May 2011 - Page 7 of 17 - Auction Central News

X marks the spot of new Captain Kidd exhibit

Howard Pyle's fanciful painting of William ‘Captain’ Kidd burying treasure. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

LONDON (AP) – Many know of Captain Kidd, the Scottish-born buccaneer who terrorized the Indian Ocean and was hanged as a pirate at London’s Execution Dock.

Fewer know of his services to the British crown, his royal seal of approval, and the powerful, well-connected noblemen who Kidd believed double-crossed him.

A new exhibit at the Museum of London Docklands argues that Kidd’s career wasn’t as black-and-white as the skull-and-crossbones, and invites people to ask whether the 17th century adventurer was made a scapegoat for other men’s schemes.

Curator Tom Wareham said he wanted to highlight the degree to which corrupt lawmakers, conniving noblemen and greedy London merchants all played their part in funding, outfitting and organizing pirate expeditions.

There was little doubt about Kidd’s guilt, Wareham said. But those who backed him shared in it too.

“They are guilty,” he said. “Of avarice, basically.”

The beginning of William Kidd’s story remains unclear. The famed seaman was born in Greenock, Scotland around 1645 and moved to New York – then merely an outpost of Britain’s budding empire – sometime thereafter. By 1689 he was cruising the Caribbean as a British gun-for-fire against the French.

It was a respectable enough life. The seasoned sea captain was routinely called upon by authorities in New York and Massachusetts to help clear their coasts of enemy ships. He married one of New York’s wealthiest widows and even lent equipment to help build the city’s famed Trinity Church.

But his involvement in a shadowy get-rich-quick scheme – backed by some of the most powerful men in Britain – would prove his undoing.

Kidd’s mission was to prowl the Indian Ocean, hunting pirates and plundering French vessels. Several well-connected noblemen were involved, including Lord Somers, who arranged to get Kidd a royal seal of approval, and Lord Bellamont, who helped organize the expedition and would later serve as governor of New York.

But the plan was of shaky legality, and in any case things went wrong from the start. Kidd set sail on Feb. 27, 1696, but his crew made rude gestures at a warship as they floated down the River Thames. The Royal Navy, unamused, pressed many of them into service, which meant Kidd had to make a lengthy detour to New York to recruit more sailors.

He made it to waters off East Africa, but the constraints set on him by his sponsors meant he needed to earn cash quickly. Kidd unsuccessfully attacked a convoy of Muslim pilgrims from Africa and preyed on Indian Ocean shipping, infuriating the subcontinent’s Mughal rulers, with whom the British East India Company was doing a lucrative business.

Two of his captures were French-flagged ships – legitimate targets, from his point of view – but he was already being denounced as a pirate for abusing natives, torturing sailors, and clashing with allied vessels. His relationship with his crew was dreadful; at one point he mortally wounded his gunner, William Moore, by smashing his head with a bucket.

Meanwhile, Kidd’s backers, hit by allegations of corruption, were falling out of favor. By the time Kidd arrived in New York to seek Bellamont’s protection, he had already become too much of a liability. Bellamont turned him in.

Kidd claimed he’d acted lawfully, but documents showing that two of the vessels he’d struck were French disappeared before his trial. From his prison, Kidd claimed that he’d been set up and sold out.

“Some great men would have me dye for Solving their Honor,” he wrote.

Still, Kidd claimed to have a trump card, saying in a letter that he’d hidden treasure away at a secret location in the Caribbean, a stash which he valued at 100,000 pounds – then worth about 5,000 times a sailor’s annual wage.

“It is an enormous sum of money – absolutely enormous,” said Wareham.

The letter got London talking, but it couldn’t save Kidd’s life. He was hanged at London’s Execution Dock on May 23, 1701 – almost 310 years ago. His body was coated in pitch, squeezed into a gibbet cage, and left for several years as a warning before being taken down and buried in secret.

But Kidd’s desperate promise of treasure practically beyond measure would ensure that his name would live on.

The search for Kidd’s missing booty was the focus Edgar Allen Poe’s The Gold Bug and an inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The final part of the exhibit is packed with the pirate-themed books and movie posters.

Curator Hilary David said Kidd’s promise of wealth practically beyond measure gave pirate stories one of their most enduring tropes.

“It seems that this is the origin of all the ‘pirates’ buried treasure’ stories,” said Hilary Davidson, a curator at the museum. “After the treasure is mentioned in the letter, X marks the spot forever.”

The exhibit, “Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story,” opens Friday.

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Online:

Museum of London Docklands: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands/

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Raphael G. Satter can be reached at: http://twitter.com/razhael

AP-WF-05-18-11 1514GMT

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Exhibition shows Schiele’s work is still shocking

‘Self Portrait,’ watercolor, by the Austrian painter Egon Schiele. Private collection. Image courtesy of The Athenaeum and Wikimedia Commons.

LONDON, (AFP) – A rare British exhibition of works by Austrian artist Egon Schiele went on display in London on Thursday, many of them highly sexual and still shocking a century after they were created.

Naked save for knee-high stockings, reclining and with their legs splayed, Schiele’s nudes leave little to the imagination, reminding the audience why he was arrested in 1912 for distributing immoral material. He was later cleared.

“It still is quite powerful to many people – still people are offended,” Richard Nagy, who has put on the exhibition of more than 45 drawings and watercolors at his eponymous London gallery, told AFP.

Half of the works have never been shown, coming from private collections across the world, and none of them have ever been on public display in Britain, where Schiele’s work is largely absent from mainstream galleries.

Reflecting the artist’s fascination the exhibition works are all of women, many of them from the street, with the exception of a few self-portraits.

“Egon Schiele. Women” runs from May 19 to June 30.

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Bidding begins for belongings of Unabomber

Theodore Kaczynski in 1968 when he was an assistant professor at Berkeley. Image by Dr. George Mark Bergman, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Collectors bid up to $10,000 Wednesday for belonging of the so-called Unabomber, who waged a deadly 17-year parcel-bomb campaign in the United States, as a two-week online auction opened.

Theodore Kaczynski’s personal documents including driver’s licenses, birth certificates, checks, photos, typewriters, tools, clothing, watches and books are among 60 lots being sold in the auction, which runs until June 2. In addition more than 20,000 pages of written documents, including the original handwritten and typewritten versions of the “Unabomber Manifesto,” will be up for grabs online. Proceeds will go to his victims.

The manuscript version of the manifesto attracted the highest offers on the first day of the auction, reaching $10,100 by the end of the day, with eight bidders so far. Other top bids were $3,200 for his Smith Corona portable typewriter, $3,150 for a hoodie and glasses, and $2,525 for a typed version of the notorious criminal’s manifesto.

Far less was offered so far for a collection of newspaper clippings or copies of his academic records, both for $50, a manual for wilderness survival for $300 or his mental health records for $500.

Kaczynski, a reclusive former mathematics professor, was jailed for life in May 1998 after a campaign of parcel-bomb attacks in which three people were killed and 29 injured.

The auction of his belongings is being organized by GSA Auctions on behalf of the U.S. Marshals, after U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell of the Eastern District of California ordered the sale in August 2010.

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Met plans to occupy Whitney’s Madison Avenue site

The Metropolitan Museum plans to present exhibitions and educational programming in the Whitney’s landmark Breuer Bulding at 945 Madison Ave. beginning in 2015. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

NEW YORK (AP) – New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art plans to give up its Madison Avenue building to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But officials at both institutions say that won’t happen until the Whitney moves into its new home in downtown Manhattan in 2015. The museums announced the news May 11.

The Whitney has occupied the landmark building designed by Marcel Breuer since 1966.

The Whitney’s new $720 million home in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.

The stark, stone Madison Avenue structure will offer the Met badly needed space for contemporary art from around the world. The move would bolster a collection critics consider is not the strength of the Fifth Avenue institution that owns artistic creations going back thousands of years.

The museums are calling the move a “collaborative agreement.”

On May 24, the Whitney will break ground on a 200,000-square-foot building, designed by Piano. Located on Gansevoort Street, bordered by the Hudson River and the High Line, the building will provide the Whitney with essential space for its collection, exhibitions, and education and performing arts programs

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Stanley Gibbons picks Richard Watkins to head auctions

Richard Watkins. Image courtesy of Stanley Gibbons.

LONDON – Richard Watkins has rejoined Stanley Gibbons as head of auctions.

Watkins has wide ranging experience at a senior level in both the philatelic dealing and auction industry. He was with Stanley Gibbons for nearly 20 years, the last six as philatelic director. He left in 1996 to join Christie’s and has since held senior positions at Spink (which incorporated Christie’s stamp department) and Grosvenor, where he was managing director.

Commenting on Watkins’ appointment Donal Duff, chief operating officer of Stanley Gibbons said: “Richard is a well known and respected figure and will be a valuable addition to the company, bringing senior level experience of both philatelic dealing and auctioneering. He will lead the development of the group’s auctions business, including the development of the trading platform which forms part of the company’s long term e-commerce plans.”

Also, Robert Swain joins the Stanley Gibbons as publisher. He has a wealth of management experience in publishing, principally at Newsquest Media Group, where his role included responsibility for over 90 publications.

Alongside these external appointments, internal changes include the appointment of Tony Grodecki as business development director and the promotion of Guy Barrett to group head of IT.

Stanley Gibbons, founded in 1856, is a leading stamp dealer, auctioneer and philatelic publisher.

Novelist Philip Roth wins Man Booker International Prize

A first edition of Philip Roth’s ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’ sold for $120 in 2008. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and PBA Galleries.

SYDNEY (AFP) – Philip Roth, America’s most decorated living novelist, on Wednesday won the fourth Man Booker International Prize, beating off competition from 12 other authors for the $97,500 award.

The prize was first presented in 2005, and is given every two years for a body of work that was written either originally in English or is widely available in English translation.

The 78-year-old Roth, who could not travel to Sydney to receive the accolade because of back problems, said it was a great honor to be recognized.

“One of the particular pleasures I’ve had as a writer is to have my work read internationally despite all the heartaches of translation that that entails,” the Connecticut-based author said in a statement.

“I hope the prize will bring me to the attention of readers around the world who are not familiar with my work. This is a great honor and I’m delighted to receive it.”

Roth is one of the world’s most prolific writers, and his acerbically humorous studies of Jewish-American identity have won adulation from critics and readers alike.

He is best known for his 1969 novel Portnoy’s Complaint, and for his trilogy comprising the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Pastoral (1997), I Married a Communist (1998) and The Human Stain (2000).

Aged just 26, he won the U.S. National Book Award in 1960 for his first book, Goodbye, Columbus, and in 1995 for Sabbath’s Theater.

He has also won two National Book Critics Circle awards and three PEN/Faulkner awards. In 2001 he was awarded the gold medal for fiction by The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

His most recent book, Nemesis, was published in 2010.

“For more than 50 years Philip Roth’s books have stimulated, provoked, and amused an enormous, and still expanding, audience,” said the chairman of the Booker judging panel, writer and rare-book dealer Rick Gekoski.

“His imagination has not only recast our idea of Jewish identity, it has also reanimated fiction, and not just American fiction, generally.”

The Man Booker International Prize is different from the better known Man Booker Prize, which is given annually to writers from the British Commonwealth and Ireland, in that it highlights one author’s overall body of work.

It has previously been won by Albanian author Ismail Kadare in 2005, Nigeria’s Chinua Achebe in 2007 and Alice Munro of Canada in 2009.

The award was somewhat overshadowed this year by British thriller writer John le Carre asking that his name be withdrawn from the shortlist because “I do not compete for literary prizes.”

The 2011 prize was the first to include Chinese authors in Wang Anyi, whose Shanghai novels include The Song of Everlasting Sorrow, and Su Tong, writer of Raise the Red Lantern: Three Novellas.

Indian-Canadian Rohinton Mistry and U.S. writer Anne Tyler were also in the running this year.

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Scientists to dig for more fossils in Snowmass

Snowmass Village, Colo., as seen from the base of Snowmass Mountain. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) – Crews are getting ready to start a second round of excavations at a site in Snowmass Village that’s turned out to be a treasure trove of Ice Age fossils.

Scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science spoke Tuesday about the latest developments in their work. Recent discoveries include a molar from an Ice Age camel and a huge mastodon bone.

Digging began in the fall but then stopped when the snow began to fall. A team of 15 local volunteers, most of them teachers, will work side-by-side with the scientists at the site at the Ziegler Reservoir for the next seven weeks looking for more fossils. Work on expanding the reservoir will resume in July.

The discoveries so far include parts of at least eight American mastodons, four Columbian mammoths and four Ice Age bison.

The museum says it’s one of the most significant fossil discoveries ever made in Colorado.

AP-WF-05-17-11 1245GMT

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Morton Kuehnert presents twin bill art-estate auction May 22

Empire styled gilt brass candelabra, France, mid to late 19th century. Estimate: $2,500-$4,500. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

HOUSTON – Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers has scheduled two sessions for its monthly specialty auction on Sunday, May 22. Session One, which begins at 1 p.m. Central, includes 91 lots of Latin American paintings, sculpture and works on paper. Session Two to follow includes 144 lots of French art and antiques from the estate of the late Edwin E. Dunnam, a Houston businessman.

Participation in the auction is open to the public. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding. Absentee bids and phone bids will also be accepted.

Morton Kuehnert continues its commitment to selling Latin American art collections. The culturally rich works of art represent the heritage of the New World.

Highlights include lot 38, Roberto Montenegro’s Meza/Naturaleza Muerta (Still Life), 1963, estimated at $14,000-$18,000; lot 41, Rafael Coronel’s Dos Figuras/Alfredo de la Carpa, estimated at $42,000-$48,000; and lot 42, Pedro Coronel’s black marble sculpture entitled Craneo, estimated at $4,000-$7,000.

Two oils on canvas by Horacio Renteria Rocha are featured: lot 32, Nino Cadete and Dos Chicas en el Concina. Each is estimated at $5,000-$7,000. An interesting Gunther Gerzso untitled ink on paper, lot 46, is estimated at $12,000-$14,000.

Three Spanish Colonial 18th century santos are available: lot 63, a silver St. Rafael, estimated at $8,000-$10,000; lot 65, a silver bulto of St. Michael the Archangel, is estimated at $8,000-$10,000 as well; and lot 66, a silver St. Uriel in military attire, is estimated at $22,000-$26,000.

An 18th century Goa finely carved ivory crucifix, lot 59, is expected to achieve $9,000-$10,000. Lot 56 is an oil on copper depiction of Immaculada Concepcion, which is estimated at $14,000-$16,000.

An 18th century Mexican Colonial ivory inlaid table vargueno, made for holding jewelry, documents and valuables, is estimated at $30,000-$35,000. Lot 78, an oil on panel by Eugenio Oliva Y Rodrigo titled Fiesta Gitianis estimated at $10,000-$12,000.

The late Edwin E. Dunnam’s lifetime passion was collecting French art and antiques. Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers will present this collection on May 22. Dunnam had a distinguished career as owner of Fish Engineering & Construction in Houston.

Highlights of the estate include Lot 191, an ornate Louis XV-style gilded writing desk, circa late 19th century, estimated at $2,500-$4,500. Lot 108, a pair of Empire style gilt brass candelabra, mid to late 19th century, is estimated at $2,500-$4,500. Lot 141, a matching suite of center bowl and candelabra with Sevres inserts is estimated at $3,000-$6,000.

Lot 174, a late 19th century pair of Louis XV-style walnut petit marquetry commodes, is estimated at $1,000-$2,000. Lot 180, a Louis XV-style mahogany and rosewood chest-on-chest, France, late 19th century, is estimated at $1,000-$1,500.

Lot 182 is French antique oil on canvas three-panel screen, late 19th century, estimated at $600-$1,200. Lot 184 is a Louis XV-style fruitwood Duchesse Brisse, mid 19th century, estimated at $400-$800.

Lot 188 is Louis XV-style walnut bombé pedestal estimated at $600-$1,200. Lot 203, a hand-painted vitrine from late 19th century France, is estimated at $500-$1,000. Lot 266 is a Victorian Egyptian Revival chandelier estimated at $500-$1,000.

Lot 168 features an antique Satsuma pottery koro (incense burner) of the Meiji Period, estimated at $600-$1,200. Lot 173 is a Louis XV-style ebonized ormolu mounted center table estimated at $1,500-$2,500.

Another of Dunnam’s passions was the Rolls Royce automobile. His memorabilia associated with this interest are included in the auction. Lot 234 contains Rolls Royce memorabilia and is estimated at $300-$500.

Dunnam was graduated from Rice University in 1947 with a bachelor’s degree in Science and Engineering. He also attended Columbia University and Harvard University. Prior to that he completed a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

For details visit Morton Kuehnert website at www. mortonkuehnert.com or phone 713-827-7835.

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

Lalique France ‘Enfants’ art glass decanter and six cordials. Estimate: $900-$1,800. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Max Erdman oil on canvas, ‘The Salon Musicians,’ France, late 19th century, 28 1/4 x 38 1/2 inches. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Hand-painted late 19th century vitrine, 74 1/2 x 33 x 18 inches. Estimate: $500-$1,000. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Old Toy Soldier Auctions to sell major collection May 21-22

Britains’ Picture Pack counter display box containing 33 pieces is considered ‘exceptionally rare.’ It has an $1,800-$2,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

PITTSBURGH – Ray Haradin, owner of Old Toy Soldier Auctions, will offer for sale the late Don Darnieder’s collection of important antique and vintage soldiers on Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22.

The auction comprising more than 1,500 lots will also feature part II of the late Fred Wehr’s collection and other select properties.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern both days.

Don Darnieder was from Milwaukee. It was there that his collection first put down roots, in a small upper room of the bungalow in which he and his wife lived. The Darnieders referred to the hideaway as Don’s “attic empire,” and over the years it certainly grew both in quantity and quality to live to that regal moniker.

Don came from a military family – his father and brothers served in World Wars I and II, respectively – so soldiers are in his blood. The studious and thorough way in which Don assembled his collection serves as a model for today’s collectors, who won’t want to miss bidding in this exciting auction.

Highlights of the sale include: Britains Picture Pack counter display, circa 1954-59; Timpo Hopalong Cassidy set; Timpo Tiger Hunt set; 20 different Johillco sets made for Midwest British Importers; first version of Britains no. 119 Gloucestershire, circa 1900; Bill Hocker contemporary sets; rare Karl Scheller (Germany) German Gun Team set, 35mm scale, circa 1910; Taylor & Barrett Chimpanzee Tea Party; approximately 20 Lou Steinberg dime store conversions; large selection of Hawker, including Bengal Horse Artillery; Edmunds Civil War figures; Marlborough Dehli Durbar Indian regiments; and retired King & Country. Also to be sold are pre- and postwar Britains, Mignot sets, Comet and Eriksson/Authenticast, and Trophy sets.

For more information, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733 (tollfree: 800-349-8009) or e-mail raytoys@aol.com. Visit Old Toy Soldier Auctions’ website at www.oldtoysoldierauctions.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

View the fully illustrated catalogs 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

Britains Set no. 105 Imperial Yeomanry with original printers flowers box, prewar, five pieces. Estimate: $250-$350. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

King and Country glossy World War One Aces. Mannock, McCudden, Von Richtofen and Immelman, in original box. Estimate: $120-$180. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

Britains Set No. 168, scarce civilians including lady in long red coat, man in Panama hat, yachtsman, flapper and man walking with pipe, five figures, prewar. Estimate: $250-$350. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

Tom Mix & Tony cowboy set by Don and Honey Ray with original box, rare adapted from prewar Britains cowboy, with added fur chaps. Estimate: $250-$350. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

Hocker: Bengal Horse Artillery in action Set no. 49/29, 11 pieces. Estimate: $200-$250. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

1848 panoramic view of Cincinnati is like no other

An etching of the Cincinnati riverfront, which appeared in the Sept. 27, 1862 issue of ‘Harper’s Weekly,’ can’t compare to the detail of Fontayne and Porter’s series of daguerreotypes of the same scene recorded 14 years earlier. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

CINCINNATI (AP) – The Cincinnati library system plans to unveil on Saturday a series of groundbreaking 1848 photos that create a two-mile panoramic view of the Cincinnati riverfront.

The Cincinnati Riverfront Panorama was captured by Charles Fontayne and William S. Porter as they stood on a Newport, Ky., rooftop and looked across the Ohio River, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The photos go on permanent display at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County main branch beginning with the unveiling ceremony.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind object,” said Ralph Wiegandt, conservator for the George Eastman House of International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, N.Y. “It boggles the mind. We’re still reveling in its magnificence.”

The library acquired the photos – the size of large postcards – in the early 20th century and they have been in storage since 1955 for protection. The Eastman House examined, cleaned and stabilized the photos in 2006 and 2007.

The Enquirer reports that photography was in its infancy in 1848 and the panorama showed that photos could not only capture images of people but also of landscapes. It’s considered the oldest surviving photo of its kind of an American city. The eight images are daguerreotypes made in a camera on a silver plate.

The exhibit will include interactive screens where viewers can zoom in on details from the photos, such as laundry on a clothesline, names on steamboats, a man sitting on a log outside a sawmill and the Second Presbyterian Church clock tower reading 1:55 p.m. – a detail unknown until the Eastman House did its work.

“We can see far more in the photos than Fontayne and Porter could when they took the pictures,” said Patricia Van Skaik, manager of the library’s genealogy and local history department.

“It enables us to understand what life was like in Cincinnati in the mid-19th century in a way that we have never been able to before.”

Fontayne and Porter worked as partners in a Cincinnati photo gallery from 1847 to 1854.

Their photos won a top award at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in 1849 and were displayed at the first world’s fair at London’s Crystal Palace two years later.

“It’s truly a miracle in every way,” Wiegandt said. “Everything worked. There’s nothing to compare it to.”

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

AP-WF-05-15-11 2114GMT

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