‘Model’s Break’ by Marc Chatov, oil 40 x 30 inches. Opening bid: $3,400. Image courtesy of Salmagundi Club. NEW YORK – The Salmagundi Club, one of the oldest artists’ organizations in the United States, will continue its annual spring auctions on Sunday, March 3, and conclude on Friday, March 8. Nearly 150 extraordinary artworks by Salmagundi artists will be auctioned. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
An initial session was conducted Feb. 20.
Collectors over the years have flocked to these events, held every spring and fall, to find top-quality works of representational painting, drawing, fine-art graphics, photography and sculpture, most at better-than-reasonable prices.
Salmagundian artist member Del Bourree-Bach will be the auctioneer.
The next auction will be on Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. EST, following a champagne brunch in the gallery dining room. The final spring auction will be on Friday, March 8, at 8 p.m. Viewing hours at the club are from 1-8 p.m. Monday, 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Viewing can also be arranged by appointment.
The Salmagundi roster of artists is famous for the quality and diversity of their works of contemporary realism. Collectors can expect to find pieces of lasting beauty and value at prices far below those at other New York galleries.
About the Salmagundi Club: Founded in 1871, the Salmagundi Club is one of the oldest art organizations in the United States. Housed in an historic brownstone mansion in Greenwich Village, the club offers programs including art classes, exhibitions, painting demonstrations and art auctions throughout the year for members and the general public. The Salmagundi facilities include three galleries, a library, an elegant period parlor, and a dining room and bar with vintage pool tables. All facilities are available for special events and private rentals. The club owns a collection of over 1,500 works of art spanning its 140-year history and has a membership of over 850 artists and patrons. Its members have included important American artists such as Thomas Moran, William Merritt Chase, Louis Comfort Tiffany, N.C. Wyeth and Childe Hassam. Today the Club builds on this lineage by providing a center for the resurgence of representational art in America. The Salmagundi Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Bob Courtney Auctions will sell this large bronze fountain at the May 12 auction in Millbury, Mass. Image courtesy of Bob Courtney Auctions.
MILLBURY, Mass. – For the past three decades, Bob Courtney Auctions has been supplying collectors with an array of beautiful antiques, monumental lighting, and some of the rarest and most unique items imaginable. Customers will have one last opportunity to buy from the longtime auction house on Sunday, May 12, when Courtney will present his final auction.
As always, the sale will be held at 12 Providence St. in Millbury. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
Battling lung cancer for the past two years, Courtney says he no longer has the strength and energy needed to continue the auctions. “We would like to thank all ahead of time for their well wishes,” a Courtney representative said in a statement.
Brimfield goers will want to note that the auction will be held the Sunday immediately before Brimfield week. The start time has yet to be determined.
While this sale will have only 175-200 lots, smaller than usual, it will not lack in quality, Courtney said.
Although this will be the company’s last gallery auction, Bob Courtney Auctions will continue to run its eBay store, which can be located by the username, bobcourtneyauctions. The company features over 1,000 lots for sale or best offer and will continue to add items including furniture, home and industrial lighting, furniture and lighting parts, rarities, little knickknacks and a great selection of glass and porcelain items including numerous salt and pepper shaker sets.
The aforementioned statement issued by Bob Courtney Auctions says: “Bob personally wants to thank everyone that has contributed to the auctions in one way or another. Whether you’re a dealer, collector, antique enthusiast or someone who just needed or wanted a specific item, you will not be forgotten. It’s been a great run and none of it could have happened without all of you. We truly appreciate everyone’s business and support and we want to wish all of you nothing but the best. We hope to see all the familiar faces and we’re eager to meet the new.”
For more information call 508-865-1009 or e-mail bca12@aol.com. For this sale, Bob Courtney Auctions will not be mailing the usual color brochure, but customers will be able to view the entire catalog once it is ready on www.liveauctioneers.com. Sales conducted by Bob Courtney Auctions are usually ready for viewing one month in advance.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Bob Courtney Auctions will sell this large bronze fountain at the May 12 auction in Millbury, Mass. Image courtesy of Bob Courtney Auctions.
This unique floor lamp is an expensive piece of folk art. It brought $27,600 at a November 2012 auction held at Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter of St. Michaels, Md.
“Folk art” is the confusing name given to some things made by untrained artists. From the 1930s into the ’50s, antique collectors might have called these pieces “primitive” or named them for a region, like “Pennsylvania German style.” By the 1950s, some daring collectors were searching for woodcarvings, painted chests, sculptures and paintings that lacked the realism of a scene or portrait by a trained artist. Everything was handmade.
Today folk art includes not only informal handmade items, but also commercial pieces like iron doorstops, carousel horses, store signs, weathervanes and some toys. By the 1960s there were homemade and factory-made folk art lamps assembled from bottles, metal fire extinguishers, milk cans and store tins. Other lamps were made by Boy Scouts, prisoners, soldiers or housewives using patterns in craft magazines. Driftwood, unsophisticated pottery, walnut shells and even antique toasters were used to make lamps. But the most popular and pricey appear to be constructions made of old cigar boxes, Popsicle sticks or hammered brass bullet casings.
Top prices are paid for lamps made of small glued pieces of carved wood that show the skill of the maker.
Another style is “tramp art,” made from chip-carved pieces of cigar boxes. The ice pop, invented in 1905, was named Popsicle in 1924. The wooden sticks from the icy treat were probably used for crafts from the beginning. Boxes of unused sticks were available in stores by the 1950s. Prices are based on the originality and talent of the lamp’s maker and how eager a collector is to own the unique piece, so they can range from $25 to thousands of dollars.
A one-of-a-kind 1910 floor lamp by an unknown artist sold last fall at Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter, a Maryland auction house, for a surprising $27,600, well over estimate. The 5-foot-tall lamp was made of carved and stained pine and cedar. The wooden shade and center column are covered with carved and applied birds and designs.
Q: I would like to know the order of marks on items made in Japan. Which is oldest, “Nippon,” “Made in Occupied Japan,” “Made in Japan” or just “Japan”? Does it make a difference if the mark is red, green, black or another color?
A: Most pieces marked with the name of a country were made after 1891, when the McKinley Tariff Act was passed. Pieces from Japan were marked “Nippon,” the transliteration of the Japanese word for Japan. After 1915 the words “Made in …” usually were added. Beginning in 1921, U.S. Customs required country names to be in English, and the word “Japan” was used instead of “Nippon.” Items marked “Made in Occupied Japan” were made between February 1947 and April 1952. After that, just the word “Japan” was used again. According to experts on 19th- and 20th-century Japanese ceramics, the color does not help date a mark. Red, green and black were used most years. There is no explanation for when other colors were used.
Q: I recently bought a desk and chair at a thrift store for $29. The front of the desk pulls down to reveal a storage compartment. There is a sticker under the desk that says “Ferguson Furniture, Hoboken, N.J.” Can you tell me how old it is?
A: Ferguson Brothers Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1898 by Harry and Louis Ferguson. The company was incorporated in Hoboken in 1900. It was run by members of the family until 1953, when it was sold to Sun-Glo Industries. Ferguson made inexpensive reproduction furniture and “furniture novelties,” including cedar chests, cellarettes, folding screens, folding tables, humidors and smoker stands. Your set sounds like a bargain.
Q: My Wonder Woman hand mirror from Avon is in its original box marked “DC Comics Inc., 1978.” The handle of the mirror is in the shape of Wonder Woman and the mirror is surrounded by her lasso. I have treasured this for years and have never used it. Is it worth anything?
A: The Wonder Woman mirror cost $7.50 when it was introduced. The value of your mirror in its original box is about $25 today.
Q: I received a lovely picture signed “Terone” from a friend about 15 years go. He and his wife had owned it since the 1940s. Can you tell me anything about the artist? Are his works valuable?
A: Alfred T. Terone (1913-1979) and his wife, Cecelia (1916-1999), graduated from New York University and moved to Chicago to work for Borin Art Products, airbrushing pictures that were then mass-produced as prints. The prints were backed with brown paper and mounted in wooden frames. Some of the couple’s work was used on old movie sets and some appeared on the TV show, “I Love Lucy.” In 1944 the Terones moved back to New York City, where they worked as commercial artists. Prints like yours sell for about $30 to $50 each in perfect condition.
Q: Years ago, my mother gave me a pair of heavy antique bronze candlesticks. One of them is decorated with four clear hanging glass prisms. The second matching candlestick is missing the prisms, but has hooks to hang them. How can I find replacement prisms?
A: There are suppliers of glass prisms in the United States. We list some in the free directory on our website, Kovels.com. Just go to our home page and search for the word “prisms.” You also can do an Internet search for “replacement glass prisms.” You will want to measure the length of your prisms and examine their cutting design to be sure you buy new ones that closely match your old ones.
Tip: Dust mites are the subject of many articles today. The more humid the environment, the more quickly the mites multiply. Dust mites eat dust particles, then turn to paints and glazing materials on wooden pieces. The only way to prevent damage is to clean regularly and vacuum with a machine that heats up enough to kill the mites.
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.
Trivet, “Good Luck to All Who Use This Stand,” cast iron, six-pointed star, 8 x 4 inches, $35.
Tent curtain, Turkish, diamond design, red field, c. 1940, 28 x 49 inches, $214.
Andirons, brass, double-lemon top, 19 x 22 inches, $295.
Toy wagon, wood, Goodwill Soap stencil, side handle, 31 x 19 inches, $325.
Hampshire Pottery vase, green matte glaze, shouldered, 4 x 7 inches, $336.
Toy robot, Astroman, plastic, glow-in-dark head, walks, bends, red, black, box, c. 1962, 4 x 11 1/2 inches, $403.
Candlestick, Charles X, gilt bronze, marble socket and shaft, 15 1/2 in. pair, $1,075.
Tiffany silver vase, Art Deco, trumpet shape, line sides, flowers at base, domed, round foot, c. 1950, 11 inches, $1,500.
Pier table, neoclassical, mahogany, marble top, columns, mirror, shelf, c. 1810, 36 x 36 inches, $5,795.
Ralph and Terry Kovel, syndicated newspaper columnists, best-selling authors, avid collectors and national authorities on antiques, hosted the HGTV series “Flea Market Finds with the Kovels.” Enjoy the shows all over again and explore some of the most exciting flea markets in the U.S. In each episode, Ralph and Terry share their secrets about when and where to shop, what to look for at shops and flea markets, and how to make a good buy.
These DVDs include the first season of the series. You’ll see rare marbles, antique quilts, European chests and boxes, Satsuma pottery, ceramic tobacco jars, Bakelite jewelry, vintage plastic dime store toys, Czechoslovakian glass, Big Little Books, can labels and seed packets, old prints, and more! Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; or send $29.95 plus $4.95 postage to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
This unique floor lamp is an expensive piece of folk art. It brought $27,600 at a November 2012 auction held at Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter of St. Michaels, Md.
Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial. Image by Ketone 16. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
NEW YORK (AP) – A long-forgotten World War II statue of the famous flag-raising at Iwo Jima that had been expected to sell for as much as $1.8 million was passed on by bidders in an auction on Friday.
Bidding for the 12 1/2-foot-tall sculpture of the 1945 flag-raising reached as high as $950,000, below the undisclosed minimum sales price, Bonhams auction house said.
“We’re a little disappointed with what happened with the sculpture,” Bonhams Maritime Art Department sales specialist Gregg K. Dietrich said.
Three potential buyers placed competing bids for four or five minutes, Dietrich said.
The sculpture’s owner, military historian and collector Rodney Hilton Brown, did not wish to discuss the results of the auction.
Dietrich said prospective buyers could purchase the sculpture through Bonhams, which will negotiate a price on the seller’s behalf.
History buffs have fawned over the sculpture, a miniature of the familiar 32-foot-tall bronze Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. That sculpture, designed by Felix de Weldon, was patterned after a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press image of the Feb. 23, 1945, flag-raising by Marines and a Navy Corpsman on Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi.
The smaller sculpture was largely forgotten about for more than four decades after de Walden placed it in the back of his studio, covering it with a tarp. That’s where Brown found it in 1990 while researching a book on de Weldon. It was in desperate need of restoration.
Brown bought the 5-ton monument, paying for it with cash and two peculiar collectors’ items: a Stradivarius violin and a silver Newport yachting trophy from the 1920s.
In 1995, Brown presented a restored version of the statute to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Brown said earlier this month he wanted to sell the sculpture because “it doesn’t fit in my living room.”
“I want to find it a good home,” he said, “so we can pass the flag onto somebody else.”
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-02-23-13 0103GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial. Image by Ketone 16. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
Banksy, ‘Slave Labour (Bunting Boy),’ stencil and spray paint on render with additional Golden Jubilee bunting, 48 x 60 in. Unique street work. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Fine Art Auctions Miami.
MIAMI (AFP) – Artwork by British graffiti artist Banksy that appeared listed for auction in Miami after disappearing from a London wall earlier this month has been withdrawn from sale, a council official said Sunday.
The mural is of a boy making Union Jack bunting on a sewing machine, an apparent comment on sweatshop labor.
It first appeared last May on the wall of a north London outlet of thrift store Poundland shortly before the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
After going missing, it reappeared last week for sale at an auction house in Miami, and had been expected to fetch up to £450,000 ($682,000, 517,000 euros) before the lot was apparently pulled.
Haringey Council, which encompasses the area of Wood Green where the store is located, said it had learned that the sale had been halted at the last minute.
Paying tribute to those who had campaigned against its sale, council leader Claire Kober called their actions “a true credit to the community.”
They had, she said, “helped to stop the sale of this artwork from going ahead.”A new mural has since appeared on the wall from where the Banksy work was removed.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Banksy, ‘Slave Labour (Bunting Boy),’ stencil and spray paint on render with additional Golden Jubilee bunting, 48 x 60 in. Unique street work. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Fine Art Auctions Miami.
