Hess presents important political cartoon art collection, Oct. 18

Howard Pyle, Fairy Tale, Sleeping Giant and a Boy Sounding a Horn, ink on paper with traces of gouache, signed with P monogram and titled at lower left corner. Hess Fine Auctions image.
Howard Pyle, Fairy Tale, Sleeping Giant and a Boy Sounding a Horn, ink on paper with traces of gouache, signed with P monogram and titled at lower left corner. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Howard Pyle, Fairy Tale, Sleeping Giant and a Boy Sounding a Horn, ink on paper with traces of gouache, signed with P monogram and titled at lower left corner. Hess Fine Auctions image.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – On Thursday, Oct. 18, Hess Fine Auctions will conduct an unreserved, online-only auction, exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.com, that consists of a major, single-owner collection of original cartoon art.

The historic political, editorial and comic strip pen-and-ink newspaper illustrations to be auctioned are from the prestigious Charles L. Howard collection, which was formed prior to World War II. The collection and its upcoming auction were featured in the Antiques column of the Oct. 5 New York Times.

Artists represented in the collection include: Howard Pyle, Thomas Nast, Harrison Fisher, Rose O’Neill, E. C. Segar, Herblock, Charles Dana Gibson, Boardman Robinson, Louis M. Glackens, Winsor McKay, Bernhard Gillam, George Swan, Gaar Williams, Reginald Bathhurst Birch, Robert de la Palme, Jimmy Swinnerton, Thomas Starling Sullivant, Gene Carr, Samuel D. Ehrhart, Lichty, ZIM and 200 more.

Many of the artworks in the collection appeared in Harper’s, Puck, Life, Judge and other important publications of a century ago. Additionally, the auction includes a number of prewar comic strips, including Popeye, High Pressure Pete and Lady Bountiful. Some are illustrative commentaries on sport-related topics, such as New York Yankees baseball and a Joe Louis boxing scandal.

The Charles L. Howard collection of early comic art and original political illustration comprises nearly 800 original pre-World War II illustrations by 500+ listed illustrators to be offered in several auctions. The Oct. 18 sessions are:

Session 1 – Lots 1-124 – important original illustration art from the Charles L. Howard collection

Session 2 – Lots 125-225 – original railroad art from the Charles L. Howard collection

All lots have low starting bids and no reserves.

Charles L. Howard, Esq., was a leading railroad industry figure between the World Wars I and II. He served as a chief officer for the Santa Fe Railroad and counsel to the American and Western Railway Associations. Much of his collection was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1939 and at other venues prior to 1947. The collection is encyclopedic in scope, with extensive New York, Ohio, Illinois and California subjects.

The sale catalog is being updated on a daily basis as additional items are unpacked at the home of Charles Howard’s grandson. None of the artworks has seen the light of day in 60 to 65 years.

For additional information on any item in the sale, contact Katrina M. Hess or Richard Van by calling 727-896-0622 or e-mailing sales@hessfineauctions.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet in this online-only sale by visiting www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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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

Howard Pyle, Fairy Tale, Sleeping Giant and a Boy Sounding a Horn, ink on paper with traces of gouache, signed with P monogram and titled at lower left corner. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Howard Pyle, Fairy Tale, Sleeping Giant and a Boy Sounding a Horn, ink on paper with traces of gouache, signed with P monogram and titled at lower left corner. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Louis Dalrymple, 'The Good Ship Tammany,' signed, ink on heavy paper, exhibited Art Institute of Chicago. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Louis Dalrymple, ‘The Good Ship Tammany,’ signed, ink on heavy paper, exhibited Art Institute of Chicago. Hess Fine Auctions image.

E. C. Segar, 1931 Popeye 4-panel comic strip, signed with addition of trademark cigar doodle, exhibited. Hess Fine Auctions image.

E. C. Segar, 1931 Popeye 4-panel comic strip, signed with addition of trademark cigar doodle, exhibited. Hess Fine Auctions image.

William H. Walker, ink on heavy paper, signed lower right, Howard Collection label identifies work as having been illustrated in Life magazine. Hess Fine Auctions image.

William H. Walker, ink on heavy paper, signed lower right, Howard Collection label identifies work as having been illustrated in Life magazine. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Thomas Nast, ink on illustration paperboard, signed and inscribed 'Harper's Weekly' and dated 1884 lower right in pencil. Titled lower center: 'Blaine, Butler and the Workingman.' 1908 Anderson Auction Company provenance verso, exhibited Art Institute of Chicago. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Thomas Nast, ink on illustration paperboard, signed and inscribed ‘Harper’s Weekly’ and dated 1884 lower right in pencil. Titled lower center: ‘Blaine, Butler and the Workingman.’ 1908 Anderson Auction Company provenance verso, exhibited Art Institute of Chicago. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Thomas Wust, ink on heavy paper, signed lower left. Exhibited Art Institute of Chicago. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Thomas Wust, ink on heavy paper, signed lower left. Exhibited Art Institute of Chicago. Hess Fine Auctions image.

Louis M. Glackens, Puck magazine art, Oct. 16, 1911, ink on heavy paper, depicts Taft and G.O.P., signed lower right, stamp verso, Hess Fine Auctions image.

Louis M. Glackens, Puck magazine art, Oct. 16, 1911, ink on heavy paper, depicts Taft and G.O.P., signed lower right, stamp verso, Hess Fine Auctions image.

London art gallery to host Lincoln Seligman paintings

'Chateau Latour magnum,' acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.
'Chateau Latour magnum,' acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.
‘Chateau Latour magnum,’ acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.

LONDON – A major exhibition of paintings recording the results of Lincoln Seligman’s travels, entitled “An artist at large” will open at La Galleria Pall Mall, London SW1Y 4UY on Dec. 3-8. The show will feature around 60 paintings with prices ranging from £1,000-£20,000.

For the past three years artist and sculptor Lincoln Seligman has crisscrossed the globe, covering more than 200,000 miles over four continents. Armed with sketchpad, brushes and camera, he has captured remarkable images from Tuscan hill villages to Indian palaces and from the shores of Africa to the plains of the American West.

A British artist, born in 1950, Seligman has gained an international reputation for his large-scale sculptures and murals that can be found in many landmark buildings worldwide. When not creating abstract sculptures he concentrates full time on painting. His visual travelogue depicts images from Provence, Brittany and Tuscany, northern India and Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Kenya, New York and New England, parts of China as well as the Cotswold countryside. When not traveling, Lincoln divides his time between studios in the Cotswolds and London.

Seligman’s work, which is noted for its use of vibrant color, is varied, ranging from large-scale canvases of landscapes, a series of what he calls winescapes – in which he uses bottles and wine cases to create quasi-abstract compositions – to peaceful images of monks at the Abbey of Sant’Antimo monastery near Paganico.

Seligman has exhibited in London (a one-man show at the Royal Academy in 2007) and New York and his paintings can be found in many important public collections including the New York Public Library, the European Parliament, the Royal Palace, Riyadh, Standard Chartered Bank, Flemings, Chanel and Laurent Perrier. Two important recent commissions include a gigantic hanging sculpture in Phoenix City, Beijing, for the Chinese government in 2011, and set designs for the New English Ballet Theatre’s Bright Young Things at Sadler’s Wells in July this year. Seligman also holds annual painting courses in Sri Lanka and Kenya.

Seligman’s show, “An artist at large,” is presented by Penrose Fine Art. Details of the exhibition can be found on www.penrosefineart.com or info@penrosefineart.com.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

'Chateau Latour magnum,' acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.
‘Chateau Latour magnum,’ acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.
'Monk, Sant’Antimo,' acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches.
‘Monk, Sant’Antimo,’ acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches.
'Three hay bales, Holwell,' acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 inches.
‘Three hay bales, Holwell,’ acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 inches.
'Chinese dragon screen,' acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches.
‘Chinese dragon screen,’ acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches.

Archaeologist tries to protect park’s Native American treasures

Angel Falls Rapids at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, home to many endangered species and Native American cultural relics. National Park Service photo.
Angel Falls Rapids at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, home to many endangered species and Native American cultural relics. National Park Service photo.
Angel Falls Rapids at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, home to many endangered species and Native American cultural relics. National Park Service photo.

ONEIDA, Tenn. (AP) – Archaeologist Tom Des Jean is fighting a constant battle to protect Native American relics at Big South Fork National Recreation Area.

He told the Knoxville News Sentinel that looters are common, especially at out-of-the-way rock shelters contained in the 120,000-acre preserve that straddles Tennessee and Kentucky.

Located on the Cumberland Plateau, Big South Fork has an estimated 1,500 archaeological sites, which is more than other national parks in the Southeast.

Des Jean says some sites have been destroyed by looters, who dig pits and sift the dirt looking for whole pieces of prehistoric artifacts such as arrowheads and pottery. He says everything else is thrown out.

He said destroying the items is not just a crime, it’s a tragedy. For example, the floor of a rock house called Mountain Dew is filled with pits and dirt piles. A ranger found the shelter in 2009, but looters had already been there.

Around the floor are bits and pieces of history, including a fragment of a mussel shell, a chert flake that was probably used as a paring knife.

“This site has been supremely destroyed,” he said. “The relic collectors dig their pits, then sift the dirt and throw out anything that’s not intact. When you come onto public lands and take things, you’re taking from the American people as well as from researchers. You’re taking things that can never be recovered again.”

He said the sites may still contain information that is buried deeper.

Des Jean said archeologists want to protect these “layer cakes of occupation” until there’s funding for proper excavation.

“At this site we found 5,000-year-old points next to 1,200-year-old pottery,” said Des Jean. “When looters dig for relics they mix things up to the point where we cannot separate them out. You can find a 10,000-year-old point right next to a late Woodland piece of pottery, and you can’t deduce or document any relationship between the two because they’ve been pulled out of context.

“There are still questions to be answered from these cultural resources _ how these early inhabitants lived, and perhaps ultimately, where they came from.”

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Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Angel Falls Rapids at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, home to many endangered species and Native American cultural relics. National Park Service photo.
Angel Falls Rapids at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, home to many endangered species and Native American cultural relics. National Park Service photo.

Largest assemblage of modern Aboriginal art on display in Paris

Aboriginal bark painting. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Fletcher Gallery.
Aboriginal bark painting. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Fletcher Gallery.
Aboriginal bark painting. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Fletcher Gallery.

PARIS (AFP) – The largest exhibition of modern Aboriginal paintings ever to go on display outside of Australia opens Tuesday at the Quai Branly Museum in the heart of Paris.

“The Sources of Aborigine Painting” features more than 200 works of art, and decorated artefacts, like shields, from which the abstract painting style derives.

“The idea is to show that these painters have a base in their Aboriginal tradition, that there is continuity,” Philippe Peltier, who oversees the Oceanic and South East Asian collections at the museum, told AFP.

The use of dots, repeated patterns, and reds and browns that evoke the desert are characteristic of the style.

Most of the paintings are from 1971-72, when artists like Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, working in Papunya, in Australia’s central desert, started to be recognized.

“It signaled a change – the work was now regarded as art and not artefact,” curator Judith Ryan said of the time period. Ryan helped curate the original exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and said it meant a lot to have this exhibit travel to France.

“These are the greatest treasures we have,” Ryan said, “and the only type of art unique to our continent.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Aboriginal bark painting. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Fletcher Gallery.
Aboriginal bark painting. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Fletcher Gallery.

Trinity International bills Oct. 13 art sale as its best ever

Mr. Brainwash (AMERICAN 1966) ‘Charlie Chaplin.’ Trinity International image.
Mr. Brainwash (AMERICAN 1966) ‘Charlie Chaplin.’ Trinity International image.

Mr. Brainwash (AMERICAN 1966) ‘Charlie Chaplin.’ Trinity International image.

AVON, Conn. – Trinity International describes its fall auction on Saturday, Oct. 13, as its strongest sale ever with diverse high-quality works that are fresh to the market. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The auction will begin at noon EDT.

A magnificent work by Mario Carreno (Cuban-American-Chilean, 1913-1999), Abstract Woman 1947, oil on canvas, Lot 82, is a real standout. It is a work painted by the artist at the time Carreno developed relationships with many leading artists such as Wilfredo Lam and Pablo Picasso. This particular work shows the influences of both artists. The painting has an impeccable provenance with a letter from the artist’s widow, Ida Carreno Gonzalez as well as a complete material analysis. The estimate is $50,000 to $70,000.

A painting by Martiros Seregeevich Sarian (Saryan) (Russian, 1880-1972), Fruits and Flowers, dated 1961, is also a standout work. The oil on canvas is Lot 70. Some of the artist’s most sought after works are still life paintings that have realized prices above $350,000. This piece has complete authentication documents from the L’Expert Centre of Culture Values, Ministry of Culture, Republic of Armenia. Also included is a complete material analysis of the piece conducted in 2010.

Other Russian artists whose works are in the sale are Boris Anisfeldl, Pyotor Belenok, and book illustrations by Ivan Biliban, Dimitri Nalbandian and Sergei Orechov.

Polish art has a following and several works in this auction are by Mieczyslaw Sieminski (Polish 1853-1929), Jan Stanislawski (Polish 1860-1907) and Stanislaw Wyspiansk (Polish, 1869-1907).

Old masters are always a favorite and included are works by Philips Wouwerman (Dutch 1619-1668) with provenance, (School of) Peter Paul Rubens (Dutch 1577-1640), Francois Boucher (attributed) (French 1703-1770) and a magnificent work by Sir Thomas Lawrence (attributed) (British 1769-1830). The painting comes with the original frame and a notation verso identifying the sitters.

American art is well represented with an auction highlight by William Trost Richards (American 1833-1905), Near Atlantic City, N.J., oil on canvas, Lot 116. This wonderful piece shows the waves rolling in with the water a translucent green, and in the distance is a lighthouse with the last vestiges of sunlight about to dip below the horizon.

Other American highlight include Frank Meyers Boggs (American, 1855-1926) Steam Launch on the River, John Enneking (American 1841-1916), Back Bay Marshes with View of North Church Steeple, which is a magnificent oil on canvas. This painting depicts a distant view of the city of Boston through the marshlands with a luminous sunset and in the distance a view of the Charles River. This piece was included in the catalogue raisonne compiled by Pierce Galleries.

Other items of note are Phillips Frisbie Lewis (American, 1892-1930), California Cottage Under the Stars, oil on canvas and Martha Walter (American, 1875-1976) and Emile Gruppe (American, 1896-1978), Naples, Florida, Trinity by the Cove, circa 1960, Lot 114. A wonderful landscape by Walter Launt Palmer, (American 1854-1932) Snowy Creek Lot 114 depicting a brook with sunlight dancing on the brook surface that is flowing through a winter landscape with pine boughs heavy with snow. It is a magnificent painting.

Contemporary and Modernism is well represented with works by Paul Kelpe (German-American, 1902-1985) with provenance labels verso. Charles Green Shaw (American 1892-1974) showing provenance from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. There are also pieces by Emile Bisttram (American 1895-1976), three works by Andy Warhol (American 1928-1987), Andre Lhote (French 1885-1962),

Joan Miro (Spanish/French 1893-1983) two pieces by Marino Marini (Italian-Swiss 1901-1980) and two by De Hirsch Margules (Romanian-American 1899-1965).

A strong component of this auction is contemporary prints. There are seven works by Robert Motherwell (American 1915-1991) six works by Rene Gruau (French-Italian-American 1909-2004), also a piece by Milton Greene (American 1922-1985), three by Salvador Dali (Spanish 1904-1989, Karel Appel (Dutch 1921-2006) and Sandro Chia (Italian b. 1946). There is a great work of art by Shepard Fairey (American b. 1970) Debbie Harry (Blondie) circa 2010, Lot 227, and a cutting edge piece by Mr. Brainwash (American, 1966) Charlie Chaplin, circa 2010, Lot 228.

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

Mr. Brainwash (AMERICAN 1966) ‘Charlie Chaplin.’ Trinity International image.
 

Mr. Brainwash (AMERICAN 1966) ‘Charlie Chaplin.’ Trinity International image.

Martiros Seregeevich Sariab (Saryan) (Russian 1880-1972). Trinity International image.

Martiros Seregeevich Sariab (Saryan) (Russian 1880-1972). Trinity International image.

Mario Carreno (Cuban-American-Chilean 1913-1999). Trinity International image.
 

Mario Carreno (Cuban-American-Chilean 1913-1999). Trinity International image.

William Trost Richards (American 1833-1905). Trinity International image.
 

William Trost Richards (American 1833-1905). Trinity International image.

John Enneking (American 1841-1916). Trinity International image.

John Enneking (American 1841-1916). Trinity International image.

Kovels – Antiques & Collecting: Week of Oct. 8, 2012

Few would recognize this as a wine pourer. It is about 60 years old, was used in an English bar and sold for $1,952 at a Leslie Hindman auction in Chicago.
Few would recognize this as a wine pourer. It is about 60 years old, was used in an English bar and sold for $1,952 at a Leslie Hindman auction in Chicago.
Few would recognize this as a wine pourer. It is about 60 years old, was used in an English bar and sold for $1,952 at a Leslie Hindman auction in Chicago.

Part of the fun of being a collector is trying to identify recently discovered old tools and, if possible, trace the past owners of the finds. A strange brass object was auctioned in Chicago in 2011. It was identified as a “mechanical wine pourer.” It looks like a construction toy with a rectangular “arm” made of brass rods. It’s shaped to hold a bottle. The arm is at the top of a 14-inch-high H-frame made of brass rods. Turn a crank at the bottom of the frame, and the arm and bottle dip down. It was indeed a wine pourer. It was marked “Yeo, Ratcliffe & Dawe,” so it was possible to learn more about it.

The company opened in 1946 in London, and was sold in 1961. Online records of local archaeology studies proved the company was housed in a building constructed in 1415 (yes, it’s almost 600 years old!) and housed a wine merchant even then. The building was restored many times, and the 1946 restoration revealed an amazing history. It had been a three-story building serving as a wine merchant’s shop and home. Parts of the original 15th-century roof, 15th- and 16th-century beams, an original fireplace, an old white oak floor and 18th- and 19th-century additions were found. Some of the original plaster mixed with straw was still in place. An woman’s shoe and some clay pipes that were hundreds of years old also were discovered.

The mechanical wine pourer dates from the recent owner – sometime around 1950. But the brass pourer had extra value for collectors because of its time in the historic building. It sold for more than $1,950.

Q: What can you tell me about my electric percolator? It not only makes coffee, but can toast a slice of bread at the same time. The attached metal plate says, “Armstrong Perc-o-Toaster Model PT.” What is the age and value?

A: The Armstrong Perc-o-Toaster Model PT was made by Armstrong Electric and Manufacturing Corp. of Huntington, W.Va. The company was founded in 1899 and made table stoves, electric ranges and other electrical appliances. Your combination percolator-toaster was first made in 1918, and was still being made in the 1930s. A waffle iron mold, which could be inserted after removing the toast drawer, was available as an accessory. A 1931 ad in the Saturday Evening Post claimed that the Perc-o-Toaster also could cook bacon and eggs. The base of the appliance was made in different finishes, including nickel plate, black enamel and white enamel. The price in 1931 was $11.85. Perc-o-Toasters today sell for about $200. However, the appliance can be used only with its original cord, which has a nonstandard double-plug arrangement.

Q: Is there any value to the old toys given out with McDonald’s Happy Meals?

A: McDonald’s introduced Happy Meals in 1979. The meal came in a box decorated like a circus wagon, and included a “McDoodler” stencil, McDonaldland character eraser, ID bracelet, puzzle lock, spinning top or “McWrist” wallet, a wristwatch-shaped wallet. Millions of Happy Meal toys have been made since then. Disney toys were first included in 1987, and Teenie Beanie Babies in 1997. These toys appealed to adult collectors as well as children. Toys are tested to make sure they are safe for young children before they are included in Happy Meals. A choice of a toy for a boy, a girl or a child 3 years old or under usually is offered today. Toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals often are listed for sale online. Most sell for $5 or less.

Q: In the mid-1980s, I bought a matching carved oak buffet, table and four chairs from a local Minnesota antiques dealer. I think she said she bought the set somewhere in the South. There’s a plaque inside one of the buffet doors that says: “Wood Green Furnishing Co., Actual Makers of Good Hand Made Furniture, 134b High Road, Wood Green, N. 22, Telephone Bowes Park 2767.” I can find out nothing about this furniture maker. Can you help?

A: Wood Green is a district within the city of London. The Wood Green Furnishing Co. started the legal process of liquidating its assets in 1941, so your furniture was made before the 1940s.

Q: I have 38 black-and-white photographs of the 1927 Rose Parade. There’s a description of each photo on the back. They’re all 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches and in excellent condition. Are they collectible?

A: Original photos of the 1927 Tournament of Roses Parade – its official name – sell online for $5 to $10 apiece. The first Rose Parade was held in 1890, but 1927 was the first year the parade was broadcast on the radio. A set of 38 photos from the parade might be of interest to a historical society or museum in Pasadena or nearby communities. If so, you could consider donating the photos.

Tip: Changing temperatures bother a grandfather clock. An inside corner is the best place for such clocks.

Need prices for collectibles? Find them at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. More than 84,000 prices and 5,000 color photos have just been added. Now you can find more than 856,000 prices that can help you determine the value of your collectible. Access to the prices is free at Kovels.com/priceguide.

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.

 

  • Chalkware potholder hooks, Creole couple’s smiling faces, each with hands holding wedge of watermelon, hand-painted, 1950s, 4 x 4 inch pair, $35.
  • Superman comic book, “Three Dimension Advertures,” with 3D glasses, 1953, $80.
  • Fenton glass vase, green Diamond and Rib pattern, lime green inside, circa 1913, 10 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches, $105.
  • Hires Root Beer serving tray, “Ugly Kid” graphics, “The Best Drink on Earth,” early 1900s, 12 1/4 inches, $230.
  • Elephant whirligig, balances on large pink ball atop blue celluloid platform, tin wheels, umbrella on top with dangling glass beads, Japan, 1930s, 7 1/2 inches, $265.
  • Hooked rug, winter scene with trees, horse pulling sled with barrel of sap, cabin, brown, white and gray, Quebec, c. 1900, 19 1/2 x 14 inches, $325.
  • Sammy baby doll, Kestner No. 211, bisque, blond human-hair wig, blue eyes, peach dress and bonnet, 13 inches, $425.
  • Washstand, maple, dovetailed rolling-pin backsplash, cutouts for two glasses and washbowl, lower drawer, turned legs, Richmond, Va., 1840s, $495.
  • Silver-plated napkin ring, boy teaching dog tricks, Rogers, Smith and Co., 3 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches, $525.
  • Paul Revere pottery bowl, band of trees in beige and buttercup-yellow landscape, marked, Albina Mangini, 1913, 6 inches, $575.

Available now. The best book to own if you want to buy or sell or collect – and if you order now, you’ll receive a copy with the author’s autograph. The new Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2013, 45th edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and 40,000 up-to-date prices for more than 775 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; at your bookstore or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

© 2012 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Few would recognize this as a wine pourer. It is about 60 years old, was used in an English bar and sold for $1,952 at a Leslie Hindman auction in Chicago.
Few would recognize this as a wine pourer. It is about 60 years old, was used in an English bar and sold for $1,952 at a Leslie Hindman auction in Chicago.

Rothko painting vandalized in London

Mark Rothko (Russian/American, 1903-1970), 'Black on Maroon,' 1958 mixed media on canvas from one of three series of canvases Rothko painted for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building, New York. Artwork was gifted by the artist and received by Tate Modern, London, in 1970. Image copyright Tate Modern. All rights reserved.
Mark Rothko (Russian/American, 1903-1970), 'Black on Maroon,' 1958 mixed media on canvas from one of three series of canvases Rothko painted for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building, New York. Artwork was gifted by the artist and received by Tate Modern, London, in 1970. Image copyright Tate Modern. All rights reserved.
Mark Rothko (Russian/American, 1903-1970), ‘Black on Maroon,’ 1958 mixed media on canvas from one of three series of canvases Rothko painted for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building, New York. Artwork was gifted by the artist and received by Tate Modern, London, in 1970. Image copyright Tate Modern. All rights reserved.

LONDON – London’s Tate Modern was temporarily closed on Sunday after a mural by US modern artist Mark Rothko was defaced by black paint, the gallery said.

The gallery shut for a short time at around 3:25 p.m. (1425 GMT) after the damage was found on the corner of one of the Rothko’s Seagram murals.

“Tate can confirm that there was an incident in which a visitor defaced one of Rothko’s Seagram murals by applying a small area of black paint with a brush to the painting,” said a spokeswoman for the popular gallery.

The Seagram murals, commissioned by New York’s Four Seasons restaurant in 1958, arrived in London for display at Tate Modern’s sister gallery on February 25, 1970 — the day the artist committed suicide aged 66.

A large-scale painting by the artist fetched $86.9 million at a New York auction in May, setting a new record for any contemporary work of art.

The Russian-born expressionist painter became a giant of the modern art world through his simplified and colourful compositions inspired by mythology and primitive art.

Update: London’s Sun newspaper reports that a man identified as Vladimir Umanets has admitted he wrote the words “Vladimir Umanets, A Potential Piece of Yellowism” on the Rothko painting. He is quoted as saying, “Some people think I’m crazy or a vandal, but my intention was not to destroy or decrease the the value, or to go crazy. I am not a vandal.”

Umanets is one of the founders of “Yellowism,” a movement he describes as “neither art nor anti-art.”

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Mark Rothko (Russian/American, 1903-1970), 'Black on Maroon,' 1958 mixed media on canvas from one of three series of canvases Rothko painted for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building, New York. Artwork was gifted by the artist and received by Tate Modern, London, in 1970. Image copyright Tate Modern. All rights reserved.
Mark Rothko (Russian/American, 1903-1970), ‘Black on Maroon,’ 1958 mixed media on canvas from one of three series of canvases Rothko painted for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building, New York. Artwork was gifted by the artist and received by Tate Modern, London, in 1970. Image copyright Tate Modern. All rights reserved.