Peter Max original acrylic-on-canvas painting titled Phonograph. Image courtesy Universal Live.
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Universal Live Fine Art Auction will conduct a 334-lot auction of fine art prints, original art and sculpture on Tuesday, May 11, beginning at 4 p.m. Central Time, 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The Guiragossian and Stevens Estates have commissioned Universal Live, of the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Ill., to liquidate their fine art with attractive opening bids. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
According to Universal Live’s auctioneer, Martin Shape, the auction consists of artworks estimated at 50 percent of gallery prices, or less. There are many works by highly collectible artists such as Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Peter Max, Leroy Neiman and Matisse.
Other artists represented include Tarkay, Kosciuk, Joseph Presser, Burton Morris, Lowell Nesbit, Erte, Cuillaume Azoulay, Dorit Levi, Hisashi Otuka, Scoppetone, Boulanger, Tadi Asoma, Marco, Watanabe, Zhou Ling, Zhou Brothers, Linnea Pergola, Steve Kaufman, John Stubart, Matrios Manoukian, Hirschfield, Jose Royo and many others.
“With Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers, a great amount of bidding activity is expected,” said Shape.
For additional information on any artwork in the sale, contact Universal Live at 847-412-9900 or email auctions@universallive.com.
Emile Bernard original 1890 signed painting titled Cloisonnism. Image courtesy Universal Live. Cecilia Garcia Amaro still life with flowers, acrylic and pastels. Image courtesy Universal Live. Jules Cheret original 1891 poster for Casino de Paris. Image courtesy Universal Live.
Persian pitcher with hand-painted exterior, 13th-15th century. Est. $10,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
BOSTON – Kaminski Auctions’ May Estates Auction features fine art, antiques and fine furnishings from estates spanning Massachusetts to Kaminski’s second location in California. The auction will take place May 22-23 under the tent at Kaminski Auctions, 564 Cabot St., Beverly, Mass. Live online bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
Bidding will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Previews are scheduled May 18-21 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and on the day of the sale beginning at 8 a.m.
Highlighting the auction is an unusual and ornate Persian pitcher, which has an estimate of $10,000-$20,000. The pitcher, which dates to the 13th-15th century, boasts a hand-painted design featuring two rows of figures, some crouched and others mounted on horseback. The piece is glazed in a blue-green hue. Islamic writing decorates the interior rim, which is roughly 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
Also crossing the block is a painting by Scottish artist James Fairman (1826-1904). The painting, estimated at $10,000-$20,000, is a coastal landscape depicting ships, a lighthouse and boys on the shoreline. The piece is signed by the artist and framed. Fairman immigrated to the United States in 1832 and was an accomplished landscape painter, having been one of the many artists to paint New Hampshire’s White Mountains in the late 1800s.
Additional fine art offerings include an abstract collage by Russian artist Eugene Rukhin (1943-1976). The collage (est. $5,000-$10,000) comprises a unique combination of materials, including burlap and oil paints. After his untimely death in a fire at the age of 32, Rukhin’s works were largely absent in the market until his widow Galina Popova surfaced with approximately 250 of his innovative collages. The artist’s works have enjoyed a recent boon in popularity, with some of his pieces reaching new record highs in the six-figure range.
A premier selection of jewelry is also offered at this exciting two-day auction. A platinum and diamond ring (est. $75,000-$100,000) highlights the auction’s jewelry selection. The center stone, which is accompanied by an EGL certificate, is a stunning 10.44-carat emerald-cut diamond.
“We’ve assembled a diverse selection of consignments for our first outdoor auction of the year on-site at our Beverly, Massachusetts location,” said Frank Kaminski, owner of Kaminski Auctions. “We’re always on the lookout for items to feature in upcoming auctions, and can accommodate anything from a single item to an entire estate.”
For details visit www.KaminskiAuctions.com or call 978-927-2223.
James Fairman (1826-1904) painted this coastal view with ships. The oil on canvas is signed and framed. It has a $10,000-$20,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions. Eugene Rukhin (Russian, 1943-1976), abstract collage, oil, burlap and mixed media, signed lower right, 30 by 26 inches. Est. $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions. Important early 19th-century tall clock by William Cummins of Boston, case by Willard, mahogany inlaid with satin wood, ebony fan carving on door, painted and signed, 101 inches high by 19 1/2 inches wide by 9 1/2inches deep. Good condition. Est. $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions. Platinum and 10.44-carat emerald-cut diamond ring with EGL certificate, size 6, good condition. Est. $75,000-$100,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
‘Dressing Room’ by Grigory Gluckmann (Russian-American, 1898-1973), oil on panel, 24 5/8 inches by 29 3/4 inches, 34 1/2 inches by x 40 inches framed. Est. $60,000-$80,000. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Auctions and Appraisals. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Art and antiques from several historic Southern homes and families, as well as items deaccessioned by Cheekwood Botanic Gardens and Museum of Art in Nashville are among the highlights of the Spring Case Antiques Auction, slated for May 22 at the company’s gallery in Knoxville. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
A painting of three ballerinas by Russian-American artist Grigory Gluckmann (1898-1973) leads the fine art offerings. The oil on panel bears a 1953 exhibition label from the Milch Galleries in New York and is entitled Dressing Room. Gluckmann, who fled to Paris to escape the Russian Revolution and later fled Paris during its German occupation, was known for his luminous representations of the human figure and the time-consuming layering method by which he applied his paint. Ballerinas are among his most sought-after subjects.
Other artists represented in the sale include Robert Lougheed (Canadian, 1901-1982), Sterling Strauser (Pennsylvania, 1907-1995), Cornelius Hankins (Tennessee, 1864-1946), and sporting artists Robert Cleminson (British, active 1860-1886), and Joseph Sulkowski (American, b. 1951). There are two etchings by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1896). Also expected to garner attention is a portrait miniature of a Southern gentleman by John Wood Dodge (New York/Tennessee, 1807-1893), and a patriotic oil on board painting of President Andrew Jackson, possibly a campaign piece or memorial painting, dating from the second quarter of the 19th century. An Auguste Edouart double silhouette with labeled sitters and a circa 1810 watercolor portrait of Marie Henriette D’Anterroche of New Jersey round out the fine art offerings.
The sale features an assortment of Old Sheffield Plate, sterling, silverplate and coin silver deaccessioned by Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville to benefit their acquisitions fund.
“Cheekwood maintains an excellent silver collection, but these are pieces which the museum felt no longer fit in with their collecting focus,” said company president John Case. “There are some unusual forms, such as late-18th- to early 19th-century plate warmers, and hollowware and flatware from the Georgian period through the Edwardian era. But not all of it will be expensive – many lots are estimated to sell for under $200. We also have some great silver from other consignors, including a Tetard Freres French Art Deco flatware service, a Baltimore Castle Pattern tea service, coin silver from Tennessee, Georgia and Charleston, and 20th-century silver by Spratling, Dodge, and Adler. It’s really an outstanding sale for silver all around.”
A plantation home in Grainger County, Tenn., known as Horse Shoe Bend yielded several important early examples of Southern furniture for the sale. The house itself went to a watery grave in 1940, when the land around it was flooded to create the Cherokee Dam. Fortunately, the furnishings and some architectural elements were removed, and with the death of one of the last remaining descendents, they are now on the auction block. They include a rare cherry cupboard or press with turned pilasters and glazed doors over a base with unusual pie safe tins, as well as a bookcase on chest, and a birdcage candlestand, all of which retain their original surfaces. Also featured in the sale is an early 19th-century walnut corner cupboard with dentil molded cornice, glazed doors and cupboard base that descended in the family of James Buchanan, an early settler of Davidson County (Nashville area) and a Middle Tennessee sugar chest with original liner box. Although Case is better known for Southern furniture, there is also a bed and two storage chests from the Iolani Palace in Hawaii. They were reputedly among the furnishings sold at public auction following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. Rounding out the furniture offerings is a collection of Georgia furniture from a home featured in the April 1997 edition of Early American Homes, plus several pieces of Stickley oak and European furniture.
Pottery is a staple at Case. This time, an exceptional redware pitcher by Greeneville, Tenn., potter Christopher Haun leads the lineup. The lead glazed pitcher features manganese or iron oxide loop designs and unusual compass star and cross hatched stamping as well as the name C.A. Haun & Co. It is the only known marked pitcher form by Haun, who was a Union sympathizer during the Civil War and participated in burning a railroad bridge in Greene County. He was captured and put to death by Confederate forces in 1861.
There is also a rare W.H. Hancock stamped ring jug from North Carolina, several lots of Georgia folk pottery from the Meaders family and other makers, and, from the art pottery realm, an 1893 Rookwood Iris glaze scenic vase by Kataro Shirayamadani, depicting four birds in flight.
Civil War items include a cache of letters from Confederate Lt. Thomas Bell of the 30th Tennessee Regiment. They include letters from his months stationed at Fort Donelson, an account of his capture when the fort fell to Union forces, and details of his time at Johnson’s Island on Lake Erie as a prisoner of war. Bell, who was eventually released in a prisoner exchange, returned to his regiment and died a few weeks after being wounded fighting near Atlanta. There is a Greeneville, Tenn., Union soldier’s GAR and Wilder Brigade ribbons and medal, plus numerous other Civil War items including weapons, a painted canteen, a reunion banner, books, and a carved cane that descended from the estate of a Union Civil War soldier from Jefferson County depicting a Confederate snake chasing a Tennessee mockingbird, which is seen seeking safety under a Union Eagle shield.
Also featured is a collection of historic documents including land grants and deeds signed by James K. Polk and John Quincy Adams, and an 1869 autograph book with signatures of Andrew Johnson, the Chief Justice of the United States, and every member of the senate.
A collection of 19th-century Bohemian and French glass features several fine examples attributed to makers such as Moser and Baccarat. There are also collections of French Quimper pottery, Asian snuff bottles, and circus memorabilia. Rounding out the sale is a large selection of estate jewelry, several clocks and barometers, and antique lighting including two Handel lamps and sconces salvaged from Cornell University and from the Gustav Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee.
“This will be the largest auction we have ever offered, and one of the most diverse,” said Case. “Estimates on these lots start at $80 and go up to $80,000, so there truly is something for every budget.”
The auction will be held at Case’s gallery in the historic Cherokee Mills Building, 2240 Sutherland Ave. in Knoxville on May 22 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. A preview will take place Friday, May 21 from noon to 6 p.m. A complete online catalog also will be available for viewing via the website, www.caseantiques.com. Interested bidders may also call (865) 558-3033 or (615) 812-6096 for more information about objects in the sale or to set up a phone or absentee bid.
For details phone (865) 558-3033 in Knoxville or (615) 812-6096 in Nashville
Tennessee redware pitcher by Christopher Alexander Haun (Greene County, 1821-1861). It is the only marked Haun pitcher form known. 8 1/4 inches high. Est. $3,500-$4,500. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Auctions and Appraisals. Patriotic vignette of Andrew Jackson, oil on board, 19th century. 10 3/8 inches high by 20 3/8 inches wide. Est. $7,500-$8,500. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Auctions and Appraisals. Tennessee china press with punched tin door base from Horse Shoe Bend Plantation, original surface, early 19th century. Est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Case Antiques Auctions and Appraisals.
NEW YORK (AP) – The Whitney Museum of American Art has received a major gift of more than 350 works of art from a longtime benefactor.
The museum said Friday the donation was made by philanthropist and art collector Emily Fisher Landau. The 367 pieces include works by Carl Andre, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Willem de Kooning.
The museum says it plans an exhibition of the works in early 2011.
It says the gift will fill important gaps in its holdings.
Fisher Landau is a longtime benefactor and trustee of the Whitney. In 1995, she established an endowment to support the Whitney Biennial exhibition.
___
On the Net: www.whitney.org
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ROME (AP) – A finely painted portrait of a demurely looking woman nestled in an exceptionally ornate frame that was kept in an Italian ducal palace storeroom appears to be a Raphael original and not a copy as long thought, an art official in central Italy said Friday.
However, experts on the Renaissance giant quickly cautioned that art historians would have to closely study it before any conclusions can be made.
Mario Scalini, state superintendent for art in Modena and nearby towns, said he was doing an inventory of about 20,000 paintings in storerooms after he was named to the post a few years ago when he was struck by an unusually fancy, gilded 17th-century frame in the palace in Sassuolo, near Modena.
It surrounded a portrait of a lady, hair braided, head tilted to one side and eyes demurely looking downward, as if the portrait-sitter wanted to avoid the gaze of the artist.
The work was long considered to be a copy of the head of one of the subjects in the much larger Madonna della Perla (Madonna of the Pearl) in Madrid’s Prado museum, Scalini said.
The Prado work is considered to have been painted by Giulio Romano from a design of Raphael not long before he died 1520.
But Scalini said in a telephone interview that he wondered why a copy would be given such an elaborate frame. He said a hunch that it might be a Raphael was heightened when he found centuries-old inventory notations indicating the collection contained a woman’s portrait by Raphael.
The documentation contained no indication the Raphael work might have been later sold or otherwise transferred, he said. “It had obviously been forgotten” and sat in the storeroom for decades, Scalini said.
The art official sent the 12 by 16 inch (30 centimeter by 40 centimeter) work to a laboratory in Florence, where one of the experts who ran scientific tests on the painting, Anna Pelagotti, said infrared testing revealed three layers underneath, including a preparatory design.
“It was a beautiful sensation, our mouths dropped open,” said Pelagotti, describing the reaction she and her fellow experts had when the saw the sketch. “It looked more Raphael” than one could imagine, Pelagotti marveled, adding, “you could see his hand” in the finely detailed sketch.
Scalini said he hopes during a visit to Madrid later this month on other business that he can persuade the Prado to lend Madonna della Perla, so art historians can study the two works side by side to help conclude if the long languishing painting is really Raphael’s.
The Vatican Museums are home to one of the world’s finest collections of Raphael paintings, and the Museums’ director of painting restoration, Maurizio De Luca, who worked on the Raphael Stanzas frescoes, stressed that such lab tests cannot attribute with certainty who painted the portrait.
“They can’t say it’s Raphael’s. That will come…” only after study by art critics and historians who will decide if it was painted by the artist or perhaps one of his pupils, De Luca said by phone.
At Scalini’s request, no “invasive” testing, such as analyzing bits of paint were done, to avoid damaging the painting, Pelagotti said.
But De Luca stressed that while chemical or other scientific analysis can determine if the material came from a certain time period, “you always need face-to-face examination” by art scholars to reach on judgment on the artist’s identity.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Colored slips, applied in a variety of ingenious techniques, produce the abstract patterns on the English pottery called mocha or dipped ware. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. Long a favorite with Americana collectors, colorful mocha ware goes equally well with period antiques or modern furniture. Now new fans are buying the pottery for its bold graphics, which add dramatic punctuation to eclectic interiors.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, furniture, silver, and glass made on this side of the Atlantic were used side-by-side with imported English ceramics. American consumers demanded many popular products made in British potteries, such as salt-glazed stoneware, blue and white transfer prints, gaudy china, and mocha. This demand was filled by traders in East Coast cities who received regular shipments from England.
Skinner’s March 7 auction of American Furniture & Decorative Arts in Boston was particularly rich in mocha ware. The back cover of the catalog featured an eye-popping array of mugs, jugs and bowls decorated with the bright bands, checkers, marbling and slip splotches that characterize the pottery. The four-figure prices achieved by many lots demonstrate collectors’ passion for desirable forms and patterns.
At first glance, the array might be mistaken for the output of a particularly creative modern studio potter. But the pieces were actually produced on factory worktables at English potteries in the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Most designs were achieved through the clever application of tinted slips while the pieces were manipulated on an engine-turned lathe.
Stephen Fletcher, director of the Americana department at Skinner’s, was not surprised by the sales results. “As much as we’ve handled over the years, I never tire of mocha. To me it always has this fresh appealing quality about it. I love the colors. I like the manner in which the designs are applied. There were several of the bowls that looked like Jackson Pollack had dribbled slip glaze on those. And other pieces have a kind of formal quality to them,” he said.
The expert can testify to its popularity in past centuries. “I own an old house on Cape Cod,” he said. “When we did some excavating while repairing the foundations, we found all sort kinds of shards, including chunks of mocha ware in the most beautiful colors. It’s small wonder that Americana people like mocha so much because it’s been a part of New England décor for a long time.”
Fletcher said the buyers were a cross section of dealers and collectors who appreciate the vivid appeal of the wares. “You find different approaches to collecting it,” he continued. “There are buyers who like mocha with chips, cracks, stains and all – in ‘as is’ condition. Some people who collect mocha ware will accept flaws, as well they should – it doesn’t ruin a piece if it’s chipped or stained. There are other people who like mocha that has been professionally repaired and restored.”
Even more important to collectors are the desirability of certain patterns and the rarity of certain forms and sizes. Fortunately, Jonathan Rickard has written an authoritative reference, Mocha and Related Dipped Wares, 1770-1939, which explains in detail the variety of techniques used to decorate the ware.
With a background in fine art, Rickard said he was immediately attracted to this pottery because he saw “the shapes of Bauhaus and a decoration of abstract expressionism.”
Rickard begins his book by defining the subject: “lathe-turned refined utilitarian earthenware whose principal decoration has been achieved with slip.” Although he knows he can never change common usage, he points out that the term “mocha” properly designates only those pieces decorated with the dark dendritic tree or “seaweed” motifs on lighter bands of slip. He recognizes that collectors now use mocha ware to refer to all the slipped and dipped designs that he covers in the book.
In addition to the delicate trees noted above, collectors seek out pieces that feature looping “earthworm” trails and circular “cat’s-eye” patterns. Both were produced by the deft use of a multichambered slip pot applied as a piece was rotating. The reference book also explains the methods used to create pieces with variegated surfaces and banded pottery.
Rickard has collaborated with craftsman Don Carpentier of Eastfield Village in upstate New York. The potter has been able to recreate the designs on mocha and related slipwares, a process that has added new information about the techniques involved.
Since this was utilitarian pottery, certain shapes predominate – straight-sided mugs, jugs of various sizes, pepper and mustard pots, and bowls. Less common are coffeepots, teapots and flowerpots. The ceramic bodies are mostly described as creamware or pearlware, with base colors ranging from white to cream and tan.
Rickard has also worked with archaeologists excavating at pottery sites in England. “We are pretty well convinced that there are a few different potteries that produced the bulk of the stuff that came to America,” he said. “And each one of them has its own handwriting basically. If you’ve seen enough of the stuff, you can recognize the work from one factory.”
One pottery involved was Wood and Caldwell, later Enoch Wood & Sons, located in Burslem in the Staffordshire area. More makers are listed in his book. Such factories worked in an assembly line fashion, making multiple example of the same shape with the same design. But the capricious techniques involved in the decoration ensure that each piece differs slightly from its fellows.
The serendipity of slip application produces individual compositions that seem like masterpieces of abstract expressionism. Strong design, harmonious color schemes and elegant forms bring the highest prices at auction. A good example from the March Skinner’s sale is a 2-quart pearlware mug circled with looping earthworm and cat’s-eye motifs. Its final price with premium was $2,844.
As Rickard states in his book, “It was the striking appearance of dipped wares that first intrigued me and so many other collectors. These pots will continue to enthrall those whose eyes are charmed by their colors and patterns.”
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
A lot of two banded quart mugs, one with cat’s-eye decoration, brought $1,541 in a March sale of American Furniture and Decorative Arts at Skinner’s. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. This English quart mug, circa 1830, has a reeded rim and base framing bold cat’s-eyes on a blue and tan ground: $1,007. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. A baluster form pepper pot, made around 1800, has a pearlware body circled by an engine-turned pattern filled with dark slip: $948. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. Mustard was an essential condiment on English tables in the 19th century. Less than 4 inches high, this small covered pot is ringed with geometric bands: $474. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. This large 2-quart mug features two designs popular with collectors: circular cat’s-eyes and looping “earthworm” trails. In spite of a crack, the boldly decorated piece sold for $2,844. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. A small late 18th-century jug alternates marbled panels with green-painted reeded bands: $2,370. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. Dark branching patterns resembling trees or seaweed are the classic decoration on mocha ware. This 6-inch jug sold for $1,067. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. Great graphics – cat’s-eyes and earthworm trails on the interior and undulating lines of slip on the exterior – add value to an early 19th-century bowl, which brought $2,607 at the March auction. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. Cat’s-eye and earthworm patterns on a slate-blue ground decorate this lot, which brought $2,252. The baluster form jug also features molded designs on the shoulder band, spout and handle terminal. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. An 8-inch jug, circa 1820, has a broad black band with large scrolls and dots in white slip: $1,896. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.
Sometimes it is impossible to find another collectible just like yours, so how can you learn what yours is worth? While checking Internet auctions, I came across a strange cast-iron clock shaped like a hatchet stuck in a block of wood. The clock face was in the center of the hatchet blade surrounded by the words “I cannot tell a lie.” I knew the clock had to be about George Washington, who, legend says, admitted to his father that he chopped down a cherry tree. That story is probably a myth, made up after Washington’s death in 1799 to impress children with the honesty of the Father of Our Country. Could the clock have been made for the 1889 Centennial Celebration in Chicago that celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington? Or could it be from some other fair or celebration that had souvenir hatchets that honored Washington. The clock is not listed in any price books. Copake Auctions of Copake, N.Y., recently offered it at auction. Copake probably looked at values of other figural clocks, then considered current interest in George Washington and the decorative value of the clock. The auction suggested the clock might be bought for about $250. It sold for $113. That’s often what happens with unusual items at an auction. There is a saying that anything that moves or makes noise gets good prices. This clock did neither and wasn’t beautiful or terribly old. It’s just very unusual. High prices come from bidding competition, and the hatchet clock had few bidders to push up the price.
Q: My two-tiered table was made by the Imperial Furniture Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich. It has claw-foot legs and scalloped edges. Can you tell me anything about it?
A: The Imperial Furniture Co. was founded by Stuart Foote in Grand Rapids in 1903. It was bought by Bergsma Bros. in 1955, after Mr. Foote died. The company made several different kinds of tables, desks, teacarts and other furniture. It’s not possible to date your table without knowing how it is marked. Pieces made between 1910 and 1917 were marked with an oval logo, while later pieces have a shield-shaped logo.
Q: I own an Ives O-gauge clockwork toy train set that was found under the eaves of a cabin on Donner Summit about a half-mile from where the Donner Party crossed the summit at 8,000 feet. The cabin was constructed of timbers 14 inches square left over from train sheds constructed by Chinese workers in about 1900. We bought the cabin from the original builder, and I think the train set was a gift he had given his son. The four train cars and track are in their original box. I don’t think the train was ever played with. The cast-iron cars in the set are a No. 17 engine and tender, No. 551 chair car and No. 550 baggage car. What do you think of the set?
A: Your cabin has an interesting history, and any Ives train set is worth some money. Based on the car numbers you gave us, the set was made between 1917 and 1930. Dating it more specifically would help you estimate a value. In general, the older the better. Ives Manufacturing Corp. traced its history back to 1868, when Edward Ives founded a toy company in Bridgeport, Conn. The company didn’t start making trains that ran on tracks until after 1900, when it rebuilt and retooled its machinery after a fire. Lionel became a big competitor starting in 1913 and forced Ives into bankruptcy in 1928. After that, the Ives lines were taken over by Lionel and American Flyer only for a few years.
Q: Can I use my 20th-century English porcelain dishes in the microwave?
A: Probably. But you should not use dishes in the microwave that have gold or silver trim. It will spark and may damage the dishes. Crazed porcelain or pottery should not be used in the microwave because the glaze may pop off. Try putting a perfect dish in the microwave next to a glass measuring cup filled with a half cup of cold water. Heat on high for about a minute. If the dish is very hot but the water cold, the dish should not be used in a microwave.
Q: My family’s antique sofa has a gold label on the back that says “UIU.” What does that stand for?
A: UIU stands for the Upholsterers International Union, which was founded in 1892. So your sofa wasn’t made before that date. The UIU merged with the United Steelworkers in 1985.
Q: I inherited an antique grandfather clock from, appropriately, my grandfather. His father arrived in this country in 1852. The wooden case is 9 feet tall. The face is inscribed “Jno Child, Philadelphia.” The glass is original, and the works include a multicolor moon phase. The clock and case both have been repaired, and I know the weights and pendulum are not original. The clock runs, and its locks work. Can you guess at its age and value?
A: John Child was a well-known Philadelphia clockmaker who worked between 1810 and 1830. (“Jno” is an old abbreviation for “John.”) So your clock is truly an antique. Its value has to be determined by someone who can look at it in person. It could sell for hundreds of dollars or well into the thousands.
Tip: To clean the residue left by cigarette smoke, use a damp good-quality microfiber cleaning cloth. A Mr. Clean pad also might work on ceramics or glass.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Need more information about collectibles? Find it at Kovels.com, our Web site for collectors. Check prices there, too. More than 700,000 are listed, and viewing them is free. You can also sign up to read our weekly Kovels Komments. It includes the latest news, tips and questions and is delivered by e-mail, free, if you register. Kovels.com offers extra collector’s information and lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and much more. You can subscribe to “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” our monthly newsletter filled with prices, facts and color photos. Kovels.com adds to the information in our newspaper column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Raggedy Ann & Andy child’s Melamine dinnerware set, General Mills premium, dinner plate, cereal bowl, fruit bowl and 3-inch mug, 1970s, $55.
Madame Alexander “Puddin” doll, brown hair, blue-and-white dress, white socks and shoes, 1965, 20 inches, $125.
Dennis’ Eucalyptus Ointment counter display, image of Indian clubbing man on head, orange ground, hinged, holds six 2-inch milk glass bottles, 1906, 9 x 7 inches, $385.
Carved folk art cane, gentleman’s bust on hook handle, head carved with beard and long sideburns, wearing jacket with lapels, 19th century, 26 1/2 inches, $500.
Tole tray, oval, painted yellow and black coach pulled by six white horses, 11 people aboard coach, 19th century, 30 x 24 inches, $920.
Blenko glass vase, tangerine, three sides with optic effect rising to flattened top, 1970, 21 3/4 inches, $950.
Leather fire bucket, black ground with salmon-colored rim, red-and-white banner reads “W.M. Downing, No. 56,” dated 1804, 12 inches, $1,380.
Coin silver water pitcher, twig-form handle and border, floral repousse, marked “K & H” for C.C. Kuchler and A. Himmel, New Orleans, c. 1852, 14 inches, $4,480.
Kovels’ American Collectibles, 1900 to 2000 is the latest and best guide to your 20th-century treasures — everything from art pottery to kitchenware. It’s filled with hundreds of color photographs, marks, lists of designers and manufacturers and lots of information about collectibles. The collectibles of the 20th century are explained in an entertaining, informative style. Read tips on care and dating items and discover how to spot a good buy or avoid a bad one. And learn about hot new collectibles and what they’re worth so you can make wise, profitable decisions. The book covers pottery and porcelain, furniture, jewelry, silver, glass, toys, kitchen items, bottles, dolls, prints and more. It’s about the household furnishings of the past century — what they are, what they’re worth and how they were used. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-571-1555; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
