Claudio Parmiggiani, Senza titolo, 1970, calco in gesso, stracci, terra-cotta, pigmenti, farfalla.
ROMA – Per secoli l’antichità e i classici sono stati fonti di ispirazione per generazioni di artisti. Ma che cosa rappresentano per gli artisti di oggi? Una mostra, curata da Vincenzo Trione e promossa dalla Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma in collaborazione con Electa, risponde a questa domanda attraverso le opere di 17 artisti contemporanei, esposte negli spazi monumentali del Foro romano e del Palatino a Roma dal 23 maggio al 29 settembre.
È la prima volta che l’arte del presente entra in questi spazi maestosi, creando un dialogo tra antichità e contemporaneità. I valori classici di bellezza, armonia, perfezione, misura e sapienza vengono reinterpretati in chiave moderna attraverso opere che in alcuni casi sono state create per l’occasione.
Tra gli artisti inclusi nella mostra, intitolata “Post-classici”, ci sono rappresentanti dell’Arte Povera come Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto e Giulio Paolini, protagonisti della transavanguardia come Mimmo Paladino, fotografi come Mimmo Jodice e Antonio Biasiucci, fino agli artisti più giovani come ZimmerFrei, Alis/Filliol e Francesco Barocco. Ciò che accomuna le tante poetiche molto diverse l’una dall’altra è la ripresa dell’antico non come qualcosa da ricopiare in modo fedele, quanto piuttosto da riscrivere e riproporre con citazioni in bilico tra presente, passato e futuro.
Il lavoro di Gianluigi Colin (1956), per esempio, evoca l’antichità attraverso la parola stampata sui media contemporanei (Colin è art director del Corriere della Sera) e richiama un mondo perduto. Il titolo del suo lavoro, “The Ruined Ruins” (2013), rimanda ai crolli avvenuti nel passato recente a Pompei e le cattive condizioni in cui versa il sito archeologico. La serie, composta da pagine di giornale stropicciate e fotografate, si colloca in un corridoio seminterrato di 130 metri chiamato il “Criptoportico neroniano”.
La nota raccolta di fotografie di Mimmo Jodice (1934) intitolata “Anamnesi” (1982-2008), invece, si trova all’interno del Museo Palatino. I suoi ritratti di statue antiche fanno da sfondo alle statue della collezione e caricano l’atmosfera di solennità e mistero.
La classicità è un tema fondamentale anche nell’opera di Vanessa Beecroft (1969), che è tra gli artisti italiani più noti all’estero. Anche in quest’occasione al centro del suo lavoro c’è il corpo femminile, di cui viene sottolineata la fragilità in contrasto con la materia delle sculture.
L’altra artista femminile coinvolta nel progetto è Marisa Albanese, che presenta allo Stadio Palatino – riaperto dopo anni di restauro – la serie delle “Combattenti” (2000-2013): statue di donne sedute la cui compostezza contrasta con la frenesia contemporanea.
Sempre all’interno dello Stadio Palatino si trova l’opera di Jannis Kounellis (1936), realizzata appositamente per lo spazio utilizzando le rovine dello stesso Stadio, che l’artista ha ordinato a formare un quadrato.
L’altro esponente dell’Arte Povera, Michelangelo Pistoletto (1933), ripropone—proprio nel Tempo di Venere—la famosissima “Venere degli Stracci” (1967-2013), che riprende l’antichità e in particolare la bellezza canonica dell’arte occidentale e la associa con gli stracci, elemento di contrasto e simbolo del quotidiano.
Nello stesso luogo si trova l’opera del rappresentante della Transavanguardia Mimmo Paladino (1948), che pure mischia un motivo classico come lo scudo a elementi stranianti come scarpe, fucili, numeri, in un flusso ininterrotto dal passato al presente.
Ampio spazio è dedicato all’opera di Claudio Parmiggiani (1943), che da sempre intrattiene un dialogo profondo con l’antico. Nello Stadio l’artista espone un’opera del 1970, una testa in gesso dipinta di giallo e bendata, accompagnata da un elemento tipico per l’opera dell’artista, la farfalla. Nel Tempio di Venere mostra una serie di novantacinque teste reclinate che sembrano essere cadute dal cielo. In entrambi i casi il tema è quello della caducità e del destino dell’umanità, soggetto all’inesorabile scorrere del tempo.
Tra gli artisti più giovani, il duo Alis/Filliol, composto da Davide Gennarino (1979) e Andrea Respino (1976), propone una scultura rappresentante il dio Giano (“Ianus”, 2013), che già di per sé rappresenta il collegamento tra passato e futuro (la divinità era rappresentata con due volti, uno che guarda al passato e uno che guarda al futuro). Ma non è solo per la scelta tematica che si rifanno all’antichità. Anche la tecnica scelta per la realizzazione della scultura si rifà a tecniche antiche rielaborate in senso moderno, mentre si pongono in netto contrasto con il concetto estetico del passato.
Il lavoro dell’altro collettivo coinvolto, ZimmerFrei, formato da Massimo Carozzi, Anna de Manincor e Anna Rispoli, è una meditazione sul paesaggio dal titolo “Belvedere”, 2012-2013. Si compone di diversi oggetti, materiali e immagini che riflettono sulla formazione del paesaggio moderno, sul rapporto con le rovine delle persone che camminano oggi sul sito archeologico.
ROME – For centuries antiques and the classics have been sources of inspiration for generations of artists. But what do they represent for the artists of today? An exhibition, curated by Vincenzo Trione and promoted by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Rome in collaboration with Electa, answers this question through the works of 17 contemporary artists exhibited in the monumental spaces of the Roman Forum and the Palatine from May 23 to Sept. 29.
It is the first time that the art of the present enters these majestic spaces, creating a dialogue between antiquity and modernity. The classical values of beauty, harmony, perfection, measurement and wisdom are reinterpreted in a modern key through artworks that in some cases have been created for the occasion.
Among the artists included in the exhibition, titled “Post-classics,” there are representatives of Arte Povera such as Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Giulio Paolini; protagonists of the Transavanguardia like Mimmo Paladino; photographers Mimmo Jodice and Antonio Biasiucci; up to younger artists like ZimmerFrei, Alis/Filliol and Francesco Barocco. What connects their poetic, which are very different one from each other, is the recovery of the ancient not as something to copy faithfully, but rather to rewrite and propose again with quotes hanging in the balance between past, present and future.
The work by Gianluigi Colin (1956), for example, evokes the antiquity through the printed word on the contemporary media (Colin is art director of the newspaper Corriere della Sera) and recalls a lost world. The title of his work, The Ruined Ruins (2013), refers to the collapse that occurred in the recent past in Pompei and the bad condition of the archaeological site. The series, consisting of newspaper pages that were creased and photographed, is located in a basement corridor of 130 meters called the “Criptoportico neroniano.”
The well-known collection of photographs by Mimmo Jodice (1934) titled “Anamnesi” (1982-2008), instead, is inside the Palatine Museum. His portraits of ancient statues are the background to the statues of the collection and charge the atmosphere with solemnity and mystery.
The classic is also a major theme in the work of Vanessa Beecroft (1969), who is among the most famous Italian artists abroad. Also on this occasion the focus of her work is the female body, of which the artist underlines the fragility in contrast with the matter of the sculptures.
The other female artist involved in the project is Marisa Albanese, who presents at the Palatine Stadium—reopened after years of restoration—the series of the “Combattenti” (2000-2013): statues of seated women whose composure contrasts with the contemporary frenzy.
Again in the Palatine Stadium is the work by Jannis Kounellis (1936). The work was created specifically for this space using the ruins of the same stadium, which the artist ordered to form a square.
The other exponent of Arte Povera, Michelangelo Pistoletto (1933), presents once again—exactly in the Temple of Venus—the famous Venus of the Rags (1967-2013), which incorporates antiquity, and in particular the canonical beauty of Western art, and associates it with rags, a contrasting element and a symbol of the everyday.
In the same place is the work of the representative of the Transavanguardia Mimmo Paladino (1948), who also mixes a classic motif such as the shield with alienating elements such as shoes, guns and numbers in an uninterrupted flow from the past to the present.
Considerable space is devoted to the work of Claudio Parmiggiani (1943), who has always maintained a deep dialogue with antiquity. At the stadium the artist exposes a work from 1970, a plaster head painted yellow and blindfolded, accompanied by a typical element for the artist’s work, the butterfly. In the Temple of Venus, Parmiggiani shows a series of 90 recumbent heads that seem to have fallen from the sky. In both cases, the theme is that of transience and the fate of humanity, which is subject to the inexorable passage of time.
Among the younger artists, the duo Alis/Filliol, formed by Davide Gennarino (1979) and Andrea Respino (1976), presents a sculpture of the god Janus (Ianus, 2013), which itself represents the connection between past and future (the deity was represented with two faces, one looking to the past and one that looking to the future). But it is not only the choice of theme that goes back to antiquity. The technique chosen for the realization of the sculpture draws on ancient techniques elaborated in a modern sense, while at the same time the sculpture stands in stark contrast to the aesthetical concept of the past.
The work by the other collective involved, ZimmerFrei, formed by Massimo Carozzi, Anna de Manincor and Anna Rispoli, is a meditation on landscape titled Belvedere, 2012-2013. It consists of several objects, materials and images that reflect on the formation of the modern landscape, on the relationship between the ruins and the people walking on the archaeological site today.
1941 Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox, also called ‘the Peacock’ because it features a brilliant peacock reverse painted on glass. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image. PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Two outstanding 35-year collections to be sold without reserve, featuring items in many categories, will be included in a specialty auction slated for Saturday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. Eastern by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. Approximately 450 fresh-to-market lots will be offered. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
The 35-year collections—one from Jerry and Doris Soldner of Kingston, N.Y., the other from a collector in the Elk Mountain region of northern Pennsylvania—will headline the event, the first of three major auctions planned by Fontaine’s this fall.
The auction will feature musical items (rare Victrolas, gramophones, music boxes, phonographs, jukeboxes and speakers), automatons, coin-op, country store, advertising, slot machines, toys, arcade games, vending and soda machines, cash registers, wall phones, trade stimulators, tin litho, signs and posters, display cases, scales, figural canes, bicycles and more.
“The two major collections are certain to attract bidders, for two reasons,” said John Fontaine of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. “One, they have been tucked away in homes for over 35 years and are just now seeing the light of day, so they’re truly fresh to the market. And two, both will be sold without reserve. These are wonderful items, many of them rare and very desirable.”
At least 30 floor model jukeboxes will be offered, to include a 1941 Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox, also called “the Peacock” because it features a brilliant peacock reverse painted on glass. It also boasts an arched top with chromed filigree mounts. Also sold will be a Wurlitzer table model 71 jukebox on stand (1940), 58 inches tall and taking nickels, dimes and quarters.
One item sure to wow the crowd is a circa 1900 Yale Wonder Clock, made in Burlington, Vt. The coin-operated mechanical marvel sports a roulette-type dial, spinning pointer, flashing lights, 15 1/2-inch Regina music box and token system designed to reward a lucky patron with merchandise from the store where the machine was displayed. It is one of only a handful known.
Phonographs will feature a rare Burns & Pollack Lampophone phonograph, with electric-driven disc turntable with Burns Capitol reproducer, brass tone arm, three needle bins and single interior light socket; and a Victor mahogany Type VI phonograph and stand in original finish, signed on a brass tag “Victor Talking Machine Co.” and with a 12-inch spring-driven turntable.
Also selling will be a custom paint-decorated butler’s secretary cabinet with electric model Victrola, having a painted green cabinet with gilt carved moldings and trim and a fancy gilt carved base in scrolling legs; and an oak Victor Type V phonograph with a 12-inch turntable, rear-mounted oak horn, black painted support arm with gilt stenciling and a nickel tone arm.
Coin-op machines will feature a 1-cent floor model Mills Perfect Muscle Developer, with a portrait of a man flexing his muscles and reading, “Show Your Strength,” over an index chart comparing average strength-to-weight ratios; and a circa 1939 C.R. Kirk & Co. free weight coin-op scale, with a red hand pointing to the “guessed” weight and black hand for “actual weight.”
Cash registers will include an inlaid National Cash Register having a beautiful mahogany case with carved trim, 25 lever buttons and a domed lid with shell and swirling inlays. Also sold will be an early 20th century Royal Typewriter advertising display, a functional model mounted with a pressed tin store advertising display sign.
Graphophones will be plentiful throughout the sale. Examples will include a Columbia Type BC graphophone with large-size oak case and large mechanically amplified reproducer; and a Columbia Type AD Home Grand gramophone on a stand, having an oak case with fancy domed, patented Dec. 1898.
Also offered will be a Graphonola DeLuxe with serpentine form floor-standing mahogany case holding a Regina music box playing 15 1/2-inch discs on a double combed spring-driven mechanism signed with a metal tag on the soundboard; and a Chicago Coin’s Band Box jukebox orchestra speaker deluxe model 1951, with an animated band that plays when the curtain is open.
Rounding out just some of the day’s expected top lots are a Seeburg “Shoot the Bear” arcade game with a bear figure that runs around a cluster of trees with a hound chasing it, and a rifle that fires a laser at the display; and a double singing bird cage automaton with a pair of mechanical birds inside a brass cage that flick their tails, move their heads and whistle a tune.
Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is actively seeking quality consignments for all future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, call 413-448-8922 and ask for John Fontaine. Or, e-mail him at info@fontaineauction.com.
1941 Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox, also called ‘the Peacock’ because it features a brilliant peacock reverse painted on glass. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.
The auction will feature musical items such as rare Victrolas, gramophones, music boxes, phonographs, jukeboxes and speakers. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.
Chicago Coin’s Band Box jukebox orchestra speaker deluxe model, 1951. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.
Mills 1-cent floor model Perfect Muscle Developer with index chart comparing average strength-to-weight ratios. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.
Double singing bird cage automaton in brass cage. The mechanical birds flick their tails, move their heads and whistle a tune. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.
Circa 1900 Yale Wonder Clock, Burlington, Vt., with 15 1/2-inch Regina music box, one of only a handful known. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.
Zhang Chunji, ‘Ayangbai No. 25,’ 2008. Courtesy of Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions. LONDON – An exciting new venture brings together the art market auction expertise of Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions and the Chinese cultural and artistic experience of Yourun International (UK) Art Investment & Management Ltd. With the combined aim of raising international awareness of emerging Chinese artists, 150 contemporary works of art will, for the first time, be exhibited and go under the hammer at Mall Galleries in London. The Sept. 7 auction of 120 art lots, which follows an extended Sept. 2-7 exhibition, is open to bidding worldwide via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that defines the transitional period between the young and the mature as Blue & Yellow, with blue signifying youth and yellow, maturity. Titled “Blue & Yellow, Swift Transitions of Self,” the exhibition and auction reflect this Chinese idiom in the works of more than 100 emerging contemporary Chinese artists. Participating artists are from the most acclaimed art academies in China. The range of works on offer provides the collector or investor with a stunning range of contemporary Chinese artwork, with pieces to suit all tastes, and prices to suit all pockets. This exhibition will capture the vibrancy of the current contemporary art scene in China and bring it to London collectively for the first time and offer the discerning art buyer a rare opportunity to invest in the future of the Chinese art market.
Mr. Li, CEO of Yourun International, commented on the significance of the ground-breaking exhibition and auction: “The unique cooperation between Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions and Yourun International has been a delightful journey in bringing the best of China’s emerging Contemporary art to the U.K art market,” he said.
The list of artists is impressive. For example, Fang Zanru’s technique creates a stunning fusion of the traditional and contemporary in both the Chinese and Western art forms. She sees herself as part of the unseen scenery; through her painting she tries to explain the way she looks at the world and some of the countries she has only experienced through the artwork of the old masters. Her work flows effortlessly between guessing and interpreting these unseen lands where art can continue to develop. Zanru began studying in the Oil Painting department at the China Academy of Art in 2009. Highly influenced by the masters, in particular Piero della Francesca, and contemporary artists who draw on the traditional technique, such as Balthus, she favors works that have a deep connection with tradition. Her representative works, the “Invisible Landscape” series, have been exhibited in China where they have been well received and resulted in her being awarded two important scholarships in 2012.
An exciting mixture of artists calls on both traditional and modern techniques and inspiration that weaves its way magically through this collection of contemporary works, each artist displaying a unique tone and style. Amongst the most established of the artists is Wang Chaogang, Deputy Director of the Oil Painting Department at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. His fascination for ancient Chinese culture and profound understanding of Western art creates a juxtaposition of modernity and traditionalism throughout his work, which is largely based on the natural elements. In 2006 Chaogang traveled and lived in Europe as a visiting scholar at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris. His experiences and cultural observations are very much a part of his artistic endeavors.
A preoccupation with the natural world infuses Zang Chunji’s work, and his paintings stand testament to his deeply rooted belief of the power of the natural world to attract an audience. As the original creative source, his work is inspired by his unique understanding of “landscape” and “scenery.” He describes Chinese artists as being too close to nature and Western artists as being too detached, and throughout his work he strives to highlight what both approaches neglect: nature’s own forces. A teacher at the Sichuan Academy of fine Art, Chunji’s works are collected and exhibited by the Ministry of Culture Exchange Center, Xiangning Art Museum and the CITIC Industrial Bank. His current work belongs to “A Central White” series, which was exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam in 2008.
Many of the artists have never before exhibited their works internationally, so this unique exhibition allows for an exciting and rare opportunity to witness the Chinese Contemporary art scene first hand.
John Deston, Gallery Manager at The Mall Galleries commented: “As a champion of contemporary figurative art by living artists, Mall Galleries are very pleased to welcome Yourun Art and Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions for this auction of Contemporary Chinese Painting. These works show a level of dedication to technique and draftsmanship that the Federation of British Artists is thrilled to see.”
The raised-platform bed and Hollywood lights in this bedroom at the Hempel Hotel would bring out the rock star in anyone.
LONDON – The Hempel Hotel, a 5-star luxury establishment located next to Hyde Park, has ceased trading due to redevelopment. Its furnishings, art and other contents will be going under the hammer on September 12th.
Located in Craven Hill Gardens — a beautiful garden square that boasts many fine examples of Victorian architecture — the Hempel Hotel was recently voted one of the Top 10 London Luxury Boutique Hotels.
The hotel was designed by legendary designer Anouska Hempel, and each room was a masterpiece of minimalist art. The Hempel was a favorite of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, while Michael Jackson famously booked the entire hotel during a stay in London in 2006.
The sale will take place on the hotel premises — 31-35 Craven Hill Gardens, London, W2 3EA — via two rostrums, commencing at 10:00 a.m. local time. Preview hours are 8:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. on September 10th and 11th.
The hotel’s entire stock of furniture, fixtures and fittings will be auctioned, creating a unique opportunity for private and hospitality industry buyers alike to acquire high-quality items that once adorned this luxurious residence. The items include designer furniture, dining chairs and tables, bar fittings and a huge range of beautiful crockery and cutlery. As befits the hotel’s status as a destination for art lovers, there will also be a selection of designer art pieces available, including a sculpture of an elephant named Bobby.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The raised-platform bed and Hollywood lights in this bedroom at the Hempel Hotel would bring out the rock star in anyone.
A hand-colored albumen print mounted on card shows Lt. William Miller Owen and his brother Pvt. Edward Owen as they appeared in their Confederate uniforms around 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Both rose in rank during the conflict. The pair sat for the photograph in New Orleans at Guay’s Temple of Art, a gallery on Poydras Street. With its strong local appeal, the image brought $7,050 at the Neal Auction Co. in 2007. Courtesy Neal Auction. The rapid development of affordable photographic techniques in the mid-19th century was a technological innovation that affected every level of society. By the time of the American Civil War, photographs had an impact on family relations, battlefield strategy and national politics. Scenes of conflict—once portrayed as heroic in paintings and drawings—were now revealed with tragic realism, and even 150 years later, the viewer cannot help but be moved by the images.
Historians and collectors have a valuable new resource, the scholarly catalog Photography and the American Civil War, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After an initial run in New York, which will end Sept. 2, the show will travel to the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C., Sept. 27 to Jan. 5 and the New Orleans Museum of Art, Jan. 31 to May 4, 2014. The exhibition was timed to coincide with sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the war, which took place July 1-3, 1863.
In the volume, Jeff L. Rosenheim, the MMA’s curator in charge in the Department of Photographs, writes that the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 spurred the popularity of family photos: “Lincoln’s order for militia to protect and preserve the United States government was heeded across the North, and was a boon to photographers from Massachusetts to Michigan. Similarly, in the South it was a catalyst for Confederate militiamen to seek their portraits before heading off to serve their equally new leader, Jefferson Davis. The result of this military activity was the creation of an unparalleled mass national photographic portrait of men and women of all means, of large and small families, and of groups of soldiers.”
Soldiers carried photographs of wives and sweethearts into battle, while the women who waited back home had an image of their absent warrior nearby. Most common images were tintypes printed on sheet metal or ambrotypes printed on glass; both were often mounted in decorative cases with embossed borders. Small carte de visite prints on paper were another easy way to carry a photo. Women and men often carried lockets with a cherished image inside. People began to share photos when they met, much as we do today.
Rosenheim explains, “It was a matter of practicalities more than aesthetics. If a soldier had the cash and wanted only a single picture, he paid for an ambrotype or a tintype and within a few minutes departed the studio, near camp or in town, with a handsome cased image; if he wanted multiple examples of his portrait, or had lost most of his cash the night before in the last hand of poker, he bought a carte de visite or a dozen copies thereof. If he chose the carte de visite, he had to return the picture gallery later in the day, or on the next day, since the photographer had to print the negative in the sun and then mount the miniature portrait on card stock. The next stop for the soldier often was the post office.”
Soldiers put on a brave face for these images; they look young, alive, and ready to fight. Almost all are in blue or gray uniforms, some obviously homemade. Whether they sit or stand at attention, many display weapons—rifles, small arms, swords and even large knives.
The Civil War also saw the broad use of field photography at major battle sites, which illustrated what type of damage these armaments could do. Stark images of the dead and wounded gave families back home an accurate view of the results of modern warfare, which had an effect on political sentiment on both sides of the conflict.
Perhaps the best-known name in Civil War photography is Mathew Brady (circa 1822-1896), who had opened a daguerreotype portrait studio on Broadway in New York City in 1844, when he was a young man. But Rosenheim notes, “By the time of the fall of Fort Sumter, Brady was less a photographer than an entrepreneur who managed what we would call today a picture agency, which operated much like the Associated Press. He hired the best photographers, worked all the picture outlets (newspapers and magazines), and hobnobbed with influential politicians and the social elite.” Many of the historic images he exhibited in 1862—and took credit for—had actually been taken by Alexander Gardner (1821-1882), one of his team of photographers, who eventually left Brady to establish his own studio.
Photography and the American Civil War is illustrated with over 250 images from the Metropolitan’s extensive holdings and other public and private collections. Rosenheim’s research provides new information on the history of the photographic process, the photographers who labored to chronicle the war, and the effect their images had on American life. As the exhibition travels and more collectors have access to the catalog, this information will prove valuable to buyers and sellers in the auction market who focus on material from the “War between the States.”
In many cases, Civil War portrait photographs have been carefully preserved in family albums and come to auction complete with the names of the sitters and their regiments. They may also be attached to archives of letters or military records, a fortunate circumstance that increases their value for historians. Certain auction houses specialize in sales that focus on historical and political memorabilia.
Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio, presents American History sales several times a year, which include vintage photography. The interest in history and archaeology comes naturally to founder Wes Cowan, who holds a Ph.D. in anthropology, a subject that he taught at Ohio State University. Cowan grew up in an antique-oriented household and had a strong interest in early photography, particularly stereoscopic views.
Katie Horstman, director of American history at Cowan’s, was in charge of the extremely successful American History auction this June. Highlights included an albumen print of Abraham Lincoln with Gen. George B. McClellan and his staff on the battlefield of Antietam in October 1862, taken by Alexander Gardner, which brought $15,275, and a print titled “General R.E. Lee and Staff” made by Matthew Brady’s Washington, D.C., firm in 1865, which sold for $19,975.
“There were over 150 lots of Civil War photography,” notes Horstman. “Some of our consignors are individual private collectors, who have been accumulating things over a long period of time. The first part of the June sale consisted of carte de visite images of Civil War soldiers, primarily out of Maine, and many of those in this sale were involved in the Battle of Gettysburg in some way.” These came from the estate of a single collector who focused on Maine regiments. Other consignments for the history sale come from institutions which are deaccessioning items or from dealers’ inventories.
Horstman continues, “The buyers range from private collectors to dealers, some of whom may be buying for institutions. Our next live American History Auction will take place on Nov. 15, 2013, and we are currently in the process of accepting consignments for the sale. It will feature early historic photography, with a focus on Civil War cased images and paper photographs.”
Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State, a claim that goes back to the Revolutionary War when the Overmountain Men from the Appalachians fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain. At Case Auctions in Knoxville, images of soldiers with a local connection often bring a premium. President John Case says, “We get excellent prices for Tennessee-related items; they bring more than I would have expected. When we get them, I think folks recognize the rarity, and the lots bring pretty strong bidding from institutions and private collectors.”
Case continues, “An important sale that comes to mind is the McCammon Archive that sold for $10,400 (est. $4,000-$5,000). It had his tintype image accompanied by his letters.” The letters, which were written by Union Capt. Oliver Pinkney McCammon to his future wife, A.E. McCall, of Blount County, Tenn., over the course of the war, document important military actions, political concerns and general conditions in the camps.
Citing an important lot sold in 2011, Case says, “We also had a tintype of Sirenius Mort, who was a Union lieutenant and came from a family of East Tennessee potters. That went to an institution for $5,290 (est. $700-$1,000)—but that was because we knew who he was and he was also a potter. His family was split in its loyalties; his other brothers went and fought for the Confederacy. Union images tend to bring as much sometimes as the Confederate ones because we were so pro-Union in East Tennessee.”
He emphasizes that families are willing to part with such photographs and accompanying material because they know they will be documented in the catalog and become available to historians. Case says, “I have a lot of ambrotype Confederate soldiers coming up in January.” Sometimes the smallest details add to the value, as was the case with one lot destined for that sale: “When you looked at the image of the soldier with a magnifying glass, you could see that he had a star on his buckle. That changed everything because that meant he was from Mississippi and that commands double.”
Jeff Rosenheim wrote an article about the landmark exhibition he organized, “Photography and the American Civil War,” in the March/April 2013 issue of The Magazine Antiques, which states why these portraits are so important: “The show examines the role of the camera during a cataclysmic period in American history and attempts, as much as is possible, to effect a balance between North and South, and between what we know and what we do not. Formal field portraits of well-dressed officers are tempered by more intimate likenesses of common soldiers, Rebels and Yankees, in whose eyes and body language rest much of the pathos of the war.”
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
A hand-colored albumen print mounted on card shows Lt. William Miller Owen and his brother Pvt. Edward Owen as they appeared in their Confederate uniforms around 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Both rose in rank during the conflict. The pair sat for the photograph in New Orleans at Guay’s Temple of Art, a gallery on Poydras Street. With its strong local appeal, the image brought $7,050 at the Neal Auction Co. in 2007. Courtesy Neal Auction.
‘Photography and the American Civil War,’ a landmark exhibition organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will travel to Charleston, S.C., and New Orleans. In this quarter-plate ambrotype with applied color, an unknown artist has photographed Capt. Charles A. and Sgt. John M. Hawkins of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1862. David Wynn Vaughan Collection; photo Jack Melton. Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This large albumen print titled ‘General R.E. Lee and Staff’ was made by Matthew Brady’s firm in 1865, not long after Appomattox. A “holy grail” for Confederate image collectors, the photograph sold for $19,975 at Cowan’s in June. Courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.
The four young Kentucky cavalrymen armed with sabers paid $4 for this half-plate ruby ambrotype before they went to war. Their names are written in pencil in the case. The well-preserved image brought $15,275 at a Cowan’s auction in 2009. Courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc.
This Civil War tintype of Union soldier Sirenius M. Mort had extra value because the sitter was a member of the important Mort pottery family of Jefferson County, Tenn. The lot sold for $5,290 in 2011 at Case Auctions. As was often the case at the period, the photograph was mounted in an attractive embossed gutta-percha case for home display. Courtesy Case Auctions.
Civil War photographs often descend in the family of the subject and may be attached to important historical material. This locket with circular tintype of Capt. Oliver Pinkney McCammon (OPM) of the 3rd East Tennessee Cavalry was part of over 120 items, mostly letters of correspondence between Capt. Pinkney and his future wife during the war years of 1861-1865. The complete archive brought $10,440 in June 2012 at Case Auctions in Knoxville. Courtesy Case Auctions.
A stony meteorite (H5) found just north of Barstow, Calif., in 2006. Image by Meteoritekid at en.wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
CHICAGO (AP) – Five U.S. institutions will share parts of a rare meteorite that exploded in a fireball over California last year, the Field Museum said Wednesday.
The meteor dates to the early formation of the solar system 4 to 5 billion years ago. It was probably about the size of a minivan when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere on April 22, 2012 with a loud boom. It was seen from Sacramento, Calif., to Las Vegas and parts of northern Nevada.
Field Museum curator Philipp Heck said the institution will preserve the meteorite for “future generations of scientists who will be armed with analytical tools which we can only dream of today.”
The Smithsonian cut the 205 gram meteorite into five sections that will go to five institutions: the Field Museum in Chicago; the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington; the American Museum of Natural History in New York; Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.; and the University of California-Davis.
Scientists plan to use the pieces for research. They used a CT scan to determine the meteor’s age and chemical composition.
Private collector Robert Haag owned the meteorite and contacted Meenakshi Wadhwa, director of Arizona State University’s Center for Meteorite Studies. She contacted the other institutions to discuss sharing the piece.
After the explosion it was possible that bits of the meteor were strewn over an area as long as 10 miles, most likely stretching west from Coloma, where James W. Marshall first discovered gold in California, at Sutter’s Mill in 1848.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A stony meteorite (H5) found just north of Barstow, Calif., in 2006. Image by Meteoritekid at en.wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The ‘Ayn Gharandal inscription in situ above the collapsed arch of the gate. Image courtesy of PRWEB and ‘The Ancient Near East Today.’
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB) – New details about an ancient Roman fort in southern Jordan have been uncovered by two professors from the University of Tennessee.
“This is the type of find archaeologists dream of making—a monumental inscription,” Erin Darby said. “This inscription allows us to fill in some gaps in Roman history. Findings like this don’t happen often, and I’m glad our students could be part of this great discovery.”
Robert Darby, a lecturer in art history in the University of Tennessee School of Art, and Erin Darby, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Department of Religious Studies, direct the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project that has uncovered details about the fort, including the previously unknown location of an ancient infantry unit.
Over the past four years the Darbys and their team have been excavating the ruins of ‘Ayn Gharandal. This past June the team uncovered the collapsed gate of the fort, including a large Latin inscription with traces of red paint. The inscribed block was decorated with laurel branches and a wreath, common symbols of victory in Roman art.
The inscription says the fort was dedicated to four co-ruling Roman emperors: Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Constantius I, a group otherwise known as the Tetrarchs who ruled between A.D. 293 and 305
The inscription also reveals the infantry unit stationed at the fort was the Cohors II Galatarum, or the “Second Cohort of Galatians.” Ancient sources place the unit at a site called Arieldela, whose location was previously unknown until this discovery.
“Roman military documents from this region suggest that the Cohors II Galatarum was originally brought to Israel to help suppress the Jewish uprising of the second century, known as the Bar Kokhba revolt,” said Robert Darby. “The inscription indicates that this garrison remained in the area and was subsequently transferred to the outer frontier of the Empire, located in what is now modern Jordan.”
Very few Late Roman building inscriptions have been found at forts in the region, and this particular inscription is the only one uncovered through archaeological excavation.
The inscription has been removed from the site for conservation at the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan, and the excavated areas have been backfilled.
The 2013 field season was supported by the University of Tennessee, the University of Missouri-Columbia, The American Schools of Oriental Research and the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.
The ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project will conduct its next major field season in the summer of 2015.
The Darbys’ research was chronicled in an e-journal called, “Ancient Near East Today” that published this week. The article can be viewed here: http://asorblog.org/?p=5244#more-5244.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The ‘Ayn Gharandal inscription in situ above the collapsed arch of the gate. Image courtesy of PRWEB and ‘The Ancient Near East Today.’
From the single largest archive of personal items owned by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, to be auctioned by Heritage on September 19, 2013. Image courtesy of Heritage.
NEW YORK – The single largest archive of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s personally owned objects—his signature polka-dot scarf to the original plaster maquette of La Grande Venus Victrix, recently discovered in a shed in France—will highlight an expansive grouping dedicated to the Impressionist icon in Heritage Auctions’ The Renoir Estate Collection Signature Auction on Sept. 19.
The collection is an intimate glimpse inside the personal and professional life of the master painter through a trove of important documents, including his marriage certificate, photographs and letters written to Renoir from friends and contemporaries such as Monet, Manet and Rodin.
The collection also features a selection of original sculptural plaster maquettes created at Renoir’s estate in Cagnes, France, in the twilight of his career. Battling severe arthritis, Renoir collaborated with a young and able-handed artist, Richard Guino, at his dealer Ambroise Vollard’s suggestion.
Together, Renoir and Guino selected which drawings and paintings would work as sculptures, and they set to work. Included among the sculptural offerings is likely the auction’s top lot—a 72-inch-tall original plaster maquette for La Grande Venus Victrix, the Roman goddess.
“This museum-level collection is superb in its completeness and reveals volumes about the man and his art,” said Brian Roughton, managing director of fine art at Heritage Auctions. “It touches every corner of his life and represents the last time this collection will appear assembled ever again. In addition to the personal letters and objects, we’re also thrilled to have the opportunity to offer 20 carefully collected original plaster maquettes.”
Among the maquettes, Heritage is offering Coco, one of the only plaster maquettes that Renoir produced himself, depicting his young son Claude.
The staggering amount of life documents, awards and ephemera includes rarities such as an American Medal of Honor awarded to Renoir at the 1883 Foreign Exhibition and an album of candid family photographs featuring Henri Matisse among other notable artists of the day.
The archive also includes rarely seen objects likely made for the artist’s eyes only, such as a diminutive polychrome ceramic vase and sugar bowl thrown and painted with his son, Jean, at Les Collettes as Jean recuperated from war injuries at Les Collettes.
Further highlights include but are not limited to:
Original molds for Renoir’s “Artist Portrait Roundels” series. The molds, depicting Paul Cezanne and Auguste Rodin, are from Renoir and Guino’s set of six of large-scale portrait medallions celebrating French artists the two believed to be the finest from the era.
Renoir’s spectacles, cigarette holder and personal financial documents.
A fine group of documents relating to the planning, design and construction of his estate of Les Collettes, Renoir’s home in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in the South of France.
A number of personal and intimate letters from Renoir to Aline Charigot, who would become his wife and immortalized in a number of his most famous works.
Original copper engraving plates of Renoir works along with glass plate negatives of Renoir, his family, models and paintings.
1960 Jerry Lucas USA Basketball Olympic Gold Medal, with Lucas and Hall of Fame letters of authenticity; first medal of its type ever offered. Grey Flannel Auctions image.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Each year, basketball’s finest gather in Springfield, Mass., to honor the hardcourt superstars chosen for Hall of Fame induction. Together with the enshrinement and reunion dinner, there’s another exciting event that has become a tradition during the high-spirited weekend of honors: Grey Flannel’s Annual Basketball Hall of Fame Auction.
This year’s Induction Auction on Sept. 7 – Grey Flannel’s eighth such event to date – includes 17 lots consigned directly by NBA Hall of Famer and Top 50 great Jerry Lucas, one of the most honored and accomplished basketball players in the history of the game. Lucas is one of only three players in history to win championships at every level (high school, college, NBA, Olympics).
The superstar of the auction is Lucas’ 1960 USA Olympic Basketball Gold Medal, followed closely by his 1960 USA Olympic Basketball game-used jersey worn en route to capturing that medal, his 1973 New York Knicks World Championship ring, his Ohio State Championship ring and his 1979 Hall of Fame Inductee ring.
The auction also includes rare, game-used jerseys worn by Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and “Pistol” Pete Maravich.
1960 Jerry Lucas USA Basketball Olympic Gold Medal, with Lucas and Hall of Fame letters of authenticity; first medal of its type ever offered. Grey Flannel Auctions image.
