saturday at the Rehoboth Beach Museum. The display will mark Archaeology Month in Delaware by showcasing more than four years of searching and digging and countless volunteer hours by members of the Sussex County chapter of the Archaeology Society of Delaware.

Avery’s Rest is one of the earliest settlements in Delaware – a place where real and lasting settlement came later than in nearby states, said Craig Lukezic, a state archaeologist.

It was nestled between Dutch and English settlements. And it even became a pawn among the English gentry who controlled land grants as they sought to control land ownership in the region, Lukezic said.

For all the work of state and volunteer archaeologists, the diggers still haven’t located the Avery house’s foundation. But the archaeologists did discover two wells and a cellar – probably of some type of storage building.

John Avery was one of Delaware’s early settlers, a sea captain, a possible raider of the Dutch settlement at Lewes and eventually a justice of the peace and judge.

He was also a landowner. When he died, he owned more than 900 acres around Rehoboth Bay.

The Avery’s Rest site, just west of Rehoboth Beach and near the upper end of Rehoboth Bay, is significant because it is an early settlement. The property was slated for development, and the owners gave state officials time to search the property for signs of the early settlers.

The project also set the stage for a cooperative effort between the state’s small group of professional archaeologists and volunteers with the archaeological society.

John Bransch, president of the Sussex Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Delaware, estimated that over the last four years – a period that included both digging on the site and conservation of the artifacts that were recovered – the group has logged more than 15,000 volunteer hours.

The work started slowly, until the team located two wells and began to find artifacts that pieced together the story of life at Avery’s Rest, he said.

While the area was remote and isolated, there was water access and local people would have used the water as a highway to travel, trade and visit, Lukezic said.

Local legend has it that Avery was a pirate – the Plymouth, England-born model for Daniel Defoe’s legendary hero in Life, Adventures and Pyracies of the Famous Captain Singleton. That John Avery pillaged and plundered in the Caribbean and along the coasts of Spain, Africa and Madagascar.

But it turns out, Lukezic said, that the dates for Rehoboth’s John Avery don’t match those of the buccaneer – whose life of piracy is believed to have begun in 1691.

Rehoboth’s John Avery was likely a successful and profitable landowner by more legal methods.

One thing the archaeologists found were lots of pig and cattle bones. The theory is that Avery may have been supplying other local residents with meat.

Former state director of historical and cultural affairs Daniel R. Griffith discovered the site in 1977, when state officials were doing survey work around Delaware’s Inland Bays. In 1978, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Griffith said at the time of its discovery that state archaeologists – fearing development would destroy any record of its historic sites – wanted an inventory of what was there.

Avery’s Rest, Griffith said, was in a tilled farm field. Soil stains at the site helped identify it as an early settlement.

The plaster that was found is unique, because typically at that time most homes would have been built entirely of wood, Lukezic said.

Among the artifacts they found were part of a horse bridle, a buckle, a pistol ball, flint – possibly from a pistol or a fire starter – and a knife, a fork and bits of pottery. They’ve also found bottles and many pieces of bones and other fragments.

State officials are keeping the site’s location a secret to avoid problems with artifact hunters.

The site is linked to one brief period in Delaware’s history of early European settlement – 1680 to 1720. Within that 40-year time frame, historians know that European settlers shifted from a life of scant possessions to an explosion in commerce sometime around 1700.

Then, “around 1720, this place was abandoned, for whatever reason,” Lukezic said.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP-ES-04-28-10 1925EDT

Jill Biden helped dedicate colorful street art in downtown Washington, D.C. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Jill Biden endorses downtown Washington figures

Jill Biden helped dedicate colorful street art in downtown Washington,  D.C. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Jill Biden helped dedicate colorful street art in downtown Washington, D.C. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is giving her blessing to new, colorful sculptures lining a once dreary part of Washington’s New York Avenue.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts dedicated the sculptures Wednesday. The pieces by French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle include women in colorful bathing suits and one depicting basketball star Michael Jordan.

Biden says the project brings art and diversity into the street. She says Washington’s museum scene has defined her first year living in the city.

The sculpture project stretches from 13th Street toward Mount Vernon Square. It will feature changing installations, all by women artists.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton says “working stiffs” deserve outdoor sculptures downtown and not just on the National Mall.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP-ES-04-28-10 1532EDT

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were photographed by artist Leo Matiz circa 1945. This gelatin silver print will be offered by RoGallery.com in the gallery's Latin American Sale on May 26. Image courtesy RoGallery.com and LiveAuctioneers archive.

Retrospective reflects Frida Kahlo’s personal triumph

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were photographed by artist Leo Matiz circa 1945. This gelatin silver print will be offered by RoGallery.com in the gallery's Latin American Sale on May 26. Image courtesy RoGallery.com and LiveAuctioneers archive.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were photographed by artist Leo Matiz circa 1945. This gelatin silver print will be offered by RoGallery.com in the gallery’s Latin American Sale on May 26. Image courtesy RoGallery.com and LiveAuctioneers archive.

BERLIN (AP) – A new retrospective of Frida Kahlo’s work uses photographs of the Mexican artist combined with examples of her writings and sketches to portray a complete picture of the painter as a person.

The exhibition, which opens Friday at the Martin-Gropius-Bau museum in Berlin and runs through Aug. 9, includes more than 150 drawings and paintings all drawn from major Mexican and several private art collections in Mexico and the United States.

It includes the plaster corset that Kahlo painted and works from the last year of her life.

The paintings are enhanced by dozens of photographs – some well-known portraits from famous photographers, others from her family’s private collection. They are curated by Kahlo’s great-niece, Cristina Kahlo.

“If you see the photographs and you see the paintings, you have a whole idea about Frida’s life and work,” she said. “With the documents, you can understand much more the paintings.”

Born July 6, 1907, Kahlo had polio as a child and was crippled in a bus crash when she was 18. While bedridden, she started painting.

Kahlo underwent seven operations on her spine from 1950 to 1951. During that time, she developed a very close relationship with her doctor, writing in her diary that he “saved my life.”

As a gift of thanks, she painted Self-portrait with Dr. Farill, for him, showing herself sitting in a wheelchair, her palette in her lap and a portrait of the doctor resting on an easel behind her.

A photograph from the same year shows Kahlo together with her doctor in front of the portrait.

“It’s like seeing a double image. That’s something very interesting, to see the photographs, how a photographer makes an interpretation of the painting and the subject at the same time,” Cristina Kahlo said.

Kahlo died in 1954 at the age of 47 and only began to gain iconic status in the late 1970s.

She is best-known for her many self-portraits that she used to deal with the accident, her tumultuous marriage to muralist Diego Rivera and her inability to have children.

Her self-portrait, The Broken Column, depicts the artist’s spine as a crumbling Greek column held together by buckled straps and nails.

“I think it shows everything of Frida Kahlo: her broken body, the surrealism, the dry landscape that looks like a moon landscape, which depicts her inability to have children,” said Carlos-Phillip Olmedo, who loaned paintings to the museum for the exhibit.

“And then she’s crying, but the drops are not really coming out, they are kind of floating, which shows the strength she had.”

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP-CS-04-29-10 0953EDT

Extremely fine and equally rare, this early 1950s Patek Philippe, Ref. 2497, men’s wristwatch has phases of the moon and perpetual calendar features. In like-new condition, it carries a $203,000-$240,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

Patrizzi & Co. auction features stellar lineup of watches May 7

Extremely fine and equally rare, this early 1950s Patek Philippe, Ref. 2497, men’s wristwatch has phases of the moon and perpetual calendar features. In like-new condition, it carries a $203,000-$240,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

Extremely fine and equally rare, this early 1950s Patek Philippe, Ref. 2497, men’s wristwatch has phases of the moon and perpetual calendar features. In like-new condition, it carries a $203,000-$240,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

GENEVA – Important collectors’ wristwatches, pocket watches, clocks and historic manuscripts will comprise Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers’ Timeless Emotions auction May 7. More than 300 lots will be sold beginning at 2 p.m. Central European Time (8 a.m. Eastern). LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

At the top of the list is a fine and rare Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 2497, men’s wristwatch, circa 1953, but in like-new condition. The auctioneers describe the watch as “one of the best examples of Reference 2497 that has appeared on the market in a long time,” adding that Christie’s Geneva sold an identical watch, although not as early, for $466,109 in May 2008. Patrizzi & Co. gives their watch a $203,000-$240,000 estimate.

Audemars Piguet, long famous for producing sophisticated wristwatches in ultrathin profiles, will be represented in the auction by a Jules Audemars tourbillion with minute repeater, a luxury watch made in limited numbers since 2000. It has a $111,000-$138,000 estimate.

Nothing says “cool” like a Rolex, especially if it’s the Explorer II Ref. 1655, which is known as the “Steve McQueen” Rolex. McQueen, the “King of Cool” who starred in such films as Bullitt, Le Mans and The Great Escape, was a fan of Rolex watches. The model that unofficially bears his name was discontinued in 1985. The watch in the auction is circa 1977 and has a $14,000-$18,000 estimate.

The auction will conclude with nine lots of documents, including manuscripts by legendary Paris watchmaker A.L Breguet (1747-1823), written late in his career. Each of the Breguet manuscripts carries a $37,000-$74,000 estimate.

For details contact Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers at +41-22-3182838.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Although movie star Steve McQueen wore a Rolex Submariner Ref. 5512 in daily life, it’s this Explorer II Ref. 1655 that has become known as the ‘Steve McQueen Rolex.’ Known also as the ‘Freccione’ for its large orange 24-hour hand, this late 1970s classic has a $13,000-$16,600 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

Although movie star Steve McQueen wore a Rolex Submariner Ref. 5512 in daily life, it’s this Explorer II Ref. 1655 that has become known as the ‘Steve McQueen Rolex.’ Known also as the ‘Freccione’ for its large orange 24-hour hand, this late 1970s classic has a $13,000-$16,600 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.


This Audemars Piguet tourbillion watch with minute repeater was made in a limited edition of 10 in the 2000s. With 18K pink gold hands, numerals and clasp, it has a $111,000-$138,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

This Audemars Piguet tourbillion watch with minute repeater was made in a limited edition of 10 in the 2000s. With 18K pink gold hands, numerals and clasp, it has a $111,000-$138,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.


Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak, the world's first luxury steel sports watch, in 1972. This Royal Oak tourbillon chronograph made in a limited number since 2000 is estimated at $111,000-$138,000. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak, the world’s first luxury steel sports watch, in 1972. This Royal Oak tourbillon chronograph made in a limited number since 2000 is estimated at $111,000-$138,000. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.


Patek Philippe, Ref. 1463, was the company’s only vintage waterproof chronograph. Made in 1953, this fine and rare men’s watch in 18K gold has a $148,000-$203,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

Patek Philippe, Ref. 1463, was the company’s only vintage waterproof chronograph. Made in 1953, this fine and rare men’s watch in 18K gold has a $148,000-$203,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), Frankenstein, engraved frontispiece and title page. Third edition, features picture of monster. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Shelley’s Frankenstein in the spotlight at Gray’s, May 6

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), Frankenstein, engraved frontispiece and title page. Third edition, features picture of monster. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), Frankenstein, engraved frontispiece and title page. Third edition, features picture of monster. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

CLEVELAND – Gray’s Auctioneers will conduct its first Fine Printed Books Auction on May 6, 2010, with Internet live bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. The online-only sale will include travel guides, illustrated books, art books, modern first editions and sets.

Among the highlights of the sale is a third edition of Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece Frankenstein. This was the first edition of the title to include an illustration of the monster as well as Shelley’s introduction in which she explains the origin of the story written while on holiday at Lake Geneva with her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron. The estimate is $1,500-$2,500.

Numerous books illustrated by Maxfield Parrish are being offered, including Irving’s A History of New York, Hawthorne’s Wonder Books and Tanglewood Tales, his fine collaboration with Edith Wharton Italian Villas and Their Gardens, and numerous others. Estimates range from $75-$100 to $400-$600.

Other important lots include a first edition of George Burchett’s Memoirs of a Tattooist based on his 55-year career as Britain’s most famous tattoo artist (estimate: $200-$300); Edward Gordon Craig’s Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, etc., A Book of Portraits signed by both Irving and Terry (estimate: $200-$300), and Gustave Witkowski’s curious treatise on décolletage titled Tetoniana, Anecdotes historiques er religieuses sur les aeins et l’allaitement comprenant l’histoire du décolletage et du corset (estimate: $100-$200).

This sale is online and absentee only.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Four-volume set of Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983) lithographs, Fernand and Michel Mourlot, Barcelona. First edition in Spanish. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Four-volume set of Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983) lithographs, Fernand and Michel Mourlot, Barcelona. First edition in Spanish. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.


Slavery and Emancipation, dated 23 November, 1850, with the certificate of freedom from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of St. Louis, dated 3 December 1850, on verso. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Slavery and Emancipation, dated 23 November, 1850, with the certificate of freedom from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of St. Louis, dated 3 December 1850, on verso. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.


Gerard De Jode (1509-1591) series of 15 circa-1580s engraved plates. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Gerard De Jode (1509-1591) series of 15 circa-1580s engraved plates. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Norman Rockwell, Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Rockwell portrait with fascinating history offered in Fuller’s May 8 auction

Norman Rockwell, Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Norman Rockwell, Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans. Image courtesy Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions.

PHILADELPHIA – Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions will “pop” onto the art market this spring with paintings, prints and sculpture by American icons Andy Warhol, Alex Katz, Tom Wesselmann, Alexander Calder and Robert Indiana. Among the top lots in Fuller’s May 8 sale – with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com – are a numbered and signed Warhol screenprint, Northwest Coast Mask from “Cowboys and Indians” ($8,000-$10,000), a 2006 Alex Katz oil on board titled Study for Corinne ($10,000-$15,000), Katz’s color screenprint on aluminum, Anne ($12,000-$18,000), and a Wesselmann Maquette for Dropped Bra ($12,000-18,000).

A star lot in the sale is the original Norman Rockwell painting, Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans ($30,000-$40,000). During World War I, LeRoy Evans served in the Navy with Rockwell in Charleston, South Carolina.

When Evans first met Rockwell, the artist was reputed to be a house painter, and was digging postholes for the military. Evans mentioned to Rockwell that it must be rough work on the hands of a painter. Rockwell corrected Evans, explaining that he was an illustrator, and agreed it was indeed rough on his hands. A compassionate superior, Evans reassigned the young artist to a job in the camouflage department in the last days of 1917. In gratitude, Rockwell painted Evans’ portrait.

Evans never saw Rockwell again, but his family eventually contacted the artist. This painting will be sold with Rockwell’s letter to Evans’ descendants dated March 16, 1971 on his stationery, in which he recollects painting the portrait. In addition to being reproduced in Moffatt’s catalogue raisonne (P33, page 977), the Portrait of Chief Petty Officer LeRoy Evans is mentioned in Rockwell’s autobiography, My Adventures as an Illustrator.

Fuller’s Spring sale also features an oil painting by one of the most successful British artists of the late-19th century, Walter Dendy Sadler. Sadler’s work was immensely popular during his lifetime, and often reproduced. The Old, Old Song ($10,000-$15,000) is a variation of subject matter favored by the artist in which he satirically depicted Regency dining room scenes illustrative of the follies of men. This particular dining room scene was reproduced as an etching in 1920 by L.H. Lefevre of London.

Also destined to cross Fuller’s auction block is a platinum-palladium print, Sculptor’s Model, Paris, 1950, ($20,000-$30,000) by renowned Vogue photographer, the late Irving Penn. This print was created during the period in which Penn produced a series of female nudes focused exclusively on the subject’s torso. In pristine condition, the print is pencil signed, initialed, titled, dated, and numbered “29/35.”

Fuller’s spotlights two works by American-born sculptor, Sir Jacob Epstein. A bronze (circa 1908) by the artist, titled First Portrait of Euphemia Lamb ($6,000-$10,000), and a recently rediscovered alabaster sculpture, Chimera ($5,000-$7,000) are expected to draw international interest. The alabaster work is one of three created in 1932 at Epstein’s studio at “Deerhurst,” Loughton, in Epping Forest, around the time his carving style converged with that of his friend and colleague, Henry Moore.

A reclining nude sculpture, Tranquility, by Modernist William Zorach is expected to bring $15,000-$20,000. Created in 1954 of German silver, this work comes from the estate of the artist.

A rare selection of ceramics from the late 1950s is available by artist Kenneth Price ($3,000-5,000). Bennett Bean is likewise well represented with an assortment of six pit-fired and painted earthenware vessels estimated from $800-$1,200 to $1,800-$2,400.

In addition, Fuller’s presents four lots of art glass by Richard Marquis and Ro Purser from the 1980s (from $500-$700 to $700-$900), when they collaborated to form Noble Effort Studio.

Therman Statom’s painted glass house is a solid cast-glass sculpture with his trademark colorful drawings. Unusual early glass by local artists, Roland Jahn ($250-$350) and Steven Tobin ($150-$250), are also included in this auction. Decorative arts include porcelain by Sherle Wagner, a laminate tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, and a selection of sterling and silver plate flatware and tableware.

For additional information on any item in the auction, contact Fuller’s at 215-991-0100 or e-mail info@FullersLLC.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Andy Warhol, Northwest Coast Mask. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Andy Warhol, Northwest Coast Mask. Image courtesy Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions.


Alex Katz, Anne. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Alex Katz, Anne. Image courtesy Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions.


Irving Penn, Sculptor’s Model, Paris, 1950. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Irving Penn, Sculptor’s Model, Paris, 1950. Image courtesy Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions.


Walter Dendy Sadler, The Old, Old Song. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Walter Dendy Sadler, The Old, Old Song. Image courtesy Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions.


Alex Katz, Study for Corinne. Image courtesy Fuller's Fine Art Auctions.

Alex Katz, Study for Corinne. Image courtesy Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions.

American Pickers Mike Wolfe (left) and Frank Fritz. Image courtesy HISTORY.

Reyne Gauge: TV’s fascination with antiques

American Pickers Mike Wolfe (left) and Frank Fritz. Image courtesy HISTORY.

American Pickers Mike Wolfe (left) and Frank Fritz. Image courtesy HISTORY.

It seems that TV shows about antiques and collecting are all the rage these days. Antiques Roadshow has certainly illustrated the public’s desire for information that blends history, antiques and collecting.

The History Channel has caught the collecting bug and produced two new hit shows for their Monday night lineup.

Pawn Stars, which is in its second season, touts a viewership of 5.7 million viewers. American Pickers, which airs right before Pawn Stars, debuted in January and has already caught the eye of 3.8 million. I’ve watched both shows several times and have to say I find them engaging.

Pawn Stars offers a look inside the world of pawn shops – a place people would not often think of to find antiques (or a place to sell their family heirlooms). I have to admit, I wonder if the show is somewhat “set up,” as I’ve been to Las Vegas numerous times on buying trips, and never have I found the sheer volume of quality goods that seem to walk through the door daily on the show.

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Map showing geographic extent of Caddoan Mississipian culture of prehistoric southeastern North America. Author: Heironymous Rowe. Permission to reproduce obtained through Creative Commons Attribution Ahare-Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Burial mounds lend clues re: East Texas Caddo tribe

Map showing geographic extent of Caddoan Mississipian culture of prehistoric southeastern North America. Author: Heironymous Rowe. Permission to reproduce obtained through Creative Commons Attribution Ahare-Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Map showing geographic extent of Caddoan Mississipian culture of prehistoric southeastern North America. Author: Heironymous Rowe. Permission to reproduce obtained through Creative Commons Attribution Ahare-Alike 3.0 Unported License.

ALTO, Texas (AP) _ Following a winding highway, once known as part of the El Camino Real de los Tejas, southwest out of Alto, there is a variety of wild flowers and multiple historic markers dotting a trail leading to the Caddo Mounds state historic site – a place where a community of Caddo Indians thrived centuries before Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain.

The site, formerly owned and operated by the state park system, now is under the operation of the Texas Historical Commission, and Caddo Mounds Site Manager Jennifer Price said she is excited about the future of the location.

Caddo Mounds was first opened to the public in 1982, but the site had been explored and mapped by archaeologists since 1919, who have, since, uncovered many artifacts and details of this particular group of Caddos known as the Hasinai.

Price said archaeologists have determined the Hasinai moved into the area about 900 A.D. and quickly established their presence by building the first ceremonial mound and a burial mound, where the remains of many Caddos still lie beneath tons of earth.

An excavation of the burial mound in 1970 provided a window into the culture of the group and archeologists found the remains of Caddos buried in the mound. After the study, the mound was recovered and none of the remains were displaced.

The ceremonial grounds played a large part in the Caddo culture and due to the parent group of Caddos in East Texas maintaining their political and economic relationship with other Caddos, the site in Cherokee County became a major regional trade center.

During the Late Caddoan Era, many of the Caddos’ ceremonial rites were discontinued, which scientists believe shows a weakening of the old social structure and values. With the loss of ceremonial rites, the site near Alto was abandoned as Caddos moved to other locations sometime around 1700.

The Cherokee County site consists of two temple mounds, a burial mound and a large portion of the adjacent village area.

Today, a walking trail guides visitors around the earthen mounds. A visitors center with exhibits and displays also is on site. Price said the center has more than 200 artifacts, mostly pottery shards, flint blades and arrowheads, and various “mock” tools.

The center also has a short video which visitors can watch actual Caddo Indians discuss their culture and their feelings about the archaeological studies on their ancestors.

Price said new developments at the site are in the works and said the public’s tax money is being well spent to preserve this piece of history.

Part of the El Camino Real has actually been found on the site and soon we will open an area to the public where they will be able to see actual wagon wheel ruts from early travelers passing through the area,” she said.

Price said maintenance has been the top priority at the site and plans are set for additional improvements.

The taxpayers’ money is being put to good use here. We are adding to the site, improving the facilities and are adding additional walking trails,” she said.

Price said the site, six miles out of Alto on Texas 21, is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to individuals or groups.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-04-27-10 1943EDT

 

Prison term ordered in $380K theft from art fair organizers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The former treasurer of an arts organization that stages one of Indianapolis’ best-known art fairs is going to prison for stealing more than $380,000 from the group.

A Marion County judge on Tuesday sentenced 28-year-old Brandon Benker to three years in prison and two years on work release or home detention. Benker pleaded guilty to felony theft charges.

The theft from the Penrod Society occurred over nine months in 2008. Prosecutors said Benker used some of the money for a Las Vegas gambling spree.

Defense attorney James Voyles says Benker has spent time in treatment for a gambling addiction.

The judge ordered Benker to pay $200 a month in restitution after his release from prison.

The Penrod Arts Fair is held each September at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-CS-04-28-10 0823EDT