May 2010 - Page 9 of 14 - Auction Central News

Pook & Pook’s Earth Day auction a well-attended success

An important Confederate Civil War flag for the 2nd Louisiana cavalry captured at Henderson, Louisiana, March 21, 1864 by William Ayers, 2nd Sergeant Company H, 35th Iowa Volunteers, 5th Infantry, the blue twill ground fabric with cotton stripes with thirteen appliqué stars and embroidered script 2nd Louisiana Cavalry, 25 1/2" x 38 1/4". Accompanying this lot is a tin type of William Ayers in uniform, a copy of the Vicksburg Daily, July 3, 1863, and a photo of him later in life. The flag was passed down to William's son, Arthur Wakefield Ayers. It was loaned and subsequently donated to the Southern Oregon Historical Society in the 1950's. Provenance: Southern Oregon Historical Society. $51,480

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. – Celebrating Earth Day, Pook & Pook Inc. held its spring auction on April 23 and 24, with a complimentary cocktail and dinner service provided to attendees prior to the opening session.

“It was an exciting two hours in which potential buyers were able to socialize with old and new friends and discuss the various antiques and fine art offered,” said Pook & Pook associate Deirdre Pook Magarelli. “Purchasing antique furniture and accessories is a smart way to ‘go green,’ as these pieces are generally sturdy, utilitarian and quite beautiful, lending a wonderful ambience to those rooms in which they are incorporated.”

Evidence that new buyers are coming into the field was seen by the increased number of people registering to bid online through LiveAuctioneers.com (2,266) and in house (611). “Overall, it was a very successful sale that reflects a steady improvement in our economy and the field of antiques,” Magarelli said.

The auction showcased a wide array of American and Continental furniture, paintings, oriental rugs and all ranges of accessory items from several important collections and educational institutions, including the National Clock and Watch Museum, the Estate of Bernice Cramer, the Chester County Historical Society, the Dixon Family Trust and others.

The sale began with over 100 lots of fine art and sculpture. The first four lots, from the estate of Robert J. Young, included a vibrant floral still life by Hobson Lafayette Pittman, which started the sale on a high note bringing $25,740; and an oil-on-board interior scene, also by Pittman, that sailed to $12,870. All prices quoted are inclusive of 17% buyer’s premium.

Lot number six was an illustration of a passenger train by Stevan Dohanos, estimated at $2,000-$4,000, was bid to $16,380. Walter Koeniger’s oil-on-canvas winter landscape was quite an attractive piece and brought over the high estimate $11,700. A double-sided pencil study titled Miss Lala au Cirque Fernando by Edgar Degas was bid to $7,605; and a woodcut by German artist Albrecht Durer titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse did extremely well at $11,115.

After Benjamin West, a well-executed period rendition of West’s Death of General Wolfe attracted the interest of buyers and sold for $17,550. Daniel Garber is known as one of the most original of the Pennsylvania Impressionists, depicting the woodlands and landscapes of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A brilliant autumn landscape by Daniel Garber titled Brinton’s Mill brought $128,700. after intense bidding. A lovely portrait of Helen Velasquez Chase by her father William Merritt Chase was an enchanting piece at $46,800. It was originally sold at the Chase estate sale in May 1917.

Other works included a courtyard scene by French artist Theodore Levigne for $12,870, a John Dare Howland buffalo hunting scene for $5,148, a charming Ben Austrian depiction of a chick and puppy for $8,775; and a terrific watercolor of ducks landing in a marsh by Frank Weston Benson for $49,140.

The Joseph Townsend family Samuel Malkin slip-decorated charger dated 1726 was sold on Friday evening. The large plate had a dotted border surrounding three arched panels, the center one inscribed in raised press molded lettering “Remember Lot’s Wife Luke 17:32 1726,” surmounted by an image of Lot’s wife flanked by trumpeting angels and the makers initials “SM” in raised relief. The extensive notes and genealogy that accompanied this plate suggested that it might be one of the earliest pieces of English tableware used in the colonies. For $81,900, the plate found its new home to be Winterthur Museum in Delaware, adding a very important object to their collection.

The Friday night session also included oriental rugs, furniture, folk art and various accessory items. A pair of Delaware Valley Chippendale shell-carved dining chairs made $9945; an unusual Pennsylvania alphabet quilt, $5,382; a Pennsylvania Federal tall-case clock by David Gobrecht, $8,190 and a Baltimore Hepplewhite mahogany card table brought $14,040.

Several fine pieces of pottery were offered. There was a vibrant stoneware jug with fanciful eagle decoration impressed “Wm E. Warner West Troy” that did well at $4,680; and a redware charger from the Titus Geesey collection with slip decoration of a leaping stag for $8,190. Two rare Reading, Pennsylvania stoneware water coolers were sold, one impressed “Wells & Richards, Reading Berks Co. PA,” that soared to $17,550.

Pennsylvania dower chests brightened up the sale. Originally sold in the George Horace Lorimer collection in 1944, a Mahantongo dower chest attributed to the fraktur artist and cabinet maker William Otto presented a great opportunity for a buyer to add a rare item to their collection. It sold over the phone for $56,160. A Berks County unicorn dower chest brought $3,744; a heart and star-decorated chest went for $10,530; and a Lebanon County chest made $3,978.

A rare, unique double portrait watercolor from the Reading Artist drew a lot of attention and set a record at $23,400. A circa-1915 American carved and painted pine whirligig depicting a gentleman wearing a bowler hat and black jacket crossed the block at $14,040; while a swell-bodied copper dexter horse and jockey weathervane finished at $6,435.

Several clock deaccessioned by the National Watch & Clock Museum interested buyers. A Chester County, Pennsylvania tall-case clock by Chandlee brought $6435; and a French Louis XV kingwood and tulipwood ormolu-mounted tall-case clock fared well at $10,530.

Another museum item from the Mauch Chunk Historical Society, a Pennsylvania tiger maple corner cupboard, made $16,380. Three unusual pieces of Wharton Esherick furniture, purchased by the parents of the consignor from the Esherick workshop, included a coffee table for $28,080; and a set of library steps for $32,760.

A Russian five-piece silver tea service stamped in Cyrillic “K. Faberge” drew a final bid of $64,350; and a lot of three Russian silver enamel kovsh went for nearly triple the high estimate at $5616. An unusual intricate Italian micromosaic, estimated at $800-$1,200, surprised everyone by bringing $19,890.

Other unusual items included an important Confederate Civil War flag for the Second Louisiana Cavalry, captured at Henderson, Louisiana, March 21, 1864 by William Ayers, second sergeant of Company H, 35th Iowa Volunteers, Fifth Infantry. The flag was recently deaccessioned from the Southern Oregon Historical Society where it has resided since the 1950s. It sold to a private buyer for $51,480. A mixed metal and carved articulated wood figure of a knight on horseback went to a phone bidder at $23,400, a wonderful result for a local museum. Saturday’s session concluded with a selection of firearms, including a British Long Land pattern Brown Bess flintlock musket that garnered $12,870.

For additional information on Pook & Pook sales, call 610-269-4040 or log on to www.pookandpook.com.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862-1951), watercolor of six ducks landing in a marsh, signed lower left and dated '31, 20" x 24". $47,140 — Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862-1951), watercolor of six ducks landing in a marsh, signed lower left and dated ’31, 20" x 24". $47,140

Russian five piece silver tea service, stamped in cyrillic {K. Faberge}, in the French Empire style to include a hot water kettle, 13 1/4" h., teapot, waste bowl, covered sugar, and creamer, 152.9 ozt. $64,350

Reading Artist (Berks County, Pennsylvania, active 1828-1845), watercolor double portrait of Andrew and Mary Ream dated 1845, both figures seated in yellow windsor chairs in a vibrant decorated interior with red curtains and lattice pattern floor, 11 1/2" x 13 1/2". This is the only double portrait by this artist that we are aware of. $23,400

Pennsylvania painted pine dower chest, early 19th c., the lid and facade decorated with clover shaped panels enclosing pinwheel and tulip flowers emanating from black urns, all on a red ground, 25" h., 44" w. $8,190

Kansas City museum revives ancient Egyptian galleries

A huge golden face of Meretites, a third century B.C. noblewoman, is painted on her 7-foot-tall outer coffin. Image courtesy of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – King Tut, that popular Egyptian boy king whose traveling tomb lured gangbuster museum crowds two decades ago, is once again touring the United States.

But Egypt lovers who can’t make a trip to New York and don’t want to pay nearly $30 to see treasures from King Tutankhamun’s burial site, have another option. Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art now boasts its own permanent – and free – ancient Egyptian coffin and funeral objects.

The Nelson-Atkins has begun displaying the 2,300-year-old coffin and other antiquities of noblewoman Meretites in its Egyptian Galleries, the new centerpiece of the museum’s refurbished Ancient Art Galleries.

Meretites’ intricately-detailed 7-foot inner coffin is among the first thing visitors see entering the Egyptian gallery – revamped from a former cloak room during the $1.7 million renovation. The subtle lighting, dark marble, and treasure-laden walls evoke the feeling of a tomb without being somber or frightening.

That’s the point, said Robert Cohon, curator of art of the ancient world at the Nelson-Atkins. Cohon, who guided the two-year renovation for the Ancient Art Galleries, has a particular audience in mind for the new galleries.

“We want children to come in here, and want to know more,” Cohon said. They will see the inner coffin painted with a huge golden-faced, blue-haired Meretites, as well as the myriad Egyptian gods and goddesses there for her journey into the afterworld.

Think magic, spirits, history.

“Egyptian art has been a surreptitious pleasure for so many,” Cohon said. “This may also be a child’s first exposure to death.”

And it aims to be presented in a way that is both wondrous, educational and full of clues about life in Egypt and about Meretites herself.

In addition to the detailed inner and outer coffins, the Meretites collection, which originated in middle Egypt and dates to 350 B.C., also includes more than 300 ushebtis – figurines of all the workers Meretites would need in the beyond.

The mummy of Meretites, whose names mean “beloved by her father,” is not in the collection. But mummyphiles, take heart. The Nelson’s new display includes another mummy, acquired from Emory University, and displayed coyly around the corner from Meretites’ coffin.

The Egyptian Galleries leads into the refurbished gallery of ancient art, which includes several signature pieces from the Nelson’s collection, some refurbished, all now displayed with purpose.

The room is flanked at one end by the limestone statue of Ra-wer from 2560-2460 B.C. Look closely for a tiny hand on the nobleman’s inner calf, indicating the long-lost presence of an adjoining child.

Nearby is a Syrian stonework from about 884 B.C. that once hung in the Mercantile Library in St. Louis. It features a deity tending a tree, all wings and muscles.

“A god fruitifying the earth,” Cohon said. “Schwarzenneger on steroids.”

But much of the focus for visitors surely will be on the Egyptian Galleries and the Meretites collection, bought from an art dealer in 2007 in Germany for an undisclosed – but reported seven-figure – sum.

The purchase has not been disputed by the Egyptian government, which has been seeking the return of thousands of its antiquities, many now held in museums around the world.

Meretites will likely remain in Kansas City then, where she is sure to gain admirers – young and old.

____

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art:

www.nelson-Atkins.org

AP-CS-05-06-10 1414EDT

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

The 8-foot-long outer coffin of Meretites is displayed in a new gallery devoted to ancient art. Image courtesy of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Mick Jagger screen print gets satisfaction at Brunk Auctions

An Andy Warhol screen print titled ‘Mick Jagger,’ 1975, number 40 of 50 and published by Seabird Editions, sold for $26,450. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Combine cultural icons Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger with aggressive bidders and it was Jumpin’ Jack Flash all over again. A 43 7/8-inch by 27 7/8-inch screen print of Jagger full face overlaid with gray and green and signed by the artist and subject was the top lot at the Brunk Auctions sale May 1. The screen print opened at $18,000, its reserve, and bidding worked up to $26,450. High estimate was $30,000, but as Jagger would have pointed out, You Can’t Always Get What You Want. All selling prices include a buyer’s premium.

Though there was just one Mick Jagger, the sale featured a number of much larger collections. At 65 lots, rugs were one of the longest and strongest. Four of the sale’s top 10 lots were rugs. Leading the way was a 14-foot by 14-foot 3-inch 19th-century Chinese rug with a scalloped yellow central medallion that encompassed approximately 90 percent of the rug’s area. Inside the medallion were trees and peonies amid a rocky landscape. It sold to the phones for $18,400 (est. $3,000-$6,000). From the same consignor was a 6-foot 2-inch by 10-foot 6-inch 19th-century Chinese rug with hundreds of stylized bats in rows across the large center section. The medium pile rug went to a phone bidder for $11,500 (est. $2,000-$4,000).

Continuing a two-year trend, Chinese porcelain finished strong: 18 of the 25 lots sold within or above estimate. The lot with the most presale buzz, an unadorned hu vase with blue Guangxu mark (1875-1908) carried the category’s highest estimate: $5,000-$10,000. It sold for $7,475. Over the past year, surprises have surrounded the Chinese porcelain category and the May 1 sale was no exception. A 6 3/8-inch Chinese vase with blooming prunus tree on a puce background with a pale turquoise glaze on its interior, exceeded its $1,000-$2,000 estimate to sell for $11,500. It was the top Chinese porcelain lot. A set of eight 20th-century Chinese wine cups with iron-red Daoguang seal mark (1821-1850), each with one of The Eight Immortals went from a $400 opener to $4,830.

Two of the 64 Southern lots that included furniture, pottery, maps, Civil War, miniatures and paintings were among the top 10 lots of the sale: a 19th-century powder horn and an inlaid Federal sideboard.

The horn was made by Tim Tansel (Kentucky/Indiana, 1810-1852), one of the few carvers who produced more than 50 carved and engraved powder horns during his brief lifetime. The signed, but undated horn had Tansel’s trademark fish-mouth edge at the spout. Engravings include a woman in a polka-dot dress, an eagle shield, a man on horseback and the words “E Pluribus Unum, Protection and Indemnity.” Eleven phones were active during the sale and one bought it for $9,775 (est. $2,000-$4,000).

Bidders could not miss the star inlay on each door of a 19th-century Federal sideboard from either eastern Tennessee or western North Carolina. Woods were figured maple and walnut with yellow pine secondary with dovetails and cut nails. In addition to the prominent stars, there was extensive bellflower and string inlay throughout. In the same North Carolina family since circa 1940, the fresh to market sideboard brought $8,050 (est. $2,500-$5,000).

Fifteen percent of the sale lots were paintings. Of the 96 paintings, eight were passed and one made it to the top 10. That was a signed, dated (1899) and untitled oil on canvas by Colin Campbell Cooper (California, 1856-1937) of a canal, possibly in Belgium. The Cooper opened at $1,000 and closed at $9,775 (est. $1,000-$2,000).

Hammer price plus buyer’s premium for the entire sale was $780,016.

For more information on Brunk Auctions visit www.brunkauctions.com or call 828-254-6846.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Almost square, this 19th-century Chinese rug with large central medallion was the star rug of the sale at $18,400. Note the multiple Greek key and lattice motifs in the corners. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

This Federal sideboard has three functional drawers over three doors that open to shelved interiors. Brasses are probably original. From Eastern Tennessee or Western North Carolina, it sold for $8,050. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

In a crowded field of paintings in the sale, this canal paining by California artist Colin Campbell Cooper topped all. It sold for $9,775. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

Tim Tansel signed and extensively engraved this 9 1/8-inch horn and included his typical serrated fish-mouth edge at the wood plug end. It made $9,775. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

This 6 3/8-inch 19th-century ovoid form vase with puce ground and turquoise interior was the top Chinese porcelain lot at $11,500. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

Feds: Three arrested in Seattle art heist conspiracy

SEATTLE (AP) – A disgraced gallery owner who served three years in prison for art theft was arrested Tuesday – this time in an alleged plot with a cellmate to steal works by Renoir, Picasso and renowned Northwest artists from area homes.

The FBI arrested Kurt Lidtke, the former owner of Kurt Lidtke Galleries in Seattle, in Bozeman, Mont., where he is in school. They also arrested Jerry Christy, who has a long history of burglary, and Christy’s wife Georgia at their home in Granite Falls, Wash.

All were charged with conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce. Lidtke appeared in federal court in Billings on Tuesday and agreed to be transferred to Seattle to face the charge.

The Christys made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday afternoon. Their lawyers did not immediately have any comment on the charge.

Lidtke ran his gallery in the Pioneer Square neighborhood for a decade before The Seattle Times ran a story in 2004 saying that artists were never paid after Lidtke sold their art. Lidtke, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2007 following an investigation, had tearfully apologized to his victims.

John Henry Browne, a lawyer who represented him, did not return a call Tuesday, and it was unclear whether Lidtke had obtained other counsel.

According to a federal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Wesley C. Floyd, Lidtke’s time in prison did little to deter him. In March, three months after he was released from custody, he told an undercover agent who posed as an art buyer that his former cellmate – Christy – was now stealing artwork for him, Floyd wrote.

“They locked me up with a bunch of criminals,” Floyd quoted him as saying. “And I can say, ‘Hey, go get that painting for me,’ you know, and they do. Crazy, it’s crazy.”

The Christys were involved in selling stolen art before Lidtke became involved, according to the complaint.

Lidtke and Jerry Christy were both at state prison in Monroe in late 2008. Christy, who was locked up for second-degree theft, was released in January 2009, Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said.

In 2007, a New York-based FBI agent recovered a painting that had been stolen from a Spokane home three years earlier. The agent traced the painting back to a gallery owner in the north-central Washington town of Omak, who said he bought it from Jerry Christy for $7,000.

Two months later, a Rembrandt etching was stolen from a home in Samammish, Wash. An undercover FBI agent in Oregon contacted Christy, who agreed to sell the stolen piece, Floyd wrote.

Georgia Christy later delivered it for $5,000, he said.

Last November, 13 pieces were stolen from a Seattle home, including two paintings by famed Northwest artist Morris Graves and one by Mark Tobey that were collectively valued at $190,000.

The next month, Lidtke was released from prison, and in February, the undercover agent received calls from him on a phone number he had only used in his dealings with the Christys, the complaint said.

In a series of calls over the next few months, Lidtke offered to sell several pieces taken in the November heist. Lidtke sold the Graves and Tobey paintings to the agent for $75,000, and offered to sell more pieces that his “friend” was trying to acquire, including works by Picasso, Chagall and Renoir, the complaint said.

Lidtke even went as far as to identify the Seattle resident who was to be the victim of the group’s next hit, Floyd wrote. Investigators went to the home on April 30 and found Christy in a pickup truck about 40 yards away, casing the place in preparation for the burglary, the federal complaint said.

Christy gave a fake name and was allowed to leave, but the FBI decided to arrest the three on Tuesday to prevent further robberies, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release.

AP-WS-05-11-10 1935EDT

10-ton sculpture landing at Indianapolis airport

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A 10-ton limestone sculpture soon begins a two-year stay at the Indianapolis International Airport.

The Indianapolis Star reports a crane will install The Birth of Flight Friday on a foundation in the North Garden outside the Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal building. The sculpture was created by Todd Frahm, a visiting professor of sculpture at Indiana University in Bloomington.

The work depicts two hands forming the American Sign Language symbol for a butterfly.

The Airport Authority and Airport Foundation sought proposals from Indiana artists more than a year ago and selected Frahm’s proposal.

Another work, Toward Flight, has been on loan to the airport and in the garden since November 2008.

AP-CS-05-11-10 2218EDT

Allman schedules 2 major shows this summer in Upstate NY

Visitors enjoy the open-air country atmosphere at Round Lake Antiques festival. Image courtesy of Allman Promotions.

CLAYTION, N.Y. – Allman Promotions will host the 38th annual Round Lake Antiques Festival and the 27th annual Great American Antiquefest for the summer enjoyment of visitors and residents of Upstate New York. The Round Lake Antiques Festival, 20 miles north of Albany and 8 miles south of Saratoga Springs, will be held June 26-27. Great American Antiquefest will be held at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, N.Y., 8 miles west of Syracuse on July 23-25.

Both events will feature more than 200 quality dealers. The Round Lake Antiques Festival, the Capitol District’s largest, oldest and most popular antiques and collectibles show, features exhibitors in a park-like setting that has drawn crowds in excess of 10,000 people for the last 20 years. The Round Lake Antiques Festival is sponsored by the Women’s Round Lake Improvement Society, which uses proceeds to help fund the town’s library.

The annual three-day Great American Antiquefest routinely attracts dealers from across the United States and Canada and 8,000 to 10,000 customers. Antiquefest, Syracuse’s oldest outdoor antiques show, will feature acres of quality antiques, abundant and delectable foods and amenities that make shopping easy, including bulky item pickup services and free directories.

This year’s Antiquefest will feature a special display and discussion on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Jan and Harold Reichard, local history enthusiasts, attired in costumes of the period, will share their knowledge and items from their collection, relating to the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. Of note, on display, will be a piece of the bunting from the exterior of Lincoln’s coffin. Harold will talk about the last hours of Lincoln’s life.

The Round Lake Antiques festival has free admission with free parking and free shuttle service to offsite parking.

General admission to Great American Antiquefest is $6. Early buyers’ admission takes place Friday, July 23, from 9 a.m. to noon. An early buyer pass costs $20 and is good for unlimited re-entry to the show all three days.

Other upcoming Allman promotions events include the Round Lake Arts and Crafts Festival, Aug. 21-22; the Syracuse Antiques Show at the New York State Fairgrounds, Nov. 27-28; the Venice Florida Antiques Show, Jan. 8-9 and Feb. 26-27; the Old Naples Antiques Show in Naples, Fla., Jan. 15-16 and Feb. 19-20; the Punta Gorda, Fla., Antiques Show, Jan. 22-23; the Holliston Mass Antiques Show, Feb. 26-27; and the Greater Syracuse Antiques Expo at the New York State Fairgrounds, March 12-13.

For more information, contact Allman Promotions at (315) 686-5789, e-mail allman@gisco.net or visit the website at www.allmanpromotions.com for complete schedule and venue details.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

A booth at Round Lake offers your choice of antique dog paintings. Image courtesy of Allman Promotions.

This booth offers a selection of Native American basketwork. Image courtesy of Allman Promotions.

An early American chest and majolica umbrella stand seem at home together in this booth. Image courtesy of Allman Promotions.

Blair Witch town eyes auction of coveted signs

Movie poster for The Blair Witch Project. © 1999 Artisan Entertainment. Fair use of low-resolution copyrighted image.

BURKITTSVILLE, Md. (AP) – A Maryland town that has long disdained its ties to the “Blair Witch Project” is now considering selling some coveted artifacts from the 1999 horror film.

They are four road signs reading, “Welcome to the historic village of Burkittsville.” They resemble those seen in the movie by characters researching the fictitious legend of the Blair Witch.

Voters in the community of 180 will decide June 7 whether to sell the signs in an Internet auction or save any of them for posterity.

Burkittsville had the heavy metal signs made after souvenir hunters stole the original wooden ones. That didn’t stop the thievery so the town recently replaced them with versions that don’t resemble those seen in the movie.

AP-ES-05-12-10 1051EDT

Skinner’s art auction May 21 has works by Tanguy, Hassam, Dunning

Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935) painted ‘At the Grand Prix’ about 1887. The pastel and graphite on paper/board is 11 1/2 inches by 8 1/4 inches. It has a $150,000-$200,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. will host its second fine paintings auction of the year with an incredible offering of American and European paintings and prings on May 21 at noon Eastern in the Boston gallery. Expectations are high, following stellar results of Skinner’s January sale, based again on the freshness of the auction’s material.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

One of the more important pieces being offered is Yves Tanguy’s Un peu après (A Little Later). This fantastic work from 1940 had been hidden since the 1970s when it was last shown. The painting comes to Skinner from the estate of Mary Lee Ingbar of Cambridge, Mass., who acquired it from her parents. It is estimated at $300,000-$500,000.

From the same collection comes a wonderful group of artists’ books. Of note is L’Antitête by Tristan Tzara. Tzara was a member of the Dada movement and later joined the Surrealists. L’Antitête was written as three anthologies, and in this second edition of the work, each artist illustrated one volume – Max Ernst the first, Yves Tanguy the second, and Joan Miró the last. The book is estimated at $40,000-$60,000. A second fine example of an artist’s book, of which there are approximately 20 being offered in the sale, is Foirades/Fizzles by Samuel Beckett, illustrated by Jasper Johns. It is estimated at $12,000-$18,000.

Also up for bid is At the Grand Prix by Childe Hassam. This gem of a pastel is one of only approximately eight created by Hassam between 1887 and 1889 while in Paris, and has been in the same private collection for several decades. It is estimated at $150,000 to $200,000. Still Life with Fruit by Robert Spear Dunning, co-founder of the Fall River School of still life painting is being offered as well. The pristine work reflects the elegance of the period and descended from a Southern New England family that held the piece for several decades. It is estimated at $50,000-$70,000.

Rounding out the key highlights is Lyonel Feininger’s It Happened in a Dream. This great example of Feininger’s work is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.

“With offerings such as the Dunning, the Hassam, a Charles Courtney Curran and others, we’re staying true to our roots as a premier auctioneer of 19th-century American paintings. At the same time, we are continuing our new focus with strong 20th-century material,” said Robin Starr, director of American and European Paintings and Prints at Skinner. “This sale is very much an extension of the caliber of pieces we enjoyed in our January sale. As such, expectations are that bidders won’t stop until they get the works they want,” added Starr.

Previews for the auction will be held May 19 from noon to 5 p.m., on May 20 from noon to 8 p.m. and May 21 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The Thursday evening preview will feature a reception and gallery walk beginning at 5:30 p.m. RSVP to 617-350-5400. Illustrated catalog #2507 is available by mail for $35 ($42 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 508-970-3240. It is also available at the gallery for $32. For details visit www.skinnerinc.com or call 508-970-3000.

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

Robert Spear Dunning’s luscious ‘Still Life with Fruit’ is dated 1866. The oil on canvas measures 24 1/2 inches by 22 inches. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Yves Tanguy’s ‘Un peu après’ (A Little Later) in 1940 after coming to America. The quixotic landscape is oil on canvas mounted to Masonite, 18 by 15 inches. The painting expected to sell for $300,000-$500,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Lyonel Feininger (American, 1871-1956) signed ‘It Happened in a Dream’ ‘L.F.’ in pencil lower left and dated it ‘1946.’ The ink, gouache and graphite work on laid paper, 12 1/2 inches by 18 7/8 inches has a $40,000-$60,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Max Factor’s Kissing Machine is ready for its closeup on May 15

Max Factor's Kissing Machine, estimate $50,000-$100,000, Super Auctions' May 15, 2010 sale of articles from the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com and Super Auctions.

Music fans, does this curious contraption look familiar? You may recognize it from the cover art for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2003 Greatest Hits album cover, but beyond that, it has nothing to do with the famous LA bad-boy band. It’s actually a Hollywood relic known as the “Kissing Machine,” and it comes from the fabled Max Factor collection to be auctioned by Super Auctions on May 15. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Max Factor (born Maximilian Faktorowicz in 1877) was a Polish cosmetician who founded the company bearing his name in 1909. Always experimental and forward thinking, the firm became a leader in theatrical and movie makeup, and its products became favorites with a legion of image-conscious film stars.

While we’re not exactly sure how the “Kissing Machine” is activated, it’s most likely that its purpose was to test the staying power of Max Factor lipstick, presumably during a kiss.

A unique item, both from a historical and pop-culture standpoint, it could possibly make $50,000-$100,000 in Super Auctions’ May 15 Hollywood Entertainment Museum IV auction.

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

Universal Live rolls out rare coins in May 13 auction

In Mint State 66, this 1834 half dollar requires a starting bid of $15,000. Image courtesy of Universal Live.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Universal Live, during its live coin auction May 13, will present an interesting array of foreign and domestic coins from a collector’s estate. Most of these coins are 50-plus years old and hail from varied countries. LiveAuctioneers will facilitate live bidding for the 4 p.m. Central auction.

Martin Shape of Universal said that many of the coins were from countries that he rarely sees such as Southern Rhodesia Africa and German East Africa. Also available are a 1781 half-penny from Ireland, Kuwait 50 Fils, old paper currency from Luxembourg, 1862 coin from Lombardy/Venetian Italy and an interesting silver medal from the 1867 Illinois Agricultural Fair.

Universal has also acquired a series of slabbed gold and silver coins, which includes an 1882 $3 gold piece, NGC 62 Prooflike; an 1883-CC Morgan dollar, PCGS MS63 Proof Like OGH; and an 1834 Capped Bust Half, NGC MS66.

For details call Universal at 847-412-9900.

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

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