Skinner to stage auction of European furniture, decorative arts April 9

Three-piece George III silver tea set, London, 1810, Paul Storr, maker, includes teapot, urn-form hot water pot and creamer. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Three-piece George III silver tea set, London, 1810, Paul Storr, maker, includes teapot, urn-form hot water pot and creamer. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Three-piece George III silver tea set, London, 1810, Paul Storr, maker, includes teapot, urn-form hot water pot and creamer. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

BOSTON, – Skinner Inc. will host an auction of European Furniture and Decorative Arts on Saturday, April 9, beginning at 10 a.m. in their Boston auction gallery, located at 63 Park Plaza. There are over 480 lots of silver featured in the sale, including tea sets, tablewares, flatware services, and serving pieces ranging from the mid-18th to the mid-20th century. Offerings include British, Continental, Russian, Asian and American silver articles.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

One of the cover lots is 847, a large Tiffany & Co. sterling silver ewer of great quality. The piece stands 20 3/8 inches on a trumpet foot, and weighs approximately 68 troy ounces. The original Tiffany fitted oak case is included. Valued at $8,000-$12,000, this ewer, with its highly detailed, sculptural bacchic mask decoration, bears a striking resemblance to punch bowls from the three garnitures commissioned by the U.S. government circa 1873 for presentation to the three arbitrators of the Alabama reparations claim case. The design of these suites has been attributed to one of Tiffany’s most celebrated designers and chasers, Eugene J. Soligny (1832-1901). Soligny was also involved in the design of some of Tiffany & Co.’s most renowned showpieces, including the Comanche Trophy of 1873, and the Bryant Vase of 1875/76. A bowl unmistakably similar to this Tiffany Silver ewer was featured in Skinner’s Fine Silver sale of April 10, 2010.

The range of styles extends from lot 634, a Paul Storr silver set suitable for traditionalists, to lot 1065, a Reed & Barton “The Diamond” set, for lovers of modern design. While extremely different, both represent great design of their day and show the versatility of silver as a medium. The three-piece George III Silver tea set by Paul Storr is dated to 1810 and valued at $4,000-$6,000. The set is composed teapot with flat lid, urn-form hot water pot and a creamer. Reed & Barton’s sterling The Diamond pattern four-piece tea and coffee set and tray, circa 1958, is composed of coffeepot, teapot, covered sugar, creamer and circular tray. The tallest piece, the coffeepot, stands 11 3/4 inches tall and the total weighable silver is approximately 68 troy ounces. It is estimated at $2,500-$3,500. The Diamond pattern was launched by Reed & Barton in 1958 and was a collaborative effort between the designers Gio Ponti and John Prip. Prip was given the task of designing the hollowware, while Ponti was the inspiration behind the flatware. Although designer John Prip was born in New York City, he was raised in Denmark. He returned to the United States and was hired by Reed and Barton in 1957.

Other impressive and contrasting silver table wares include lot 701, a pair of French candelabra fit for a regal chateau, and lot 742, a Georg Jensen six-piece Cosmos pattern tea/coffee set. The Louis XV-style French silver seven-light candelabra is mid to late 19th century and is estimated to be worth $6,000-$8,000. The Georg Jensen sterling silver six-piece Cosmos pattern tea and coffee service (1915-32) was designed by Johan Rohde and is engraved with the owner’s name, “Gordon Mendelssohn,” the name of his yacht, Quartermore, and dated 1935. This service was part of a suite of Jensen tableware used on the vessel. Mendelssohn was a wealthy Detroiter and a patron of the arts. The set includes a teapot, coffeepot and kettle on stand with burner, creamer, covered sugar and open sugar. The set is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

There will be two notable gold articles in the auction. Lot 601 is a fine French bicolor gold and diamond-mounted snuffbox, circa 1840. The box lid contains a copy of a photograph of either Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar (1831-1896) or his successor, Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar (1853- 1907), and is surrounded by 26 rose-cut prong-set diamonds. The gold snuffbox comes from a Rhode Island estate, it was presented to Richmond Pearson (1852-1923), who was U.S. Minister to Persia by President Theodore Roosevelt, and held the post from 1902-07. The estimated value is $8,000-$12,000. Lot 606 is a 14K yellow gold trophy cup from B.D. Howes and Son, circa 1973. The trumpet-shaped bowl is engraved for the “Hollywood Derby” at Hollywood Park and has an estimated value of $6,000-$8,000. The inscription is for the $150,000 One Mile and One Half winner, “Amen 2nd,” a 3-year-old owned by Dee-Bob Stable, trainer P.G. Johnson and jockey Eddie Belmonte, won July 15, 1973. The Hollywood Derby is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race held at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, Calif.

The auction also has a selection of Russian icons to offer, including Lot 216: Icon of Christ Emmanuel, Russia, circa 1780, valued at $2,000-$2,500, depicting Christ as a youth.

An interesting KPM porcelain plaque depicting Rubens’ The Garden of Love, also pictured on the catalog, from late 19th century Germany will be offered at the sale. The piece, after Peter Paul Rubens, has a number of cavaliers and ladies dressed in luxurious fashion of the period, all assembled in a garden by the edge of a fountain sporting a number of putti and adorned with a statue of Venus. The estimated value is $15,000-$20,000. Another notable porcelain piece to be auctioned is Lot 194: Meissen porcelain triumph of Venus on stand. Made in Germany in the 19th century and estimated to be worth $3,000-$5,000, the item is polychrome enameled and gilded, and features the figure of Venus surrounded by cherubs and attended by mermaids and a merman.

There are several impressive furniture pieces in the sale, including Lot 6, a William & Mary oyster veneered chest of drawers, and Lot 50, a Dutch Marquetry cabinet on stand. The 18th-century William & Mary chest has oyster veneer to top, sides, and front surfaces, with two short over three long drawers, and sits on stemmed bun feet. Its estimated value is $2,500-$3,500. The Dutch Marquetry cabinet is late 19th century, is estimated at $2,000-$3,000, and features an upper section with bombe bible drawers over two cupboard doors elaborately inlaid with flower-filled urns and various flower stems.

Some of the oldest items in the sale are Lot 351, a pair of Baroque polychrome carved giltwood kneeling angels dating to the late 16th century (likely Naples School) with an estimated value of $10,000-$15,000.

Previews will be Thursday, April 7, noon to 5 p.m. and Friday, April 8, noon to 8 p.m.

For details to the the Skinner website: www.skinnerinc.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

Dutch marquetry cabinet on stand, late 19th century with various oyster-veneered drawers and central marquetry cupboard door. Estimate $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Dutch marquetry cabinet on stand, late 19th century with various oyster-veneered drawers and central marquetry cupboard door. Estimate $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Russian icon of Christ Emmanuel, circa 1780, Christ as a youth surrounded by raised borders covered with a tooled and incised gilt brass basma. Estimate $2,000-$2,500. Estimate $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Russian icon of Christ Emmanuel, circa 1780, Christ as a youth surrounded by raised borders covered with a tooled and incised gilt brass basma. Estimate $2,000-$2,500. Estimate $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Dallas Auction Gallery sells pair of elephant tusks for $122,500

Pair of monumental elephant tusks, raised on silver mounted carved ebony stands. Tusks are 72 inches and 74.5 inches long, overall height is 92 inches and 89.5 inches. Price realized: $122,500. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.

Pair of monumental elephant tusks, raised on silver mounted carved ebony stands. Tusks are 72 inches and 74.5 inches long, overall height is 92 inches and 89.5 inches. Price realized: $122,500. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Pair of monumental elephant tusks, raised on silver mounted carved ebony stands. Tusks are 72 inches and 74.5 inches long, overall height is 92 inches and 89.5 inches. Price realized: $122,500. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
DALLAS – Bidders from around the world competed for an incredible collection of Asian art: pairs of Qing Qianlong Imperial cinnabar wall brackets, a Chinese late Ming-early Qing bronze Guan Gong figural group, impressive carved ivory and coral as well as high quality jade in Dallas Auction Gallery’s March 16 auction. LiveAuctioneers.com provided the Internet live bidding for the sale.

Standing out in this auction was a pair of monumental elephant tusks selling for $122,500. The tusks stood 92 inches high and came from a local Dallas estate.

The consignor was first a buyer at Dallas Auction Gallery and then decided Dallas Auction Gallery was the right place to sell his important Asian collection.

Scott Shuford, president of Dallas Auction Gallery, said, “I was overwhelmed by the number of bidders and the results that we achieved. This was our best Asian Antique auction yet, achieving over $2 million in sales.”

Additional highlights from the sale included:

  • Chinese early Qing Huanghuali altar table, 31.5 inches high x 40.5 inches wide x 15 inches deep, circa 17th century. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Price realized: $67,375.
  • Important Chinese late Ming-early Qing bronze Guan Gong figural group depicting Guan Gong riding a horse and handling a large sword, Zhou Cang holding a flag and Guan Ping holding a seal, walking in the clouds, 31 inches high x 39 inches wide, circa 17th century. Estimate: $25,000-$35,000. Price realized: $67,375.
  • Chinese carved red coral pigeons perched on a rock, with peony blossoms, 900 grams, 4 inches high x 13.5 inches wide, circa 20th century. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Price realized: $58,187.50.
  • Chinese Qing carved jadeite hanging vase depicting quail, with original box. Jade: 3.5 inches high, overall: 7.25 inches high, circa 19th century. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Price realized: $36,750.
  • Chinese watercolor on silk hand scroll attributed to Wen Zhengming (Chinese, 1470-1559) depicting a landscape. Site: 12 inches high x 46.5 inches wide, overall: 293 inches long. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Price realized: $33,687.50.
  • Chinese carved white jade teapot, the lid attached to the body by a jade chain. 6.75 inches high x 9 inches wide, circa early 20th century. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Price realized: $30,625.
  • Pair of Chinese late Ming Huanghuali wood panels carved to depict dragons, 16.25 inches high x 57 inches wide, circa 16th-17th century. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Price realized: $26,950.
  • Chinese Qing jade inlaid carved ruyi scepter in its original rosewood box, carved to depict eight lucky symbols, 17 inches long, circa 19th century. Estimate: $5,000-$8,000. Price realized: $24,500.
  • Chinese porcelain inlaid eight panel rosewood screen depicting landscapes, figures, birds and flowers. The plaques are 19th century, the carved wood is 20th century, 72.5 inches high x 113 inches wide. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Price realized: $25,725.

For details visit www.dallasauctiongallery.com or call 214-653-3900.

 

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Chinese early Qing Huanghuali altar table, circa 17th century. Price realized: $67,375. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese early Qing Huanghuali altar table, circa 17th century. Price realized: $67,375. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Important Chinese late Ming-early Qing bronze Guan Gong figural group, 31inches high x 39 inches wide, circa 17th century. Price realized: $67,375. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Important Chinese late Ming-early Qing bronze Guan Gong figural group, 31inches high x 39 inches wide, circa 17th century. Price realized: $67,375. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese carved red coral pigeons perched on a rock, with peony blossoms, 4 inches high x 13.5 inches wide, circa 20th century. Price realized: $58,187.50. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese carved red coral pigeons perched on a rock, with peony blossoms, 4 inches high x 13.5 inches wide, circa 20th century. Price realized: $58,187.50. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese Qing carved jadeite hanging vase depicting quail, with original box. Jade: 3.5 inches high, overall: 7.25 inches high, circa 19th century. Price realized: $36,750. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese Qing carved jadeite hanging vase depicting quail, with original box. Jade: 3.5 inches high, overall: 7.25 inches high, circa 19th century. Price realized: $36,750. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese carved white jade teapot, the lid attached to the body by a jade chain. 6.75 inches high x 9 inches wide, circa early 20th century. Price realized: $30,625. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese carved white jade teapot, the lid attached to the body by a jade chain. 6.75 inches high x 9 inches wide, circa early 20th century. Price realized: $30,625. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese Qing jade inlaid carved ruyi scepter in its original rosewood box, carved to depict eight lucky symbols, 17 inches long, circa 19th century. Price realized: $24,500. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.
Chinese Qing jade inlaid carved ruyi scepter in its original rosewood box, carved to depict eight lucky symbols, 17 inches long, circa 19th century. Price realized: $24,500. Image courtesy of Dallas Aucton Gallery.

Spinosa to shine at Gray’s spring auction March 29

Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers

Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
CLEVELAND — The spring auction at Gray’s on Tuesday, March 29, features a delightful and surprising collection of contemporary art together with a fine selection of furniture and decorations.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding at the 258-lot auction to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Cleveland ceramicist Gary Spinosa is represented by Lot 133, a strikingly large piece, for this artist, standing at 18 inches tall. Known for his elegant sculptural forms this piece is no exception. Spinosa’s sculptural works embody human myth, animal spirits and also hidden in each “stone or shrine, often symmetrical and iconic, is a self-portrait of the artist who lives with a deep, personal connection to his creations.” (John Bavaro, Bruce Gallery Director, Edinboro University). Spinosa has five works in the auction.

Spinosa’s skill in his chosen medium is inspired in part by the sublime ceramicists of China’s Ming dynasty. Lot 150 is a museum-grade 16th-century Longquan celadon Yen-Yen baluster form vase with foliate carved decoration, and an impeccable provenance from the original collector in the early 1900s.

From the 16th century to the 1960s lot 232A is an Italian-made Gino Sarfatti iconic Triennale floor lamp. This oft-copied award-winning designer was born in Venice in 1912, and studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Genoa. This aerodynamic floor lamp has been a perennial favorite of movie and TV set designers since it was launched, most recently being featured in AMC’s Golden Globe-winning series Mad Men.

If the Italians and Danes were masters of mid-century modern design, surely the Americans are masters of design when it comes to arms and armaments. Lot 196A is a working World War II scale miniature of a U.S. naval cannon. Standing at 6 1/2 inches tall and 17 1/2 inches long, this diminutive model is extraordinarily detailed. Using weapons-grade steel and brass with iron elements and complete with spring-action firing pin, the unknown machinist working for the U.S. Defense Department who created this cannon produced a beautiful work of art.

A warrior from ancient times, St. George, who slew the last remaining dragon in Libya, according to legend, is depicted in two notable lots by Hungarian ceramicist Istvan Gador. Lot 169 is a ceramic plaque depicting St. George on horseback with the dragon writhing at the end of his lance. Lot 170 is also a ceramic plaque showing St. George with the conquered dragon curled at his feet. Both pieces reflect Gador’s unique application of color and style. From Christian saints to Buddhist and Hindu gods, Lot 146 is a 19th-century bronze figure of Yama, lord of the Underworld. This small bronze stands at 5 1/2 inches tall, is ornately detailed and in good condition.

Equally ornate is Lot 204, a stunning Louis XV-style kingwood and ormolu mounted bureau plat. This is a large, early 20th-century, example with an inset leather top. Lot 205 is another 20th-century piece of furniture crafted by noted cabinetmaker Maitland-Smith. A mahogany drinks cabinet in the form of a Georgian-style dollhouse, complete with leaded glass windows, doors that open, a leather-top pull out shelf, and a roof and cabinet doors which open to reveal shelves. This is a delightful and whimsical piece.

In the late 19th century Jules Moigniez the renowned French sculptor was creating his signature animal bronzes. Lot 104 is a familial group of Merino sheep rendered by Moigniez in exquisite detail. Moigniez exhibited regularly at the Salon between 1859 and 1892.

Rounding out the lots of note at Gray’s spring auction is Lot 52 a hand-woven camel hair tapestry panel by Ahmed Gareeb, a contemporary Iraqi artist living and working in the United States. Gareeb’s work is in collections all over the world, and he was recently invited to exhibit at Art Dubai. Gareeb draws from his experiences straddling the Arab and Western worlds and infuses his work with a deep historical context, using calligraphy and color to draw the viewer in to a more complex story of his particular struggle. Gareeb has four large and powerful textiles in this auction.

This is just a small selection from the fine furniture, paintings and decorative arts to be sold at Tuesday’s auction. In addition to live online bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, there will be telephone bidding and absentee bidding offered directly through Gray’s Auctioneers.

The showrooms will be open for previews Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday, noon-5 p.m.

For details visit the website www.graysauctioneers.com or phone 216-458-7695.

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

Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers
Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers

Stephenson’s experts to appraise for N.J. historical society, April 3

Friendship School, the only one-room schoolhouse still standing in the historic Tabernacle, New Jersey. Photo taken Aug. 22, 2009 by DDauri Daniel D'Auria. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Friendship School, the only one-room schoolhouse still standing in the historic Tabernacle, New Jersey. Photo taken Aug. 22, 2009 by DDauri Daniel D'Auria. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Friendship School, the only one-room schoolhouse still standing in the historic Tabernacle, New Jersey. Photo taken Aug. 22, 2009 by DDauri Daniel D’Auria. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

TABERNACLE, N.J. — Antiques and fine art experts Cindy Stephenson and Tommy Wakely, both of Stephenson’s Auctioneers of Southampton, Pa., will be conducting appraisals on Sunday, April 3, at Lord of Life Lutheran church in Tabernacle, N.J. The appraisal event will benefit the Indian Mills Historical Society. Hours are from 2-5 p.m.

The $5 admission fee entitles participants to receive an evaluation on one item. If time permits, additional items will be accepted for appraisal at an extra cost.

This event is one of a series of fundraisers being conducted by the Indian Mills Historical Society to provide financial support for its continued preservation of historical sites in Shamong Township.

Lord of Life Lutheran Church is located at 1 Winchester Way in Tabernacle, N.J., approximately 29 miles from Philadelphia.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Friendship School, the only one-room schoolhouse still standing in the historic Tabernacle, New Jersey. Photo taken Aug. 22, 2009 by DDauri Daniel D'Auria. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Friendship School, the only one-room schoolhouse still standing in the historic Tabernacle, New Jersey. Photo taken Aug. 22, 2009 by DDauri Daniel D’Auria. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Crowds expected at yard sale of once rich-and-infamous CEO Scrushy

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (AP) – The big barn and horse stables that were a symbol of Richard Scrushy’s rags-to-riches tale as the chief executive of HealthSouth Corp. will be overrun this weekend by strangers combing through the last of his personal possessions.

The horse buildings on the Vestavia Hills home place will be the site of an open-to-the-public estate sale starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. That’s when thousands of Scrushy’s personal and household items will be sold at what amounts to a huge yard sale.

There are many hundreds of furniture items, racks of designer men’s clothing and curios aplenty, from autographed photos of celebrities to paintings of the former HealthSouth CEO. All will be sold at a simple cash-and-carry sale Saturday and Sunday under 4,000 square feet of former horse space at the Vestavia Hills property off Interstate 459.

“The interest level is high; it is a very high-profile sale,” said John Jones, an estate sales professional handling the event for Philadelphia-based appraisers Freeman’s. “There are some nice furniture reproductions, some nice prints, good rugs and some fine artwork by artists with a strong regional following.”

The sale, taking place where Scrushy once boarded and trained his family’s horses, is part of the ongoing seizure and liquidation of his possessions. The former executive was found liable in 2009 during a Jefferson County Circuit Court civil trial for a massive accounting fraud that almost sent HealthSouth into bankruptcy. He was ordered to pay HealthSouth $2.8 billion in compensation for the damage he was found to have caused.

Since then, lawyers for HealthSouth shareholders have collected about $100 million, mostly from recovering improperly paid bonuses and stock-sale proceeds. Additional amounts have come from selling Scrushy’s fleet of 19 vehicles and a jewelry collection. Now, it comes down to the more mundane. The items for sale over the weekend come from all of Scrushy’s homes, from the Vestavia estate itself, to residences in Florida, on Lake Martin and places in between:

  • Racks of Scrushy’s business suits, shirts, belts and blazers. Some bear Giorgio Armani labels. Some shirts start at $20, some blazers and coats at $80.
  • A Rowe reproduction juke box filled with vinyl records, including the 1970s hit “Brandy” by one-hit wonder Looking Glass, and many selections from Credence Clearwater Revival. Sellers are priced at $2,800.
  • Large, solid wood and leather armoires, some from $1,600 to $4,800.
  • A 24-place setting of Christian Lacroix china in a Provencal gold scroll pattern for $5,000; such china has sold for $15,000 at full retail price.

John Somerville, a shareholder lawyer supervising the sale, said he can’t predict how much the weekend will raise for HealthSouth. Proceeds from selling Scrushy’s goods are divided among the company, the lawyers who won the civil case, and HealthSouth shareholders.

“Scrushy’s possessions are being sold just as Bernie Madoff’s possessions are being sold,” Somerville said. “And that is to benefit the victims.”

Scrushy, who grew up in modest circumstances in Selma, Ala., and built HealthSouth from scratch, won’t be there for any of it. He is in federal prison in Texas until June 2013 after being convicted of bribing former Gov. Don Siegelman for a seat on the state hospital permitting board. A photo of the two, autographed by Siegelman, is part of the estate sale, going for $500. The picture captures happier times, with both men grinning broadly for the camera.

“To my good friend, Richard Scrushy,” reads the inscription.

Furniture items run into the hundreds, and include a massive, leather-topped solid wood desk from Scrushy’s home office, for $6,500. Every inch of wall space in the salerooms is covered with a painting or a photograph or a poster. Many are of sports stars, such as the autographed one of Bo Jackson in Chicago White Sox garb. Others are everyday prints that could be found on the wall of any house in America.

Still others are more jarring, such as the dark, airbrushed portrait of a tough-looking Scrushy riding a chopper with high handlebars through a darkened landscape. Another depicts him with a rope over his shoulder, hauling a wagon emblazoned “HealthSouth” up a steep hill. “Pulling the wagon together” was the motto at HealthSouth, once Alabama’s largest publicly traded company.

There were fewer people to pull after Scrushy’s fraud indictment in 2003. The company flirted with bankruptcy after federal prosecutors said Scrushy and subordinates reported billions in phony profits while incurring billions in actual losses. Thousands of jobs were cut, and many shareholders lost everything after shares fell more than 90 percent.

Scrushy was found not guilty during a 2005 federal criminal trial in U.S. District Court in Birmingham. Five former chief financial officers said otherwise, testifying after pleading guilty that Scrushy ordered the phony accounting.

He wasn’t so fortunate at the 2009 Jefferson County Circuit Court civil trial, a suit filed by HealthSouth shareholders seeking financial penalties. The judge in the case called Scrushy “the CEO of the fraud.” It emerged during the trial that HealthSouth reported $1.3 billion in fake profits from 1996 through 2002, while the company incurred actual losses of $2.4 billion.

Scrushy earned $226 million during the fraud period, and owned hundreds of millions in real estate, airplanes, boats and personal property, lawyers said in court filings.

Now, not much is left to sell after Scrushy and wife Leslie volunteered last year to hand everything over in return for settling allegations she hid her husband’s assets from HealthSouth. The next assets on the sale schedule are a few fine art pieces Scrushy owned, including those by Picasso and Chagall. They are slated to be sold at an auction May 15 in Philadelphia, also handled by Freeman’s.

___

Information from: The Birmingham News,

http://www.al.com/birminghamnews

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-CS-03-24-11 0855EDT

 

 

 

License plate barn remains unofficial southern Indiana landmark

None of the license plates on Adams' barn is as old as this set of 1913 Indiana porcelain-enameled plates. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Cowan's Auctions Inc.

None of the license plates on Adams' barn is as old as this set of 1913 Indiana porcelain-enameled plates. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Cowan's Auctions Inc.
None of the license plates on Adams’ barn is as old as this set of 1913 Indiana porcelain-enameled plates. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Cowan’s Auctions Inc.
MIDWAY, Ind. (AP) – Mark Adams looks up and down at the “license plate barn,” as it’s known, which serves as the reckoning point for directions in this tiny Spencer County community on Indiana 161, about 20 miles east of Evansville.

“You just say, ‘Go to the place with all the auto tags, and make a left or a right or a whatever.’ Everybody knows,” says the 56-year-old man who has lived in Midway most of his life.

Louie “Doc”” Magee, a former county commissioner, decorated the barn, his mechanics’ shed and two corn cribs with more than 8,000 unsold license plates, many dated 1961 and 1962.

“Doc was known as an off-the-wall individual who worked as a self-employed carpenter,” Adams says. “He had access to the plates that didn’t sell and used them to put Midway on the map. He banged them in with roofing nails.”

Adams’ parents, Mari Lena and Alvin, moved here in 1960 and bought the barn after Magee died in the early 1970s.

“The shop and corn cribs on the other side of the road got bulldozed down,” says Adams, “and with that went a ton of old tags. What’s left now is only a drop in the bucket.”

Mark Adams has boxes of unused license plates, courtesy of his brother, Gary, who also served a multi-year stint on the Spencer County Commission.

“I want to carry on the tradition with the barn, but it’s tough. When I screw one new plate in, lots of times three old ones fall off.”

It’s commonplace for Adams to see strangers pull up next to the beat-up barn and take pictures.

“I come out and answer their questions because I always want to be neighborly. A lot of them want to know how old the barn is. I tell them 100 years doesn’t begin to cut it.”

Never, Adams says, has the place been vandalized.

“The license plate barn is definitely a rural thing. People around here treasure the memories that the building represents. In a city, the old tags would get destroyed.”

Adams pulls regular maintenance.

“I don’t want the thing to fall down on my watch. I’ve jacked it up and put in concrete pillars. I even put in a garage door. It’s as stable now as it’s ever been.”

Adams keeps two vintage trucks inside the barn, including one he bought in 1975.

“Rumor has it that the license plate barn was once a post office, but I don’t know about that. It’s definitely home base for a bunch of cats, though. They make themselves home in the hay and the stalls where the animals used to be.”

He’s never considering having the place declared a landmark.

“To me, it’s just a thing to talk about. Yeah, the license plates are on the outside, but mules used to live inside the stable. There’s nothing historical about that.”

___

Information from: Evansville Courier & Press,

http://www.courierpress.com

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-CS-03-20-11 0103EDT

 

Warhol’s Elizabeth Taylor portrait to star in May 12 NYC auction

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), Liz #5, 1963 silkscreen portrait of Elizabeth Taylor, to be auctioned May 12 at Phillips de Pury's Manhattan gallery. Image courtesy of Phillips de Pury.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), Liz #5, 1963 silkscreen portrait of Elizabeth Taylor, to be auctioned May 12 at Phillips de Pury's Manhattan gallery. Image courtesy of Phillips de Pury.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), Liz #5, 1963 silkscreen portrait of Elizabeth Taylor, to be auctioned May 12 at Phillips de Pury’s Manhattan gallery. Image courtesy of Phillips de Pury.

New York – An iconic 1963 Andy Warhol silkscreen portrait of film legend Elizabeth Taylor will be auctioned on May 12, 2011 at Phillips de Pury’s Manhattan gallery. The painting is entered in part I of the company’s Contemporary Art auction and is expected to make $20 million to $30,000. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

“Liz #5 is a pristine gem. It is Warhol at his very best with a perfect screen, glowing colors, and impeccable provenance,” said Michael McGinnis, Senior Director and Worldwide Head, Contemporary Art for Phillips de Pury. “She is classic yet every bit as cutting edge as she was when Warhol painted her nearly 50 years ago. Liz #5 embodies everything that a major collector of 20th and 21st century art desires and we are thrilled to offer this rare and exciting opportunity to the market.”

Liz #5 was painted at the height of the actress’ fame, which coincided with the most significant and creative period of Warhol’s career. The glamorous portrait embodies the most important themes of Warhol’s oeuvre including celebrity, wealth, scandal, sex, death and Hollywood. The epitome of old-world Hollywood style and glamour, Liz Taylor – who died on March 23 – was one of Warhol’s most famous inspirations, alongside Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy. Taylor captured Warhol’s attention early on with her life’s high-profile romances and tragedy; it was this vibrancy and pathos that so attracted Warhol to her and ensured she was a formidable influence on his work throughout his career. In his own words he once said, “Elizabeth Taylor, ohhhh. She’s so glamorous.”

In Liz #5, Taylor’s unforgettable face emerges from a rich turquoise background, perfectly capturing her luminous skin, striking violet eyes and red lips. The power of her attraction has never been as evident as it is in this Warhol painting – a dazzling tribute to Elizabeth Taylor. This striking portrait is a testament to the legend and beauty of one of the world’s most beloved and iconic actresses, both capturing her very essence and transcending the limits of time.

Liz #5 was acquired by the consignor – rumored to be hedge fund manager Steve Cohen of SAC Capital – from the estate of famed art dealer and collector Ileana Sonnabend. Beginning in the early 1960s her gallery was instrumental in introducing postwar American Art to Europe and she represented the most prolific and groundbreaking artists of her time including Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol. Liz #5 remained in her personal art collection until her death in 2007. This is the first time a work from her estate will come to auction and it offers the rare possibility to acquire one of the Sonnabend treasures in the open market.

Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available for the May 12 auction, and an electronic catalog will appear online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com in April.

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Midwest Antiques Forum to be held in Lancaster, Ohio, May 13-15.

Wardrobe, or schrank, Bluffton, Ohio, dated 1858. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.

Wardrobe, or schrank, Bluffton, Ohio, dated 1858. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
Wardrobe, or schrank, Bluffton, Ohio, dated 1858. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
LANCASTER, Ohio – For the first time, museum curators, scholars, collectors and members of the antiques trade will gather to share research on the early decorative arts of the American Midwest. The Midwest Antiques Forum will be held May 13-15 at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in conjunction with the center’s current exhibition, Equal in Goodness: Ohio Decorative Arts 1788-1860.

The forum will take place at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, which is housed in the 1835 Reese-Peters House, 245 E. Main St. in Lancaster.

During the three-day conference, participants will hear lectures from some of the leading experts in the field. Topics include the French style in the early Midwest (Bill Puig, independent scholar and consultant), Midwestern Germanic furniture (Andrew Richmond, vice president, Garth’s Auctions), Ohio coverlets (Trish Cunningham, professor, Ohio State University), Anna Pottery of Illinois (Ellen Denker, independent scholar), Wisconsin decorative arts (Emily Pfotenhauer, outreach specialist, Wisconsin Heritage Online), and treasures of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Dean Zimmerman, chief curator, Western Reserve Historical Society).

Concluding the lectures will be a talk by Brock Jobe of the Winterthur Museum on putting Midwestern decorative arts in the broader context of American decorative arts. Attendees may also take special tours of Equal in Goodness and of local historical landmarks, including the Georgian Museum and the Square 13 Historic District.

There will also be a panel discussion on Midwestern decorative arts in the antiques marketplace. Panelists include auctioneers Wes Cowan and Jeff Jeffers, dealer Charles Muller, collector Susan Widder and curator Dean Zimmerman.

Ohio-based p4A.com Ltd. is the forum’s major sponsor, with additional support from Cowan’s Auctions, Garth’s Auctions, Ohio Historical Decorative Arts Association and two antiques trade publications. Founded in 1999, Prices4antiques.com is an online subscription database of auction prices.

The registration fee for the forum is $245.

For more information on the Midwest Antiques Forum, including a schedule of events, speaker biographies, hotel and restaurant information, and to register, visit www.midwestantiquesforum.com.

 

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Armchair, Cahokia, Ill., 1750-1780. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
Armchair, Cahokia, Ill., 1750-1780. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
Cubpard, attributed to Aslak Olsen Lie, Klevenville, Wis., 1848-1878. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
Cubpard, attributed to Aslak Olsen Lie, Klevenville, Wis., 1848-1878. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
Inkwell, Anna Pottery, Anna, Ill., 1859-1896. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.
Inkwell, Anna Pottery, Anna, Ill., 1859-1896. Image courtesy of the Midwest Antiques Forum.