Group of about 50 People's Republic of China stamps, including a rare block of four Golden Monkey stamps. Price realized: $126,000. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

‘Golden Monkey’ stamps climb to $126,000 at Converse

Group of about 50 People's Republic of China stamps, including a rare block of four Golden Monkey stamps. Price realized: $126,000. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

Group of about 50 People’s Republic of China stamps, including a rare block of four Golden Monkey stamps. Price realized: $126,000. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

WAYNE, Pa. – A group of about 50 People’s Republic of China stamps – including a rare block of four Golden Monkey stamps – sold for $126,000 in an Internet-only auction held Dec. 29 by Gordon S. Converse & Co. The stamps, all 20th and 21st century examples and offered loose in a stack, not bound in an album, were the auction’s top lot. LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.

Nearly 500 lots of Chinese and Asian objects were pursued by more than 300 registered bidders, who participated through LiveAuctioneers.com and the Gordon S. Converse website. Bids poured in from three of the five continents, with most of the action coming from the U.S. and Europe. The stamps were purchased by a bidder in China.

“We were surprised the stamps did as well as they did, but we underestimated the value of the Golden Monkeys,” said Todd Converse of Gordon S. Converse & Co. “Many of the lots, in fact, exceeded our expectations. With this auction, we made important headway into the burgeoning Asian market, which represents a new frontier of opportunity and business for us.”

It was the firm’s largest auction ever in terms of number of lots. Featured were stamps and currency, carved zitan furniture and brushpots, seals and scrolls, bronze and jade, porcelain and bamboo. A lightly attended in-person preview was held at a gallery in nearby West Chester, and some, but not many, phone and absentee bids were taken. It was a true Internet sale.

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

A large Chinese Qing Dynasty Imperial jade central seal with 18 smaller seals in a zitan box with finely carved cover, measuring 9 1/2 inches by 13 1/2 inches, was the sale’s second top lot, bringing $14,400. Also, a Chinese Qing Dynasty Imperial seal box with 36 green (or spinach jade) seals in a Zitan box, measuring 11 1/2 inches by 5 3/4 inches by 3 1/2 inches, garnered $7,200.

A group of four Chinese currency bills brought $20,400 and a lot of six Chinese currency bills realized $16,800. Also, a lot of 318 early Chinese stamps (from Qing Dynasty to Republic) chalked up $4,200, a Chinese watercolor of leafy plants in a museum envelope went for $4,800, amd a Chinese watercolor of lettering and crossed flags in a museum envelope rose to $10,500.

A fine Chinese silk and metallic rug – with the gold metallic field surrounded by various silk colored designs, suggesting it may belong to a group of rugs from the Imperial Palaces of Beijing, measuring about 70 inches by 96 inches – commanded $13,200 (making it the third top lot of the auction); and a Chinese bronze statue with superior casting, 17 inches tall, hit $3,000.

A pair of Chinese Zitan chairs, with fine and sophisticated carving, 31 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches by 18 1/2 inches, breezed to $10,200; a Chinese Huanghuali chest with very fine carving, 12 1/2 inches by 13 1/2 inches by 9 inches, earned $4,200; and a Chinese famille rose porcelain tea pot from the Republic period decorated with a landscape scene, 5 3/4 inches tall, achieved $3,000.

A set of four 18th or 19th century double-paneled fine antique Chinese silk Kesi-like embroideries, apparently part of a set, gaveled for $2,400. The embroideries – framed, with each set of panels measuring 33 inches by 12 inches – boasted finely detailed stitching work depicting figurals of 18th and 19th century Chinese culture. Some scattered damage did not deter bidders.

A large Chinese Zitan vase stand with fine and sophisticated carving, 31 1/2 inches tall, made $6,600; a pair of Chinese Huanghuali vase stands with very fine construction, 29 inches tall, brought $3,000; a Chinese watercolor painting book, 16 pages, 13 inches by 6 1/2 inches, sold for $3,600; and a famille verte lidded jar, 4 inches tall, went for $3,600.

Buoyed by the success of this auction, Gordon S. Converse & Co. is planning another Internet-only Chinese and Asian sale, probably for sometime in March. Another, smaller auction may be held between now and then. The firm is also planning a sale for sometime in early 2013 that will feature a large collection of tribal arts and silver. More details will follow.

Gordon S. Converse & Co. is always seeking quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, phone 610-722-9004, or you e-mail them at either Todd@ConverseClocks.com or Gordon@ConverseClocks.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Group of about 50 People's Republic of China stamps, including a rare block of four Golden Monkey stamps. Price realized: $126,000. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

Group of about 50 People’s Republic of China stamps, including a rare block of four Golden Monkey stamps. Price realized: $126,000. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

This lot of four Chinese currency bills fetched $20,400. Another lot of six bills brought $16,800. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

This lot of four Chinese currency bills fetched $20,400. Another lot of six bills brought $16,800. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

Large Chinese Qing Imperial green jade central seal with 18 smaller seals, all in a zitan box. Price realized: $14,400. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

Large Chinese Qing Imperial green jade central seal with 18 smaller seals, all in a zitan box. Price realized: $14,400. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

This pair of Chinese zitan chairs with fine and sophisticated carving sold for $10,200. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

This pair of Chinese zitan chairs with fine and sophisticated carving sold for $10,200. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

This gorgeous Chinese famille verte lidded jar, diminutive at just 4 inches tall, made $3,600. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

This gorgeous Chinese famille verte lidded jar, diminutive at just 4 inches tall, made $3,600. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

Fine Chinese silk and metallic rug surrounded by various silk colored designs, 70 inches by 96 inches. Price realized: $13,200. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

Fine Chinese silk and metallic rug surrounded by various silk colored designs, 70 inches by 96 inches. Price realized: $13,200. Gordon S. Converse & Co. image.

 

 

The annual Watercolours & Works on Paper Fair, which began this week and continues until Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Science Museum in South Kensington. Image Auction Central News.

London Eye: January 2013

The annual Watercolours & Works on Paper Fair, which began this week and continues until Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Science Museum in South Kensington. Image Auction Central News.

The annual Watercolours & Works on Paper Fair, which began this week and continues until Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Science Museum in South Kensington. Image Auction Central News.

LONDON – The London Science Museum may not be the most obvious venue in which to hold an art fair, particularly since it is located directly opposite the Victoria and Albert Museum, which it would be reasonable to assume might be a more appropriate location. And yet the annual Watercolours & Works on Paper Fair, which began this week and continues until Sunday, seemed perfectly at home on the first floor of the Science Museum when we attended the opening day. It had been allocated its own space well away from the early steam engines, Apollo space capsules and other scientific exhibits that draw crowds of fascinated school children and families all year round.

Of course, it is in the nature of art fairs that once inside you are so distracted by the works on display that the broader environment seems to disappear. The Watercolours and Works on Paper Fair is a somewhat sedate event attracting an older demographic who appreciate its mix of the traditional and the acceptably modern (without too much of that curious stuff called Contemporary Art). Indeed it was so sedate that one visitor was seen snoozing happily on a vacant bench.

A visitor to the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair at the Science Museum in London grabs some well-earned shut-eye. Image Auction Central News.

A visitor to the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair at the Science Museum in London grabs some well-earned shut-eye. Image Auction Central News.

One of the more reliable ways to gauge how much business is being done at an art fair is to chat to the men who do the packing and wrapping. “It’s been nonstop since the fair opened,” said the man in the wrapping booth as he took a well-earned rest.

The wrapping booth at the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair, which reported a steady dream of purchasers wanting its services on the fair's opening day. Image Auction Central News.

The wrapping booth at the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair, which reported a steady dream of purchasers wanting its services on the fair’s opening day. Image Auction Central News.

“And it’s only the first day.” This was not, however, the message of all the dealers. London dealer Duncan Miller, who specializes in Scottish artists, said trade was slow. “It’s difficult. It has been for some time. You need a certain amount of luck at these events.” It was the first time Mr. Miller had shown at the fair but he was hopeful things would pick up. He had already sold one large mixed media work by the Edinburgh School painter Ann Oram. When we visited the stand on the opening day there was much interest in Oram’s Garden Still Life
Edinburgh School painter Ann Oram's 'Garden Still Life' in mixed media, which was priced at £8,500 ($13,460) on the stand of London dealer Duncan Miller Fine Arts at the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair. Image courtesy of Duncan Miller Fine Arts.

Edinburgh School painter Ann Oram’s ‘Garden Still Life’ in mixed media, which was priced at £8,500 ($13,460) on the stand of London dealer Duncan Miller Fine Arts at the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair. Image courtesy of Duncan Miller Fine Arts.

, which was priced at £8,500 ($13,460).

Elsewhere at the fair, London-based painter and printmaker Natasha Kumar was enjoying a lot of interest in her vibrant prints inspired by her travels in India. Her Artshouse stand, located at the entrance to the fair, was thronged with visitors admiring her Holy Cow screenprint series, examples of which were priced at £1400.

London-based printmaker Natasha Kumar was enjoying a lot of interest in her vibrant prints on her Artshouse stand at the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair where she was showing this screenprint, 'Holy Cow,' priced at £1,400 ($2,215). Image courtesy of Natasha Kumar.

London-based printmaker Natasha Kumar was enjoying a lot of interest in her vibrant prints on her Artshouse stand at the Watercolour and Works on Paper Fair where she was showing this screenprint, ‘Holy Cow,’ priced at £1,400 ($2,215). Image courtesy of Natasha Kumar.

Turning to the UK auction circuit, Yorkshire-based LiveAuctioneers clients Tennants held another of their popular “Country House” sales this month, which included a few surprises. A pair of Italian walnut three-drawer chests had been estimated at just £300-400, largely on account of their seriously shabby condition.

A pair of Italian walnut three-drawer chests which, despite being in dire need of restoration, attracted a bid of £3,200 ($5,050) at Tennants' 'Country House' sale in Leyburn, Yorkshire in January. Image courtesy of Tennants.

A pair of Italian walnut three-drawer chests which, despite being in dire need of restoration, attracted a bid of £3,200 ($5,050) at Tennants’ ‘Country House’ sale in Leyburn, Yorkshire in January. Image courtesy of Tennants.

The candid catalog description itemized their faded color, “various worm holes,” splits and missing handles, although on the plus side “the drawers operate well.” Clearly there was some work to be done, but they were unusual enough and showed sufficient potential for restoration to attract a bid of £3,200 ($5,050). Meanwhile, Tennants’ January sale of arms, armor and militaria included a rare Colt First Model Dragoon six-shot percussion revolver, with a New York City stamp, the cylinder bearing traces of an engraved Texas Ranger and Indian scene.
Yorkshire auctioneers Tennants' January sale of arms, armor and militaria included this rare Colt First Model Dragoon six-shot percussion revolver with its original leather holster, which made £4600 ($7,260). Image courtesy of Tennants.

Yorkshire auctioneers Tennants’ January sale of arms, armor and militaria included this rare Colt First Model Dragoon six-shot percussion revolver with its original leather holster, which made £4600 ($7,260). Image courtesy of Tennants.

It came with its original leather holster and was in good enough condition to beat at estimate of £2,500-3,500, eventually selling for £4,600 ($7,260).

Coincidentally, the gun is at the center of another American-themed event in the coming weeks as the American Museum in Britain prepares to stage an exhibition entitled “Gangsters & Gunslingers: The Good, The Bad and the Memorabilia.” The exhibition, which runs from March 23 to Nov. 3 at the museum’s premises at Claverton Manor in Bath, has been loaned by Channel Islands-based Americana collector David Gainsborough Roberts. The exhibition’s theme centers on America’s outlaw heroes and brings together memorabilia from what the curators describe as “two defining chapters that shaped America’s national identity” — the Wild West from the mid-1860s to the late 1880s, and the wild years of the Prohibition/Depression era of the 1920s and early 1930s.

American visitors to the UK over the summer will have good reason to swing by the American Museum in Britain as they head down to the windswept beaches and rain-soaked holiday resorts of the West Country, for there are treasures galore on show. Highlights include the watch retrieved by souvenir hunters from the wrist of Clyde Barrow after he and Bonnie Parker had been ambushed and mercilessly riddled with bullets by federal agents. Clyde had not, perhaps, been wearing his bullet-proof vest that day, which features in the exhibition

The American Museum in Britain will be showing this watch retrieved by souvenir hunters from the wrist of the dead Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame at its 'Gangsters & Gunslingers' exhibition from March 23 to  Nov. 3 at Claverton Manor in Bath. Image courtesy of the American Museum in Britain.

The American Museum in Britain will be showing this watch retrieved by souvenir hunters from the wrist of the dead Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame at its ‘Gangsters & Gunslingers’ exhibition from March 23 to Nov. 3 at Claverton Manor in Bath. Image courtesy of the American Museum in Britain.

as does a silver cigarette case owned by notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone.
Al Capone's silver cigarette case, which will feature in the 'Gangsters & Gunslingers' exhibition at the American Museum in Britain from March 23  to Nov. 3 at Claverton Manor in Bath. Image courtesy of the American Museum in Britain.

Al Capone’s silver cigarette case, which will feature in the ‘Gangsters & Gunslingers’ exhibition at the American Museum in Britain from March 23 to Nov. 3 at Claverton Manor in Bath. Image courtesy of the American Museum in Britain.

Rather more grisly is the death mask of Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, which faithfully records the exit wound made by the federal agent’s bullet that killed him outside a Chicago cinema in 1934.
The death mask of Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, on show from from March 23 to Nov. 3 in the 'Gangsters & Gunslingers' exhibition at the American Museum in Britain at Claverton Manor in Bath. Image courtesy of the American Museum in Britain.

The death mask of Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, on show from from March 23 to Nov. 3 in the ‘Gangsters & Gunslingers’ exhibition at the American Museum in Britain at Claverton Manor in Bath. Image courtesy of the American Museum in Britain.

The next big event on the horizon for many of the more up-market members of the London fine art trade will be the European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht from March 15 to 24. This is arguably the most prestigious fine art fair in the world and is generally regarded as one of the few fairs that, despite being obviously a commercial venture, places equal emphasis on the aesthetic aspect of art as on economic considerations. This year the fair will include a special loan exhibition of 15 drawings by Vincent van Gogh, loaned by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), 'Self-portraits,' Paris 1887, pencil, pen and dark brown ink, on wove paper, to be shown at the special loan exhibition of Van Gogh drawings at the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht from March 15-24. Image courtesy van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Vincent van Gogh Foundation.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), ‘Self-portraits,’ Paris 1887, pencil, pen and dark brown ink, on wove paper, to be shown at the special loan exhibition of Van Gogh drawings at the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht from March 15-24. Image courtesy van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Vincent van Gogh Foundation.

Vincent van Gogh, 'The Yellow House (The Street),' Arles 1888.  Pencil, reed pen, pen and brown ink, opaque and transparent watercolor, on laid paper. Included in the special loan exhibition at the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht from March 15-24. Image courtesy of Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Vincent van Gogh Foundation.

Vincent van Gogh, ‘The Yellow House (The Street),’ Arles 1888. Pencil, reed pen, pen and brown ink, opaque and transparent watercolor, on laid paper. Included in the special loan exhibition at the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht from March 15-24. Image courtesy of Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Vincent van Gogh Foundation.

For those still concerned with the investment potential of fine art — an increasingly influential contingent in the rapidly globalizing art market — this year’s TEFAF opens with another important symposium on the state of the global art market. “Art Symposium: Rising Stars in the Art World” will be held at the fair on Friday, March 15, and will begin with a review of the global art trade during 2012, highlighting the contribution of the emerging economies of China and Brazil. Leading arts economist Dr. Clare McAndrew will present the findings of the latest TEFAF Art Market Report on these issues, which will be launched during this year’s fair. The second theme will be “Top performing artists: why they dominate the market and how they continue to do so.” One is unlikely to find slumbering visitors on the TEFAF benches.

 

Gold mounted hardstone dress cane, circa 1880, snakewood shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Kimball Sterling invites crossovers to Feb. 16 cane auction

Gold mounted hardstone dress cane, circa 1880, snakewood shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Gold mounted hardstone dress cane, circa 1880, snakewood shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – LiveAuctioneers and Kimball M. Sterling Inc. team up again for a presentation of 249 lots of antique canes and walking sticks for the Winter Cane Auction on Saturday, Feb. 16, beginning at 11 a.m. EST.

Sterling is the largest canes auction house in the world presenting over six auctions per year live on the Internet and in various locations including Tennessee and Las Vegas. New Orleans is coming soon.

This auction will have canes from a European collection including many Tiffany silver canes, carved ivory erotic and hardstone “objects of virtue.” The erotic ivories consist of a group of some interesting nudes from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. A collection of sword canes is also included in this consignment. A full tortoise cane from the Andrew K. “AK” Forthmann, the King of California soap, estate is a prime example of a shell presentation with his monogram appearing in gold. There are 30 canes from this estate including full whalebone and defensive canes. There will be four other collections and consignments in this auction from three countries.

Nautical canes are also strong in this auction including full whalebone shafts and carved tooth handles. All nautical canes presented in this auction are over 125 years old. Kimball M. Sterling does not accept modern whale canes for consignment.

Sterling advises collectors to take some time to look at the catalog. He says antique canes have many crossover categories for other fields of collecting including dogs, horses, historical, fraternal and much more. Many canes represent occupations from dentist to undertakers.

Offered in this auction is a Hemès Cannes et Pommeaux scarf from the 1980s. Side selections other than canes also include cane stands and cases.

The auction will be held in-house and live on liveauctioneers.com. Additional information and printed full-color catalogs are available from by calling the Winter Cane Auction at 423-773-4073.

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.

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


Gold mounted hardstone dress cane, circa 1880, snakewood shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Gold mounted hardstone dress cane, circa 1880, snakewood shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Erotic nude cane, circa 1890, large ivory seated Venus handle on a malacca shaft with a brass ferrule and a richly chased and gilt collar with engraved initials. Estimate: $3,000-$4,000. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Erotic nude cane, circa 1890, large ivory seated Venus handle on a malacca shaft with a brass ferrule and a richly chased and gilt collar with engraved initials. Estimate: $3,000-$4,000. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Nautical whalebone cane, circa 1870, carved whale’s tooth for a handle with an inlaid tortoise disc atop, ribbed and other architectural carvings on the shaft. Estimate: $1,400-$1,600. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Nautical whalebone cane, circa 1870, carved whale’s tooth for a handle with an inlaid tortoise disc atop, ribbed and other architectural carvings on the shaft. Estimate: $1,400-$1,600. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Asian ivory cane, circa 1890, upscale carving of a mountain of rats with beaded eyes, a hallmarked silver Brig, London collar, thick snakewood shaft and a metal ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,400. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Asian ivory cane, circa 1890, upscale carving of a mountain of rats with beaded eyes, a hallmarked silver Brig, London collar, thick snakewood shaft and a metal ferrule. Estimate: $1,000-$1,400. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Tiffany sterling dress cane, dated 1891, removable sterling handle that has ‘Virginia Christmas 1891’ cast into the handle, thick malacca shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,500-$2,000. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Tiffany sterling dress cane, dated 1891, removable sterling handle that has ‘Virginia Christmas 1891’ cast into the handle, thick malacca shaft and a horn ferrule. Estimate: $1,500-$2,000. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Hemès Cannes et Pommeaux scarf, 100 percent silk, canes motif, like new, 1980s. Estimate: $400-$600. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Hemès Cannes et Pommeaux scarf, 100 percent silk, canes motif, like new, 1980s. Estimate: $400-$600. Kimball M. Sterling Inc. image.

Gallery Report: February 2013

A Masudaya Machine battery-operated toy robot sold for $45,000 at a Premier Auction held Dec. 6-8 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a one-of-a-kind show display, custom-made by Reinhold Studio for Oilzum to use at the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair, climbed to $38,000; a boxed Asakusa painted-tin and plastic Thunder Robot marched off for $10,200; a Mail Pouch Tobacco tin cutout flange display coasted to $9,600; and a J. & E. Stevens Pelican mechanical bank (rabbit variation) made $7,800. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

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Leon Russell playing in at the Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in April 2009. Image by Carl Lender. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Leon Russell collection focal point of proposed museum

Leon Russell playing in at the Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in April 2009. Image by Carl Lender. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Leon Russell playing in at the Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in April 2009. Image by Carl Lender. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The Master of Space and Time could soon have his own museum.

The Oklahoma Historical Society announced Tuesday it had acquired a collection of more than 4,500 items connected to legendary musician and native Oklahoman Leon Russell that are intended for a planned pop culture museum in Tulsa.

The donated collection features thousands of photos, more than 1,300 audio recordings, 100 video recordings and old concert programs, posters and tickets, among other things. But the display is contingent on the state legislature passing a $42.5 million bond issue to build the so-called OKPOP Museum in downtown Tulsa.

The 70-year-old Russell – with his trademark long white hair and scraggly white beard, thick sunglasses and cowboy hat – appeared on stage at a news conference that announced the collection to a standing ovation, walking slowly and aided by a cane.

Russell’s responsible for helping pioneer the Tulsa Sound and worked with musicians ranging from Frank Sinatra to Elton John. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Along the way, the funky and flamboyant “Master of Space and Time” title stuck.

“I usually got arrested in this area and now I get a museum?” Russell quipped. “Who knew? And now the good people of Oklahoma want to build a magnificent museum to honor me and others like me. God is good, amen and amen.”

The museum, which has been in the planning stages for several years, will be a 75,000-square-foot, four story building dedicated to Oklahoma artists and their impact on popular culture.

Bond proposals, especially for museums, have faced fierce resistance from a growing group of conservative lawmakers opposed to the idea of adding to state debt. Last year, a proposed $20 million bond issue to fund the museum narrowly passed the Senate before getting derailed in the House.

It’ll likely be the same this year in the House, where Republicans now enjoy a 72-29 advantage. But Democrats also have said they will refuse to support any bond issue.

But supporters of the museum gathered at Tuesday’s news conference said they were confident they would have support from lawmakers who realize the economic and social importance the museum could have in northeastern Oklahoma and the entire state.

“This is not just a Tulsa museum; this is not just a historical society museum,” said Bob Blackburn, executive director of the state’s historical society. “This will represent the creativity across the state.”

Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, said 700 jobs would be created over the four years it would take to build the museum. He also said museum and parking garage would generate $3.7 million in sales tax alone.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett said Russell’s music put Tulsa on the map.

“You gave us relevancy at the time, Leon, when we didn’t have any as far as a music scene,” Bartlett said.

____

Capitol Correspondent Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-01-30-13 1236GMT


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Leon Russell playing in at the Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in April 2009. Image by Carl Lender. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Leon Russell playing in at the Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in April 2009. Image by Carl Lender. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The new town hall of Hanover, Germany, where the search is on for the stolen golden cookie. Image by AxelHH. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

German city searching for stolen golden cookie

The new town hall of Hanover, Germany, where the search is on for the stolen golden cookie. Image by AxelHH. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

The new town hall of Hanover, Germany, where the search is on for the stolen golden cookie. Image by AxelHH. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

BERLIN (AP) –Missing: one golden cookie, weighing around 44 pounds (20 kilograms).

Suspect: The Cookie Monster?

The rectangular gilded bronze sculpture was part of a statue gracing the facade of German cookie baker Bahlsen’s Hannover office.

How the century-old symbol was taken remains unclear, but police say witnesses reported having seen two men with a ladder in the area earlier this month.

The company has offered 1,000 euro ($1,350) for information leading to the cookie’s recovery.

A police statement said a local newspaper received a picture Tuesday showing someone in an outfit similar to Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster holding a golden cookie.

The sender wrote to demand cookies be delivered to children at a city hospital.

Police aren’t sure if it’s the same cookie, or a real claim of responsibility.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-01-29-13 1824GMT


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


The new town hall of Hanover, Germany, where the search is on for the stolen golden cookie. Image by AxelHH. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

The new town hall of Hanover, Germany, where the search is on for the stolen golden cookie. Image by AxelHH. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Ceija Stojka during a book presentation at the Camineum of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, 2008. Image by Manfred Werner - Tsui. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

In Memoriam: Ceija Stojka, Roma artist, writer, 79

Ceija Stojka during a book presentation at the Camineum of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, 2008. Image by Manfred Werner - Tsui. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Ceija Stojka during a book presentation at the Camineum of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, 2008. Image by Manfred Werner – Tsui. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

VIENNA (AP) – Ceija Stojka survived three Nazi death camps and then found her life’s work: Raising awareness of the Nazis’ persecution of Roma, also known as Gypsies, in her art and her writings.

Stojka carried the horrors of those camps with her until she was in her 50s, speaking out in words and pictures only decades after she was liberated from the Bergen-Belsen camp at age 12.

Her death Monday at age 79 in a Vienna hospital was announced by her publisher. The Budapest-based European Roma Cultural Foundation described Stokja’s concentration-camp themed paintings to The Associated Press on Wednesday as reflecting “entrenched sorrow in the bodies and spirit of the victims.”

Austrian Education and Culture Minister Claudia Schmied lauded Stojka’s work in exposing Roma suffering under the Nazis, saying her advocacy gave rise to “hope that the oath ‘Never Again!’ is and will remain more than a historic promise.”

Her family’s persecution under the Nazis began in 1941 and ended four years later with Stojka’s liberation from the Bergen-Belsen camp in Germany. While her mother and four siblings also survived, Stojka’s father and brother were killed in Auschwitz, two of the more than 1 million Roma estimated to have been killed under Hitler. In all, nearly 200 members of her extended family perished under the Nazis.

Stojka kept those experiences to herself for decades at a time most Austrians embraced the popular notion that they and their nation were victims of Hitler instead of his willing accomplices.

“If I could write down all my thoughts, they would surely be an endless book of suffering,” she told an interviewer before embarking on her 1988 autobiography We Live in Seclusion. “But my thoughts race more quickly than my hands are able to put everything to paper.”

Born in Austria to a nomadic family of horse traders, Stojka returned after the end of the Nazi era and made a living selling carpets. She started speaking out in the 1980s, as Austrian awareness of the country’s complicity in Nazi crimes grew. And she started painting – dark somber pictures depicting the death camps that alternated with joyful images of prewar life on the road in her family’s horse-drawn wagon.

Despite those happier images, she never forgot the horrors of the Nazi era – and implored audiences not to let history repeat itself.

“How is it possible at the beginning of the new century that the Roma population … is still humiliated and maltreated – and sometimes killed as it happened in Hungary – for the only reason of being Roma?” she asked a gathering of Hungarian university and high-school students three years ago after a spate of Roma hate killings there.

“Let my grandchildren live,” she declared.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-01-30-13 1328GMT


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Ceija Stojka during a book presentation at the Camineum of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, 2008. Image by Manfred Werner - Tsui. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Ceija Stojka during a book presentation at the Camineum of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, 2008. Image by Manfred Werner – Tsui. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Poet Robert Frost on his 85th birthday in 1959. Image by Walter Albertin, New York World Telegram staff photographer, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

University of Buffalo displays Robert Frost memorabilia

Poet Robert Frost on his 85th birthday in 1959. Image by Walter Albertin, New York World Telegram staff photographer, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Poet Robert Frost on his 85th birthday in 1959. Image by Walter Albertin, New York World Telegram staff photographer, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – A collection of letters, recordings, photos and other items collected during a 24-year friendship between the poet Robert Frost and a Cincinnati rabbi is going on display to mark the 50th anniversary of Frost’s death.

The Victor E. Reichert Robert Frost Collection will be shown starting Thursday at the University at Buffalo, where Reichert’s son, Jonathan Reichert, is professor emeritus of physics.

The organizers say insights into Frost’s views on religious beliefs, a topic his biographers have found hard to pin down, are illuminated by the collection.

Carole Thompson, founder and director of the Robert Frost Stone House Museum in Shaftsbury, Vt., said Victor Reichert, who died in 1990, was among a dozen people in the poet’s inner circle.

Reichert and his wife, Louise, met Frost at a reading in Cincinnati and spent summers with the four-time Pulitzer winner in Vermont, where they shared many long talks, including discussions of the Bible, and excursions into the Green Mountains. Frost died Jan. 29, 1963, in Boston. He was 88.

Given Frost’s conversations about personal tragedies in his life, notably the deaths of his wife and children, Victor Reichert wrote that there “is not the slightest doubt in my mind about the deep, deep religious nature of Robert Frost.”

Jonathan Reichert also recalls long conversations with Frost, noting, “you didn’t argue with him. With Frost, he did 95 percent of the talking.”

The exhibit will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through March 29.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-01-29-13 2325GMT


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Poet Robert Frost on his 85th birthday in 1959. Image by Walter Albertin, New York World Telegram staff photographer, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Poet Robert Frost on his 85th birthday in 1959. Image by Walter Albertin, New York World Telegram staff photographer, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Pair of Bacchanalian 2-piece marble garden herms (boundary markers), 19th century, depicting horned satyr and nude maiden, each having a total height of 62 in., est. $6,000-$9,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Dixie Cup inventor’s fine art is centerpiece of Myers’ Feb. 10 auction

Pair of Bacchanalian 2-piece marble garden herms (boundary markers), 19th century, depicting horned satyr and nude maiden, each having a total height of 62 in., est. $6,000-$9,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Pair of Bacchanalian 2-piece marble garden herms (boundary markers), 19th century, depicting horned satyr and nude maiden, each having a total height of 62 in., est. $6,000-$9,000. Myers Fine Art image.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (LAPRS) – It was an elegantly simple but universally embraced paper container – the cone-shape Dixie Cup – that enabled millionaire inventor and philanthropist Cesare Barbieri to amass the spectacular collection of European paintings, bronzes, Asian art and Oriental rugs featured in Myers Fine Art’s Feb. 10 auction.

The Italian-born Barbieri (1878-1956) held more than 100 patents, including one issued in 1926 for conical Dixie Cups and the machinery that manufactured them. He also possessed a finely tuned eye for classical art and design.

“He bought the best of everything for his multiple residences, but he was also very generous toward others,” said Myers co-owner Mary Dowd. “His will provided for the establishment of a Dixie employee pension fund, and his Dixie Cup royalties funded an endowment for Italian cultural studies at Trinity College that continues to this day. He also helped to finance the post-World War II reconstruction effort in his hometown of Bologna, Italy.”

Barbieri’s largesse extended to those who cared for him in his declining years, in particular his nurse and companion Anita De Paulis. Barbieri bequeathed to De Paulis the entire contents of both his lavish Manhattan apartment and Villa Barbieri, his estate in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. De Paulis retired to a town near Sarasota, Fla., and after her death in 2011, Myers acquired the Barbieri collection directly from the De Paulis Estate.

Myers has a policy of only conducting a European & Asian Art auction when a collection of exceptional quality is available to headline such a sale. The 480-lot Feb. 10 event is the first of its type to be scheduled in two years and consists of fresh goods acquired almost exclusively from estates.

The featured Barbieri collection includes magnificent paintings, bronzes, antique clocks, Oriental rugs, furniture and carved ivories. Among the top pieces is a graceful marble nude titled “The Flower of the Alps,” by Attilio Piccirilli (Italian, 1886-1945). A similar Piccirilli sold a few years ago at Sotheby’s for $19,000. Myers Fine Art has placed an estimate of $10,000-$15,000 on the signed Piccirilli in their sale. A signed Giuseppe Gambogi (Italian, 1891-1965) statue of Shakespeare’s “Ophelia” carries an estimate of $8,000-$10,000.

An extraordinary artwork from Villa Barbieri, “Portrait of Gabrielle de Bourbon,” depicts the 26-year-old daughter of Louis I, Count of Montpensier, a direct descendant of Saint Louis (1214-1270). The richly detailed portrait, created possibly as early as the 15th century, exhibits an extremely high standard of artistry, evident by the level of detail in the sitter’s ornately embroidered silk dress and ermine-trimmed robe. A gold figural pendant adorns her pearl-trimmed bodice, and pearls embellish her Renaissance cap. The 17 by 12½-inch painting is presented in an elaborate gilt tabernacle frame from the late-18th or early 19th century. It is expected to make $4,000-$6,000.

Other Continental artworks in the sale include an 18th/19th-century French portrait of a lady holding a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a Charles Cousin (French, 1904-1972) Venetian canal scene, and a J. Eisenhut oil painting of a Venetian doge. Additional enticements include an Italian pietra dura specimen table and micromosaic pieces; French cameo glass, majolica, silver, Louis XV bronze candelabra, and Austrian ivory and wood figures. There will also be fine European porcelain, an inlaid Italian marquetry chest and antique Italian walnut cupboard; and a pair of French Empire bronze table lamps. A Continental relief-carved ivory plaque depicts a frenzied battle scene of warriors on horseback. Dating to the mid-19th century and possibly from Dieppe, France, it is estimated at $3,000-$5,000. Another standout is a signed Tommaso Gentile (Italian, 1853-?) bronze mirror adorned by two nude women. It bears the Kunst-Erzgieserei Vienna foundry mark and is estimated at $6,000-$8,000.

Timepieces include European mantel clocks, a miniature tall-case clock with chinoiserie artwork, and a highly desirable tall-case clock with Joshua Wilson (London) 17th/18th-century movement in a Philadelphia Chippendale walnut case. The musical moon phase clock stands 95 inches tall and, although missing some of its mechanical parts, is likely to achieve $4,000-$6,000.

An interesting estate collection contains antique Japanese samurai swords of various lengths. The edged weapons are in good company with the auction’s grouping of early Persian armor and trio of 18th-century Japanese Edo Period matchlock rifles.

The sale’s extensive Asian section covers all imaginable forms and media. Ceramics include Japanese Imari, antique Chinese hand-painted plates and a pleasing selection of Chinese export porcelain. Among the carved figural pieces are a 77-inch oxblood Buddha, an ivory Siddhartha bust, jade and hardstone objects, and numerous Chinese and Japanese ivories. Other highlights include a Japanese inlaid and carved screen, a set of four Chinese Qing silk paintings, 19th-century Chinese reverse paintings, a pair of yoke-back armchairs, an early 19th-century Kano school 4-panel screen painting, and an array of Asian bronze and mixed-metal vessels and other items.

Not to be missed if one is considering the renovation of a special room is the lot containing more than 25 rolls of Zuber et Cie. (French) panoramic wallpaper in the “Views of North America” pattern. The rolls were printed from Zuber’s original 19th-century woodblocks.

“In the 1970s, Jacqueline Kennedy chose the very same wallpaper for the White House Reception Room,” said Mary Dowd. “It depicts American scenes such as Boston Harbor, Niagara Falls, and Natural Bridge in Virginia. The rolls we are auctioning are in perfect condition. They were ordered from Zuber in the 1970s but were never installed.”

The garden and architectural category is led by a 19th-century marble bench side support depicting a winged mythological creature, and an impressive pair of 19th-century marble Bacchanalian garden herms topped by carved busts of a satyr and nude maiden. Each herm stands 62 inches tall, and together they tip the scales at 1,000+ lbs. Formerly ensconced at a Southampton, N.Y., estate, the pair is estimated at $6,000-$9,000.

Other items of note include a John Wallace (1841-1905) landscape of a hilltop castle, a carved R.J. Horner partner’s desk with carved griffin legs ($3,000-$5,000), 18th-century ecclesiastical vestments, and a chic F.V. Manti (Italian) 18K yellow gold openwork bracelet adorned with women’s faces ($2,000-$4,000). Last but certainly not least, the sale includes a sporty red 2007 Ferrari F430 with less than 3,000 miles on its odometer – a stylish vehicle in which to transport one’s purchases home on auction day.

Myers Fine Art’s Sunday, Feb. 10 auction of European & Asian Antiques & Fine Art featuring the Cesare Barbieri collection will commence at 12 noon Eastern Time. A preview will be held from 10-6 on Saturday, Feb. 9, and from 10 a.m. till noon on auction day. The gallery is located at 1600 4th St. North in St. Petersburg, FL 33704. For information on any lot in the sale, call 727-823-3249 or e-mail auctions@myersfineart.com.

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


Pair of Bacchanalian 2-piece marble garden herms (boundary markers), 19th century, depicting horned satyr and nude maiden, each having a total height of 62 in., est. $6,000-$9,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Pair of Bacchanalian 2-piece marble garden herms (boundary markers), 19th century, depicting horned satyr and nude maiden, each having a total height of 62 in., est. $6,000-$9,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Tommaso Gentile (Italian, 1853-?), circa-1900 bronze mirror, mark of Kunst-Erzgiersserei Vienna foundry, 33¾ in., est. $6,000-$8,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Tommaso Gentile (Italian, 1853-?), circa-1900 bronze mirror, mark of Kunst-Erzgiersserei Vienna foundry, 33¾ in., est. $6,000-$8,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Giuseppe Gambogi (Italian), ‘Ophelia,’ 19th-century carved marble sculpture, signed, 23½ in., est. $8,000-$10,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Giuseppe Gambogi (Italian), ‘Ophelia,’ 19th-century carved marble sculpture, signed, 23½ in., est. $8,000-$10,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Joshua Wilson (London, 17th/18th centuries), musical moon phase tall-case clock in American carved Chippendale walnut case, 95 in., est. $4,000-$6,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Joshua Wilson (London, 17th/18th centuries), musical moon phase tall-case clock in American carved Chippendale walnut case, 95 in., est. $4,000-$6,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Attilio Piccirilli (Italian, 1866-1945), ‘The Flower of the Alps,’ carved marble sculpture, signed, 25 ¼ in., est. $10,000-$15,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Attilio Piccirilli (Italian, 1866-1945), ‘The Flower of the Alps,’ carved marble sculpture, signed, 25 ¼ in., est. $10,000-$15,000. Myers Fine Art image.

‘Portrait of Gabrielle de Bourbon,’ depicting the daughter (b. 1460 of Louis I, Count of Montpensier, a direct descendant of Saint Louis (1214-1270), framed size 35¼ x 24 5/8 in., est. $4,000-$6,000. Myers Fine Art image.

‘Portrait of Gabrielle de Bourbon,’ depicting the daughter (b. 1460 of Louis I, Count of Montpensier, a direct descendant of Saint Louis (1214-1270), framed size 35¼ x 24 5/8 in., est. $4,000-$6,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Closeup of high-relief ivory carving on mid-19th-century Continental battle scene plaque, full framed size 11¼ x 25 in. wide, est. $3,000-$5,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Closeup of high-relief ivory carving on mid-19th-century Continental battle scene plaque, full framed size 11¼ x 25 in. wide, est. $3,000-$5,000. Myers Fine Art image.

18th/19th-century French portrait of lady holding Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Myers Fine Art image.

18th/19th-century French portrait of lady holding Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Myers Fine Art image.

Charles Z. Landelle (French, 1821-1908), ‘Flower Offering,’ oil on canvas, signed, 36 x 28 framed, est. $6,000-$8,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Charles Z. Landelle (French, 1821-1908), ‘Flower Offering,’ oil on canvas, signed, 36 x 28 framed, est. $6,000-$8,000. Myers Fine Art image.

F.V. Manti 18K yellow gold openwork bracelet with faces of women, 28.3 dwt., est. $2,000-$4,000. Myers Fine Art image.

F.V. Manti 18K yellow gold openwork bracelet with faces of women, 28.3 dwt., est. $2,000-$4,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Carved mahogany R.J. Horner partner’s desk with carved griffin legs and lion’s-head pulls, est. $3,000-$5,000. Myers Fine Art image.

Carved mahogany R.J. Horner partner’s desk with carved griffin legs and lion’s-head pulls, est. $3,000-$5,000. Myers Fine Art image.

One Christmas during the 1940s, Cesare Barbieri chose a photo of one of the rooms in his Tuxedo Park, N.Y., villa as the main image on his holiday card. The 'Portrait of Gabrielle de Bourbon,' in its distinctive tabernacle frame, is displayed above the mantel. Myers Fine Art image.

One Christmas during the 1940s, Cesare Barbieri chose a photo of one of the rooms in his Tuxedo Park, N.Y., villa as the main image on his holiday card. The ‘Portrait of Gabrielle de Bourbon,’ in its distinctive tabernacle frame, is displayed above the mantel. Myers Fine Art image.

Zuber et Cie. panoramic wallpaper in the 'Views of North America' pattern has decorated the White House Diplomatic Reception Room since the Kennedy era. On Feb. 10, Myers will auction more than 25 unused rolls of wallpaper in this very pattern. Myers Fine Art image.

Zuber et Cie. panoramic wallpaper in the ‘Views of North America’ pattern has decorated the White House Diplomatic Reception Room since the Kennedy era. On Feb. 10, Myers will auction more than 25 unused rolls of wallpaper in this very pattern. Myers Fine Art image.

Cesare Barbieri (Italian/American, 1878-1956), philanthropist, owner of more than 100 patents and inventor of the conical Dixie Cup and dispenser. Myers Fine Art image.

Cesare Barbieri (Italian/American, 1878-1956), philanthropist, owner of more than 100 patents and inventor of the conical Dixie Cup and dispenser. Myers Fine Art image.

John Ritto Penniman (American, 1782-1841) ‘Boston's Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818,’ oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 41 5/8 inches. Sold: $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

Keno Auctions important Americana sale totals $2.35M

John Ritto Penniman (American, 1782-1841) ‘Boston's Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818,’ oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 41 5/8 inches. Sold: $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

John Ritto Penniman (American, 1782-1841) ‘Boston’s Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818,’ oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 41 5/8 inches. Sold: $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

NEW YORK – Keno Auctions’ Important American Furniture, Paintings, Folk art and Decorative Arts European Paintings sale on Jan. 22 was a solid success, achieving a total of just over $2.35 million – right within the presale estimate range. LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.

More than 87 percent of the lots sold to 165 buyers, one-third of whom were successful through the Internet. Online bidding participation was the strongest to date for Keno Auctions.

The sale featured an excellent selection of American paintings, including the dramatic Boston’s Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818 by John Ritto Penniman (American, 1782-1841) (est. $50,000-100,000). This important picture, one of the earliest known American depictions of a fire, by one of Boston’s best-known painters of the time, was eagerly sought after by several impassioned bidders in the room and on the telephone, selling to a Massachusetts-based client for $117,800.

The Estate of James Maxime du Pont and Violetta J.P. du Pont offered William Trost Richards (American, 1833-1905) Gentle Surf, New Jersey Coast, 1905, which achieved $86,600 (est. $40,000-80,000) and was snapped up by New York dealer Andrew Schoelkopf, who was bidding for a client.

The sale offered many exceptional pieces of American furniture including the Massachusetts Chippendale serpentine-front chest of drawers from an Arizona collection. Bidding escalated into a spirited battle between clients on the floor, via telephone and online, bringing a remarkable $117,800 against a presale estimate of $50,000-80,000.

Another American treasure, the diminutive Queen Anne mahogany table with rectangular drop leaves (est. $15,000-30,000) sold for a strong price of $68,200, after an extended bidding frenzy. One of just a few Colonial tables in the world of this small size, it also retains much of its original finish which contributed to the final result.

The sale offered a number of charming American folk art pictures, of which the most highly desired depicted children. The winsome colorful circa 1830 pastel Portrait of a Young Child in a White Dress and Red Shoes with Peach and Dog by Deacon Robert Peckham (American, 1785-1877) brought $86,800 (est. $60,000-100,000), purchased by a New England couple.

One of the most exciting and untouched works in the sale was the Double Portrait of Wealthy Jones Winter and Sarah Marie Winter of Bath, Maine, attributed to John Brewster Jr. (American, 1766-1854), which descended directly in the family of the sitters to the consignors. Estimated at $40,000-80,000, this charming depiction brought $74,400, bought by a private Americana collector with a great appreciation for Brewster’s work and the painting’s impressive provenance. The picture hung until recently in Maine on the wall across from a portrait of their mother, Sarah Bowman, since it was painted circa 1827.

Another object that sold particularly well was the gilt copper peacock weathervane made by Jewell and Co., circa 1870, from the Collection of Joanne and Jeffrey Klein. Estimated at $5,000-8,000, and in remarkable condition, it went to a private New York collector bidding against six telephone bidders and several people in the room achieving a final price of $39,600.

There was great interest in the delightful group of six carved Alice in Wonderland figures signed and dated 1925 by Augustus Davies (American 1867-1951) that fetched a stunning $39,680 (est. $5,000-8,000). The set of figures is composed of the Mad Hatter, Frog Footman, Duchess, March Hare, Alice and White Rabbit. The bases of Alice, the Duchess, March Hare and White Rabbit are signed and dated by the artist. There was a slew of bidding on the floor, on the telephones and online, but a private collector in the room patiently waited out the frenzy and finally won the lot.

Quality examples of the work of artist Edward Lange (American, 1846-1912) rarely come to the market; Keno Auctions was fortunate to offer four fine examples. John C. Tottan, Cold Spring, Long Island, 1881 sold for a healthy $14,800 (est. $8,000-12,000).

The sale also offered an eclectic mix of property, including a group of 22 Chinese jade and hardstone objects, which sold for $17,360 (est. $1,000-2,000) and American sports memorabilia, including a Babe Ruth signed baseball that brought $6,820 (est. $1,000-1,500).

And finally, true love triumphed (at the auction) when a young man purchased the delicate platinum and gold three-stone diamond ring, circa 1890, for $17,360 (est. $6,000-8,000) for his beloved; for whom he intends to propose to soon after taking possession of this symbol of everlasting love.

Leigh Keno, president of Keno Auctions, commented: “We are very pleased with today’s result, especially for the prices achieved for important works such as the serpentine chest of drawers which hammered at an outstanding $117,800, inspiring a good deal of competition between collectors. We were also delighted to see arresting works such as John Ritto Penniman’s Boston’s Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818 that sold for $117,800, coming in far over the high estimate. Folk Art continues to be an increasingly strong collecting area and we are thrilled with the results of Peckham’s Portrait of a Young Child, the Brewster Double Portrait of Wealthy and Sarah Winter as well as the handsome gilt copper peacock weathervane. We are impressed by the caliber of new and established clients in the sale who bid decisively on the best examples of fine and decorative arts.”

Keno Auctions next sale of Impressionist, Modern & Contemporary Art is scheduled for June 11 in New York.

All prices include the buyer’s premium, which is 24 percent of the hammer price.

View the fully illustrated catalog, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


John Ritto Penniman (American, 1782-1841) ‘Boston's Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818,’ oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 41 5/8 inches. Sold: $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

John Ritto Penniman (American, 1782-1841) ‘Boston’s Exchange Coffee House Burning of 1818,’ oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 41 5/8 inches. Sold: $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

Serpentine chest of drawers, Massachusetts, 1760-1780. Sold $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-80,000). Keno Auctions image.

Serpentine chest of drawers, Massachusetts, 1760-1780. Sold $117,800 (Estimate: $50,000-80,000). Keno Auctions image.

Deacon Robert Peckham (American, 1785-1877) ‘Portrait of a Young Child in a White Dress and Red Shoes with Peach and Dog,’ pastel on paper, 25 x 20 1/2 inches. Sold: $86,800 (Estimate: $60,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

Deacon Robert Peckham (American, 1785-1877) ‘Portrait of a Young Child in a White Dress and Red Shoes with Peach and Dog,’ pastel on paper, 25 x 20 1/2 inches. Sold: $86,800 (Estimate: $60,000-100,000). Keno Auctions image.

Diminutive Queen Anne mahogany table with rectangular drop leaves, Massachusetts, 1740-1760. Sold $68,200, (estimate: $15,000-30,000). Keno Auctions image.

Diminutive Queen Anne mahogany table with rectangular drop leaves, Massachusetts, 1740-1760. Sold $68,200, (estimate: $15,000-30,000). Keno Auctions image.

Chippendale mahogany shell-carved desk, attributed to Samuel Loomis (American, 1748-1814), Colchester, Conn., 1774-1800. Sold: $55,800 (Estimate: $30,000-60,000). Keno Auctions image.

Chippendale mahogany shell-carved desk, attributed to Samuel Loomis (American, 1748-1814), Colchester, Conn., 1774-1800. Sold: $55,800 (Estimate: $30,000-60,000). Keno Auctions image.

Group of six carved Alice in Wonderland Figures, Augustus Davies (American, 1867-1951) 1925, tallest 17 inches. Sold: $ 39,680 (Estimate: $5,000-8,000). Keno Auctions image.

Group of six carved Alice in Wonderland Figures, Augustus Davies (American, 1867-1951) 1925, tallest 17 inches. Sold: $ 39,680 (Estimate: $5,000-8,000). Keno Auctions image.

Group of 22 Chinese jade and hardstone objects including a figure, a pendant, two cups, a mounted plaque,  rings and other small examples. Sold: $17,360 (Estimate: $1,000-2,000). Keno Auctions image.

Group of 22 Chinese jade and hardstone objects including a figure, a pendant, two cups, a mounted plaque, rings and other small examples. Sold: $17,360 (Estimate: $1,000-2,000). Keno Auctions image.

Attributed to John Brewster Jr. (American, 1766-1854) ‘Double Portrait of Wealthy Jones Winter and Sarah Marie Winter,’ Bath, Maine, circa 1829, oil on canvas, 22 x 17 inches. Sold: $74,400 (Estimate: $40,000-80,000). Keno Auctions image.

Attributed to John Brewster Jr. (American, 1766-1854) ‘Double Portrait of Wealthy Jones Winter and Sarah Marie Winter,’ Bath, Maine, circa 1829, oil on canvas, 22 x 17 inches. Sold: $74,400 (Estimate: $40,000-80,000). Keno Auctions image.

Gilt copper peacock weather vane, Massachusetts, 1850-1877, A.L. Jewell and Co., Waltham, Mass. Sold: $39,680 (Estimate: $5,000-8,000). Keno Auctions image.

Gilt copper peacock weather vane, Massachusetts, 1850-1877, A.L. Jewell and Co., Waltham, Mass. Sold: $39,680 (Estimate: $5,000-8,000). Keno Auctions image.