February 13, 2012 - Auction Central News

Metalwork a highlight at Rago’s design auction Feb. 25-26

Samuel Yellin, massive wrought-iron candelabrum. Estimate: $18,000-$24,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago Arts and Auction Center will hold its first auction of 20th Century Design of the year on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26, with over 1,350 lots of exceptional property from private collections, museums and directly from the artists and their families. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The auction will begin at 11 a.m. both days.

The auction kicks off on Saturday with Early 20th Century Design. Featured is the collection of Peter Renzetti, master blacksmith, which includes some of the finest Philadelphia Arts and Crafts ironwork to come to market in recent years. Also featured are 44 lots of property from a private Delaware collector. The last 100 lots of Saturday’s sale is a collection of 20th century art pottery. The sale continues on Sunday with more Modern Design, including a large and impressive collection of rare pieces of sculpture and art glass, fine studio and designer furniture, lighting and contemporary art.

“Each auction has its own personality based on the consignments that happen to come in,” said David Rago. “At some level it’s really beyond your control. This next sale, for some reason, includes the best selection of Philadelphia Arts and Crafts wrought-iron we’ve ever seen on the market. There are, of course, works by Samuel Yellin and his workshop, but also many pieces from the nearby Arden Community, and pieces by some more esoteric local craftsmen such as Finnegan and Janson, Parke Edwards and J. Barton Benson. There is also an unusually strong presence of Utopian Community material besides Arden’s, including a rare table and chair from Rose Valley, and furniture, artwork and ceramics from Byrdcliffe. The postwar session is similarly outfitted, with a great selection of contemporary glass and ceramics as well as a broad selection from Organic Furniture masters such as Nakashima, Powell and Evans. There are 800 lots of Modern material spread over two sessions.”

Saturday’s sale begins with almost 400 lots of Arts & Crafts; immediately followed by 30 lots of European Secession and Wiener Werkstatte; 40 lots of Tiffany, Lalique and art glass; finishing the day with over 100 lots of 20th Century studio pottery. There is a fine and extensive collection of over 40 lots, property of a private Delaware collector, which starts with an exceptional trestle table and armchair designed by William Price and executed at the Rose Valley Utopian community in Delaware, circa 1901. The collection continues with a dozen lots from Byrdcliffe, a different Utopian community near Woodstock, N.Y. The materials relate to its founders, Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead and Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, and include a grouping of rare wares made at their White Pines Pottery. The collection concludes with fine and esoteric forged iron items from the Philadelphia area and abroad.

Sunday’s Modern Design auction features approximately 630 lots of furniture, lighting and decorative arts. Prominent Modern pieces by George Nakashima, Paul Evans, Vladimir Kagan, Richard Ford, Phil Powell, Hans Wegner, Ed Wormley, Charles and Ray Eames, Tommi Parzinger, Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Harry Bertoia, Wharton Esherick, Klaus Ihlenfeld, Dale Chihuly, Jon Kuhn, Mary Ann “Toots” Zynsky, Richard Ritter, Donald Deskey and many more.

Previews will begin Feb. 18.

An American Art Pottery discussion by Newark Museum Curator Ulysses Grant Dietz will take place at Rago Arts and Auction Center on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. The public is invited. Phone Rago’s at 609-397-9374 to RSVP and for details.

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

William Price, Rose Valley Community, large trestle table. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Viktor Schreckengost for Cowan, ‘Jazz’ plate. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Hans Wegner for Johannes Hansen, swivel chair. Estimate: $12,000-$18,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Wharton Esherick, Pheasant sculpture. Estimate: $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Harvey Littleton, Glass sculpture, ‘Truncated Form.’ Estimate: $10,000-$14,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Kentucky antiques put a shine on Cowan’s auction Feb. 25

Montgomery County sugar chest. Estimate $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions Inc.

CINCINNATI – Cowan’s Auctions Winter Fine and Decorative Art Auction will take place on Feb. 25. The 500-lot sale will be held at Cowan’s Auctions salesroom, and will feature pieces from the Kentuckiana collections of the late Caswell and Sara Lane of Mount Sterling, Ky.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for the auction, which will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern.

The Lanes were both consummate Kentucky collectors, who specialized in silver from the Bluegrass state. Lane items up for auction include exceptional silver, sugar chests and miniature furniture.

Of particular interest is a Montgomery County, Ky., sugar chest, which is estimated to bring $8,000-$10,000. This sugar chest, dated to 1800, was exhibited at the University of Kentucky Art Museum in 1992. The chest is crafted from cherry with poplar secondary and features a fold-back lid with a reeded edge, which opens to three drawers over two deep divided bins.

“It’s exciting to present a known collection and really exciting to have the broad diversity of the Lane’s material,” said Diane Wachs, director, Fine and Decorative Art. Furthermore, she noted that, “This sale covers two centuries and several styles, both period and revival.”

Eleven lots of Kings Pattern sterling silver flatware will be offered in the auction. This flatware, from the Lane’s extensive collection, includes makers such as Tiffany & Co., R.W. Wilson, F. Thibault, Dominick & Haff and S.S. Culter & Co.

Additional noteworthy lots in the Lane Collection are two sets of Asa Blanchard coin silver julep cups, which are slated to bring $6,000-$8,000 apiece. Blanchard was a prominent silversmith, clock, and watchmaker in Lexington, Ky., during the first half of the 19th century. These are classic Blanchard hand-raised coin juleps, which were in the same family for several generations. All are marked “Blanchard.” In addition to the juleps is a lot of Blanchard tablespoons, teaspoons and one child’s spoon, all marked “Asa Blanchard.” Another lot features an Asa Blanchard Kentucky coin silver ladle and a Blanchard child’s spoon; which is estimated at $1,500-$2,000.

The auction will also feature an unsigned 19th century oil on canvas Audubon portrait by John James, which should fetch $2,000-$3,000.

For details contact Cowan’s at 513-871-1670 or email Michelle Johnson, michelle@cowans.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

Kentucky State Agricultural Society coin silver award pitcher. Estimate $8,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions Inc. — Kentucky State Agricultural Society coin silver award pitcher. Estimate $8,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.

Asa Blanchard coin silver julep cups. Estimate $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions Inc. — Asa Blanchard coin silver julep cups. Estimate $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.

Portrait of John James Audubon. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions Inc. — Portrait of John James Audubon. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.

Kentucky or Tennessee sugar chest. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions Inc. — Kentucky or Tennessee sugar chest. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.

Seventy-eight pieces of Towle sterling silver flatware. Estimate $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions Inc. — Seventy-eight pieces of Towle sterling silver flatware. Estimate $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.

Famous portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln is labeled a fake

First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in a Mathew Brady photograph. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – A famous portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln has been labeled a fraud.

Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum curator James Cornelius said Saturday that a painting of President Abraham Lincoln’s wife that hung in the Illinois governor’s mansion for 32 years is a fake.

Illinois folklore says that Mary Todd Lincoln had Francis Carpenter secretly paint her portrait as a surprise for the 16th president, but he was assassinated before she had a chance to give it to him.

Cornelius says the portrait and the backstory appear to be a lie. He says an art restorer noted the signature on the painting appeared to have been added later.

The curator says the painting’s original subject is an anonymous woman.

Cornelius says he’ll continue to display the painting at the Springfield museum.

AP-WF-02-12-12 1734GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Missouri returns WW I medals to family of Army doctor

The Croix de guerre was a French military decoration awarded in World War I. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

FESTUS, Mo. (AP) – Nearly a century after Maj. Ernest Slusher earned two medals for bravery during World War I, his family has them back.

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel was in the St. Louis-area town of Festus on Thursday to return the Distinguished Service Cross and Croix de Guerre to Margaret Means, a relative of Slusher.

The medals were found in 2003 in a safe deposit box and turned over to Zweifel’s office, which is responsible for unclaimed property in Missouri. Slusher’s family hadn’t known about the safe deposit box, and Means only learned about the missing medals last year when the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported they were on display at the state Capitol in Jefferson City. She contacted the newspaper, which directed her to Zweifel’s office.

“It’s the end of a long journey for Maj. Slusher’s medals and his family,” Zweifel said at a ceremony at the library.

Previously, medals that were found as unclaimed property in Missouri were auctioned off.

Zweifel pushed for a bill to end that practice, and Missouri lawmakers passed a measure in 2010 requiring all military medals and honors be turned over to the Treasurer’s office. They are held there until the recipient or his or her family can be found.

Slusher, born in Dover, Mo., in 1875, was a doctor who served in the Spanish American War, then was a regimental surgeon in World War I. On Sept. 29-30, 1918, he was repeatedly gassed while tending to wounded American and French soldiers near Charpentry, France. He became so ill that he had to be carried away twice, Zweifel said. Yet Slusher kept going back to the front lines, caring for more of the wounded.

After the war, Slusher returned to his medical practice in Kansas City, Mo. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in May 1919. The date when he received the French medal wasn’t clear. Slusher died in 1957 at the age of 82.

“Doc Slusher was extremely proud of these medals, and displayed them in his medical office in Kansas City for decades,” Means said. “It is important to me that this piece of my family’s history is back with us.”

Means, 81, of Festus, said she will pass the medals on to her daughter and grandchildren. She has been tracing her family’s history for more than four decades. Though a distant relative—she is the first cousin of Slusher’s son’s wife—Means’ collection includes a photograph of Slusher wearing the Distinguished Cross medal, along with other medals and awards and the five letters that supported the awarding of the Distinguished Service Cross.

The medal is the second-highest for valor in the American military, topped only by the Medal of Honor. About 6,000 American soldiers received the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I. The Croix de Guerre, or “Cross of War,” is awarded for heroism by the French Military to French soldiers and allies who come to the aid of France.

Zweifel said that without the 2010 law, Slusher’s medals would have been sold at auction and “might have been lost forever.” Most of the unclaimed property medals held by the Treasurer’s office were, like Slusher’s, found in abandoned safe deposit boxes, Zweifel said. Since the 2010 law took effect, Zweifel has returned 25 medals. He is working with military and veterans organizations to find the owners of 84 medals.

“Every medal that I hold has a story,” Zweifel said.

AP-WF-02-09-12 2127GMT

Big weekend crowd at Naples Art, Antique, Jewelry Show

An array of stunning Tiffany Studios lamps illuminated the Lillian Nassau display. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

NAPLES, Fla. – After an impressive turnout of more than 1,500 guests at the opening-night preview evening and champagne reception on Thursday, the inaugural Naples Art, Jewelry & Antique Show opened its doors on Friday, Feb. 10 to an enthusiastic crowd of art connoisseurs, private collectors and serious buyers who traveled from all over South Florida to attend the event. Today is its fifth and final day.

Taking place in the 40,000 square-foot Naples Exhibition Center — a luxury, climate-controlled tent — the show features more than 75 international exhibitors showcasing their extraordinary collections including major works of art, antique and estate jewelry, furniture, porcelain, Asian antiquities, American and European silver, glass, textiles, sculpture, contemporary art and more.

There has been a great turnout so far,” said Albert Levy of A.B. Levy Palm Beach. “The guests are showing a lot of interest in my pieces.”

“After two days, there is a lot of traffic and enthusiasm. We have made some sales and have more to come,” said Greg Kwiat of luxury jewelers Fred Leighton.

“What a great gate!” added Carol Pier of Naples-based Pier & Co. “I am very happy to be making contacts.”

Tim Stevenson of Carlson & Stevenson Antiques also commented, “We have had quite a few sales and are very happy with the turnout, facility and guests. The Show is fabulous and we are very impressed.”

Several dealers reported strong sales for the first full show day, including Antediluvian, Arader Galleries, J.S. Fearnley, Eve Stone, Only Authentics, Sherry Sheaf & Co., Fred Leighton and Eostone, among others.

Antediluvian sold two rose medallions, a covered tureen and a presentation bowl with ormolu mounts circa 1820. They also sold a Chinese lacquer turtle box circa 1900, a 19th century Irish carved bench seat with Scalamandre fabric and an Alaskan Inuit carved walrus tusk circa 1910, among other sales.

J.S. Fearnley sold an Art Deco Tiffany sapphire and diamond bracelet, a white gold and diamond bracelet by Henry Dunay, and a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings. Eve Stone sold a lot of very interesting French copper. Arader Galleries’ clients have been have been very responsive to Audubons, while Only Authentics sold an Hermès Birkin bag.

Sherry Sheaf & Co. sold a limited-edition VHERNIER Pirouette charity ring. VHERNIER has joined forces with Artists for Peace and Justice, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving Haitian children and their families, to create a limited-edition Pirouette ring to support the ongoing efforts to educate the children of St. Luc Street Schools and the Academy for Peace and Justice in Haiti. Over 80% of Haitian youth drop out of school after the 6th grade due to limited educational funding. For each ring purchased, VHERNIER will pledge 100% of the proceeds to APJ to cover the cost of one child for an entire year of school including books, uniforms, food and supplies. With only 1,000 created, this exclusive ring sells for $1,370.

“All we have been hearing from the crowd is how pleased they are that you finally came to Naples,” said Christopher English of Antediluvian.

“There has been a great response to our Charles Martin original artwork and lots of interest in George Nakashima furniture and our Tiffany lamps,” said Arlie Sulka of Lillian Nassau.

Michael Teller of TK Asian Antiquities also commented, “We have met some of the most interesting people we have ever met in 30 years of doing shows. I spent nine hours with one couple and four hours with another couple. These people are knowledgeable, and the exchange of conversation and intelligence is unlike any other. Naples has proven itself in interest and intellect.”

Today’s show hours are 11 a.m. to 6 pm. Admission is $15. For additional information, visit www.naplesshow.com.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

The entrance to the show. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

A lively crowd attended the opening-night preview. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

View of Antediluvian's room setting. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. — View of Antediluvian’s room setting. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

Overhead view of the show. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

Spectacular gems were offered by Fred Leighton Rare Collectible Jewelry. Image courtesy of Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

Statue of Carla Bruni as an immigrant laborer riles France

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Photo by Remi Jouan. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

PARIS (AFP) – A French mayor’s plan to erect a statue of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s former supermodel wife Carla Bruni in worker’s attire has angered the opposition and embarrassed the first lady.

Jacques Martin, the mayor of Nogent-sur-Marne to the east of Paris and member of Sarkozy’s UMP party, commissioned the statue to honor the mostly Italian immigrant women who used to work at a feather factory in the town.

But when French daily Le Parisien on Sunday revealed the plan for the statue more than two metres tall, at a cost of over 80,000 euros ($106,000), the opposition and even the first lady’s friends were up in arms.

A source close to Bruni-Sarkozy said she agreed to model for sculptor Elisabeth Cibot as she admires her work, but that “it was never suggested that her name would appear.”

Modeling “is her former job, she no longer does it commercially, but she’s often asked to do it, and she often agrees, and always without being paid,” the source said.

But the swiftly gathering scandal “is using something that has nothing to do with politics to political ends,” one of her friends said, requesting anonymity.

William Geib of the Socialist opposition said the idea of dressing up a likeness of the Italian heiress and pop singer as a worker was “grotesque.”

“It’s an insult to the Italian feather workers, to give them the face of an extremely rich person. I have nothing against Carla Bruni-Sarkozy but she does not represent the workers’ world.”

Michel Gilles, a local member of the right-wing opposition, slammed what he said was a “political coup” ahead of the April-May two-round presidential election, which opinion polls say right-wing leader Sarkozy is likely to lose.

Martin said he voted in favor of the statue at a council meeting last year.

“But it was never mentioned that it would have Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s features,” Gilles said.

The statue is reportedly costing 82,000 euros ($108,000 dollars), of which the town hall is paying 41,000 euros, and exactly what it will look like is being kept secret.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

London metal thieves target works of art

Barbara Hepworth's 1969 sculpture 'Two Forms (Divided Circle)' in front of Bolton University's Senate House, Bolton, England. This sculpture is from the same edition as the one stolen from Dulwich Park, London, and feared to have been melted down for its metal value. Photo by Bill Nicholls, licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

LONDON (AFP) – Gangs of metal thieves are targeting London’s sculptures, statues and even war memorials, stripping them from their plinths and melting them down for their scrap value as commodity prices soar.

Thieves have been plundering pipes and cables for months, but police are increasingly concerned that they are turning their attention to valuable works of art.

Renowned British artist Barbara Hepworth’s imposing bronze sculpture “Two Forms (Divided Circle)” once sat proudly in Dulwich Park in Southwark, southeast London.

It vanished one night in December last year, and if it has been melted down, as police believe, it would only have earned the thieves a few thousand pounds at most, a fraction of its real worth of £500,000 (600,000 euros, $800,000).

“It’s an absurd equation: having a really valuable, beautiful piece of work melted down and sold for so little for what the bronze is worth,” said Angela Conner, herself a sculptress and Hepworth’s former assistant.

The price of metals has rocketed in recent years. Copper topped $10,000 per ton in February last year, a record high, while between 2009 and 2011, the price of iron ore doubled.

“The theft of public art and metal is becoming a sickening epidemic,” Peter John, the leader of the Southwark council said after the “devastating” theft of the Hepworth sculpture.

Railway cables, manhole covers, children’s slides, catalytic converters, memorial plaques, bus shelters, lead piping, garden gates: the list of stolen metal items has grown and grown in the last 12 months.

“Metal theft is becoming an increasing issue for us in London and, actually, in the UK,” said police Chief Superintendent David Chinchen, who is leading a special task force to prevent the crime, codenamed Operation Ferrous.

“It ranges from theft of metals from houses, war memorials, graveyards, transport infrastructure, communication cables, so a whole raft of crimes are occurring as a result of the increasing price of metals.”

Government ministers have said they are prepared to look at the laws on scrap metal dealing, hinting at outlawing cash transactions and increasing the penalties for metal theft.

The scrap metal industry in Britain is worth £5 billion a year — with £1.5 billion of that trade done in cash, while metal theft is believed to cost the British economy around £700 million a year.

The fightback comes as the trouble caused by the thefts rises, with trains delayed, communication networks cut, monuments dismantled and churches damaged.

Last October, Scotland Yard police headquarters set up a specialist unit, the Waste and Metal Theft Taskforce, based in Bexley, southeast London, a borough with a high number of scrap metal yards.

Police, transport and telecommunications experts are now working together to tackle the problem.

Across the capital, police have stepped up vehicle checks and visits to scrapyards. Sixty thieves or handlers of stolen goods have been arrested since the unit was set up.

The business is lucrative but dangerous. According to Scotland Yard, on average, two people are killed every month trying to steal the high-voltage electricity cables running alongside railway lines.

“It is a dangerous activity and it’s having an impact,” Chinchen said. “We have generators stolen from hospitals, so we’ve had hospital operations affected by it.”

Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure, has recorded 16,000 hours of delays caused by metal theft over the past three years.

British Transport Police has put the metal theft second on its priority list after terrorism.

The telecommunications industry has also been affected. Repairing damaged fibre-optic cables can take several days.

The police have to act fast to stop metal thieves before their plunder is melted down.

On January 13, detectives in north London seized 1,000 aluminium beer kegs just in time.

As for commemorative plaques or works of art, their loss is irreplaceable.

Fortunately, there are ways to deter the metal thieves.

“For instance, in Dublin I’ve got a piece that’s 129 feet (39 metres) high,” said Conner.

“It’s not the sort of thing you can pop on the back of a wagon, so I’m lucky in that sense.”

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Historic view of oil drilling rigs tops $2.25M sale at Neal

Top lot in Neal Auction Co.’s February sale was ‘Louisiana Drilling Rigs,’ a rare depiction of early technology by Richard Clague (1821-1873), which sold for $206,137.50. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

NEW ORLEANS – Neal Auction Company in New Orleans maintains an excellent sales balance in the marketplace. The firm offers fine and decorative arts with strong appeal to regional collectors, while presenting important material that attracts vigorous international bidding. The Feb. 4-5 sale enjoyed success in both arenas and achieved a total of $2.25 million.

President Neal Alford said “We want to make sure we have the right kind of property that the market responds to. We think of paintings as in the forefront of what we do.” Not surprisingly, outstanding examples of southern regional fine art were leaders in the recent sale.

The top lot was a rare view of Louisiana Drilling Rigs by Richard Clague (French/New Orleans, 1821-1873), which sold for $206,137.50. The artist has depicted an early type of drilling rig used to siphon material from underground reservoirs. While the activity in this view may be salt production, the same techniques would be applied to oil deposits around the turn of the century.

Alford continued, “You see all sorts of agrarian pursuits in 19th-century paintings, but the subject matter of the Clague picture is very unusual. You don’t often see beginning technology depicted in those paintings. It’s very luminous—the way the water of the bayou reflects the buildings and the blue sky. Clague captured this quality better than any other painter.”

Rachel Weathers, Neal’s director of paintings, added, “Clague was born to a well-to-do family and was sent to France for his education and art training. One of the art specialists we work with pointed out to me that Clague certainly was exposed to the work of Camille Corot (1796-1895) when he was in France. The composition of this particular painting is very reminiscent of Corot. Even back in Louisiana, Clague was employing these Barbizon School techniques.”

Another important lot, School House by the Shore, Louisiana Bayou by William Henry Buck (American/New Orleans, 1840-1880) brought $98,587.50. After the sale, Alford noted, “Most unusual was the fact that these two paintings had been in private hands since the mid-19th century. You really had a good 150-year provenance with each picture.”

Elsewhere in the sale, a pair of local street scenes—Pirates Alley and Cabildo Alley—by Italian-American artist Achille Peretti (active in New Orleans 1884-1923) sold for $16,730, a circa 1930 Yachting Scene by Edward Hopper (1882-1967) for $30,750, and a pair of cotton workers by William Aiken Walker (1839-1921) for $14,937.50. Artist Achille Perelli (1822-1891) usually painted still-life scenes of birds or game; his hanging Wine Corkscrew—perhaps a visual joke—brought $5,124.

Material from the estate of artist and architect James R. Lamantia Jr. inspired spirited international competition. Fine art from his collection—around 110 lots—was offered in the first hours of the sale. In addition to his professional practice, Lamantia was Professor of Architecture at Tulane University and served as visiting professor at Harvard, Yale and Columbia.

Marc Fagan, head of books and manuscripts at the auction house, said, “Lamantia was truly a Renaissance guy. He collected rare architectural folios, prints, Old Master drawings and maps, and there was a lot of international interest in the lots offered. We not only had dealer interest from London, Amsterdam and Rome, we also had institutional interest from important architectural libraries.”

Fagan pointed out, “The biggest hit was the map of Rome by Giambattista Nolli (1692-1756). It’s a pretty well-known folio, and we probably had nine or ten bidders from all over the world.” The 1748 Nuova Pianta di Roma sold for $20,315. A group of six engravings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), which when assembled formed a detailed rendering of Trajan’s Column in Rome, brought $9532.50. A lot of 20 etchings from Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma realized $12,200.

Also from Lamantia’s collection, a pair of chalk studies of nude figures by Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896) brought $8540. A pair of drawings—A Cave Seen in Sunlight and A Cave Seen in Shade by influential British critic and artist John Ruskin (1819-1900) sold for $6,710.

The 1250-lot sale was also rich in American furniture, including a fine Classical sofa with painted decoration from Baltimore, 1815-1825, which exceeded its $7,000-$9,000 estimate to bring $11,950. Also from Baltimore, an inlaid mahogany tall-case clock, circa 1760, brought a strong $33,460. A mahogany Chippendale chest-on-chest, probably Delaware Valley, sold for $47,800.

In a burst of bidding near the end of the sale, a Confederate staff officer’s sword from a Baton Rouge collection soared to $42,700. The quillon had the initial “CS” flanking a pelican in relief, and the blade was marked “Dufilho/N. Orleans.” Remarking on the untouched surface of this perfect attic find, Neal Alford said, “I love the condition of it. It looked like it came from the field of battle. It hadn’t gone through multiple dealer and collector hands. It had rested peacefully for a long, long time.”

Neal Auction Company’s next sale on April 21-22 will present a diverse selection of fine and decorative arts including more material from the Lamantia Collection.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

George Ohr, the ‘Mad Potter of Biloxi’ (1857-1918), was known for his eccentric forms and glazes. One of the best examples to emerge in recent years, this signed teapot brought $22,705. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Neal’s recent sale presented the first group of architectural folios, drawings, prints, and maps from the collection of renowned architect and artist James R. Lamantia Jr. Included was Giambattista Nolli’s 1748 folio containing a detailed map of Rome on multiple plates, which sold for $20,315. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Emerging from a Baton Rouge collection, a Confederate staff officer’s sword in untouched condition soared to $42,700 (est. $8,000-$12,000) after competitive bidding. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Louisiana photographer Fonville Winans (1911-1992) captured intuitive glimpses of local people and manners. This silver gelatin print of two ‘Dixie Belles,’ signed and dated 1938, brought $12,200. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Among the lots of Classical furniture, a Baltimore sofa in Pompeian red with gilt decoration, 1815-1825, went to a bidder on the auction floor for $11,950. Image courtesy Neal Auction Co.

Kovels – Antiques & Collecting: Week of Feb. 13, 2012

This 15-inch sailor's valentine was made from hundreds of small shells. It dates from the 19th century and sold for $1,800 at a November 2011 sale at San Rafael Auction Gallery in San Rafael, Calif.

Valentine’s Day has been celebrated for centuries. By the 1790s, romantic cards were being given to that “special” person. The idea of cards and gifts has continued, and collectors search for all types of valentines of the past—everything from pasted-together lacy cards and “mechanical” cards that pop open into a 3-D display, to very modern talking cards.

Sometimes collectors think any picture or figure with a romantic message is an old valentine. One of the most famous of these is the “sailor’s valentine.” It usually is an octagonal wooden box that holds a picture made of seashells placed in a geometric pattern. Often the design included sentimental words like “Love the Giver” or “Forget Me Not.” For many years, collectors thought these boxes were made by sailors on long voyages as gifts for a girlfriend or mother. They were considered nautical folk art in a category with carved whales’ teeth and other scrimshaw. They were expensive, selling for about $200 to $500.

In the 1970s, a sailor’s valentine was discovered that had a label on the back: “B.H. Belgrave, Dealer in Marine Specimens … Bridgetown, Barbados.” There was even a crushed Barbados newspaper under the shells. Further research showed that the shells were from local waters and some of the boxes had slogans that were not romantic. It was determined that the boxes were sold to sailors who visited Barbados and took them home as souvenirs.

The name “sailor’s valentine” continues to be used, though, and folk art collectors still pay high prices for old examples. San Rafael Auction Gallery in California sold a 19th-century example in 2011 for $1,800. It had a heart in the center formed by shells. Copies of these shell pictures made today sell for about $500 to $2,500. There are also companies that sell the shells, boxes and other parts needed to make your own new sailor’s valentine.

Q: I have an old fireplace screen from the “P.B.M. Co.” in Hoboken, N.J. It’s a lovely piece, wood-framed and with a laminate finish. Can you tell me anything about this?

A: The initials on your fireplace screen probably are “F.B.M. Co.,” which refer to the Ferguson Brothers Manufacturing Co. The company was in business from 1898 to 1953, when it was bought by Sun-Glo Industries and moved to Virginia. Ferguson Brothers made inexpensive furniture, including folding screens, folding tables and chairs, cellarettes, magazine racks, smoking stands and “furniture novelties.” Fire screens are not a popular type of furniture. Unless they date from the 1700s or 1800s, they sell for about $100 to $150.

Q: I found two prints that are signed by Lionel Barrymore. They are on gold foil paper. One is titled “Purdy’s Basin” and the other, “Point Pleasant.” I knew him as an actor and I’m curious about his other artistic talent. Can you tell me something about these prints?

A: Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954) began his acting career on stage in the 1890s. He is a member of the famous Barrymore family of actors, brother of Ethel and John and great uncle of Drew Barrymore. The family surname actually is Blythe. The first member to appear on stage, Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe, took the stage name Maurice Barrymore so that he wouldn’t embarrass his family by being an actor. In 1906 Lionel Barrymore moved to Paris to study painting. He returned to the United States a few years later and appeared in his first movie in 1911. He continued to do etchings and paintings and also composed music and wrote a novel. After he died, reproduction prints of some of his etchings were made. Prints on gold or silver foil were made after his death. Your prints are worth about $25 each.

Q: For about 45 years, my family has owned a gold-painted vase stamped “Dixon Art Studios, 22 Kt Gold.” The vase is 22 inches tall and 5 inches in diameter. The gold appears to be layered with liquid droplets. Please tell us something about its history and value.

A: Your vase is decorated in a style collectors call “weeping gold.” Any piece marked “Dixon Art Studios” was made at Bel Terr China Inc. in East Palestine, Ohio. Bel Terr was founded in 1961 by Belden Ham and his wife, Terry Ham (the company’s name is a combination of their names). Most Bel Terr pottery is marked with the corporate name, but some lines, like Dixon and an early line marked “Good Earth Pottery,” are not. Dixon Art pieces generally sell for under $100.

Q: I have a figural bottle that says “Leading Lady Cologne.” It’s in the shape of a woman wearing late 1900s attire. Her hat comes off to open the bottle. It was made by the Fuller Brush Co. Can you tell me anything about it?

A: Fuller Brush introduced its Leading Lady Cologne in 1957. But the bottle was made in Japan. The company introduced eight more fragrances in the early 1960s. Fuller Brush began in 1906 when Alfred C. Fuller began selling custom-made brushes door-to-door. Today more than 2,000 items, including cleaning products for home and business as well as some personal-care products, are made in the Fuller Brush manufacturing facility near Great Bend, Kan. The products can be bought through independent distributors, in stores and from the company’s website. The company operates under three basic rules: “Make it work. Make it last. Guarantee it no matter what.” The bottle is worth less than $30.

Tip: Treat your tables to custom-made glass tops. They will save the finish and make you a more relaxed hostess, knowing that wet glasses will not damage your tabletops.

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Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Charlie Brown Valentine cookie cutter, Charlie surrounded by a bunch of hearts, Snoopy with a heart in his thoughts, red plastic, copyright 1958, 4 1/2 inches, pair, $15.
Murano glass ashtray, heart shape, silver with rows of concentric bubbles trimmed in vivid pink, 1940s, 5 x 4 1/4 inches, $50.
Valentine card, black child pulling baby in wheeled basket, Raphael Tuck, 1908, 7 x 6 inches, $60.
Milk glass plate, embossed cherub playing mandolin, dark green wings, gold border of flowers, leaves and vines, 7 1/2 inches, $65.
Lady head vase, red hair, thick eyelashes, red lips and nails, dangling faux pearl earrings, Napco, 1962, 4 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches, $90.
Kamm’s Beer sign, embossed “To My Valentine,” side profile of Victorian-era woman reading card, heart shape, red border, Germany, 8 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches, $225.
Pluto the Pup toy, wood, decal on collar says “Pluto the Pup, Walt Disney Enterprises,” Fun-e-Flex, 1930s, 6 3/8 x 2 1/8 inches, $260.
Silver-plated basket, grape and vine pattern, ferns and leaves interior and bail, circa 1900, 11 x 12 inches, $325.
Vogue Toddles doll, Valentine Girl, composition, painted blue eyes, auburn hair, red taffeta dress, white heart-shaped organdy apron with arrow-pierced heart emblem, 1950, 7 1/2 inches, $885.

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