1974 US postage stamp honoring the poet Robert Frost.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) — A man charged with stealing original cards and letters written by poet Robert Frost that he found in a desk donated to a charitable organization where he worked has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in a deal with prosecutors.
Tim Bernaby, 44, of Hartland, accepted the plea deal Tuesday on a charge of unlawful taking of personal property. The charge carries a $100 fine.
Police said Bernaby took two letters and 13 Christmas cards written by Frost. They said the documents were in a desk donated three years ago to the Listen Center in White River Junction, where Bernaby worked. He then sold them for more than $25,000.
“Mr. Bernaby came into possession of the items, perhaps knowing their value, perhaps not,” Windsor County State’s Attorney Michael Kainen said in court.
Bernaby said he found the papers in the trash. Most were addressed to Frost’s former secretary.
The Valley News reported the letters are now in possession of the Plainfield, N.H., police department. A civil case will determine their lawful owner.
Bernaby’s attorney did not immediately return a call Wednesday seeking comment.
One of the great cabinetmakers around the turn of the 20th century was R. Horner of New York. Did he make this clock case? The winged griffins look like his. The formed maiden supports look like his. The overall style of the carving looks like his. But he did not sign it so it is ‘attributed’ to his shop. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Great Gatsby’s.
CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – I spend a great deal of my time answering questions for people about the furniture they just inherited, acquired, found or otherwise have an interest in. Of course the standard question is about value but many inquiries get past the mercenary part and want to know about the age of a piece. That’s always nice to know. It’s like value added to an already interesting piece and the clues to determining the age are fairly easy to work with. But some inquiring minds sometimes take it one step further and want to know who actually made the piece. That’s when it gets interesting.
The almost universal answer to the question is “Who cares?” Unless it has a label or a trademark it’s almost impossible to tell who made a particular piece of furniture. Of course there are exceptions. A Hunzinger patent chair is usually identifiable whether it is marked or not. And there are certain stylistic elements and certain techniques used in unique ways by a handful of readily identifiable craftsmen, like Lannuier and Phyfe, mostly from the 18th and early 19th century, when the individual craftsman was the key to quality. The Seymours and Goddards also fall in that category. But take a look at the inventory of any really fine American antiques dealership or the catalog of a good antique furniture auction and you will a see a number of descriptions that include the words “attributed to …”. That means that it certainly looks like a Thomas Brooks cabinet, or that it has all the right elements in all the right places to be a Prudent Mallard bed. It just doesn’t have the signature. Does that mean it wasn’t made by Mallard or Brooks or Horner? Certainly not but it doesn’t mean that it was made by them either. It just could have been. And in the case of some of these famous names, the “whether or not” can amount to big bucks and reputations can be established or demolished. But other than that does it really matter who made the piece?
It becomes even less relevant when the maker, if it can be identified, turns out to be a large manufacturer with factories in three or more cities. One example of that was the venerable company known as Heywood-Wakefield just after it absorbed Lloyd Manufacturing in 1921. Heywood-Wakefield was normally associated with its headquarters in Gardner, Mass., but in 1921 it had plants in Portland, Ore., Chicago, Ill., Menominee, Mich, Erving, Mass., and Wakefield, Mass. So knowing that a piece of furniture was made by Heywood-Wakefield in the 1920s doesn’t really answer the question of who made it or even where it was made. It was made in a factory on an assembly line. In essence it was made by committee. And that isn’t just a 20th century phenomenon.
Lambert Hitchcock had a factory with an assembly line in Connecticut in the 1820s and the Meeks family had a three-story factory in New York in the 1830s. They also had a wholesale outlet in New Orleans for the Southern trade. Did Lambert Hitchcock personally make Hitchcock chairs? Probably not. Did J. and J.W. Meeks actually make game tables and parlor sets? Again, probably not.
So why the need to find out who made a particular piece? Some inquirers feel the need to know the maker as an assurance of quality. They feel that an authentic “name brand” is superior to a generic label. In some cases that may be true but in many cases it isn’t. Two specific instances in the 20th century spring to mind. A company in Ohio started making furniture in the late 1870s. By the 1990s it had cranked out more than 30 million tables, making it perhaps the best-known table maker in America. It was a true “brand name.” The name? Mersman Brothers. But is the Mersman mark an assurance of high quality? Not really. The tables are generally well made for the market they sought to conquer but they are not examples of what could be called high quality when compared to some other manufacturers. The Mersman mark just means the table was made by a large company that made large numbers of tables. The name had a better reputation than the table.
Another example was one of my favorite companies, Berkey & Gay of Grand Rapids, Mich. Berkey & Gay was a real success story in the late 19th century. It was one of the prime exhibitors at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, proudly showing off the massive Renaissance Revival bedroom sets made for the New York hotel trade and for the industrial barons of the period. After the turn of the century it discontinued its retail operations and became strictly a high-end manufacturer, building large departments of skilled carvers and artists to turn out the company’s exclusive designs, many of which required a high degree of hand craftsmanship. Between World War I and the Depression the company reached its zenith of production in high quality bedroom and living room suites. In the depth of the Depression in 1931 sales declined dramatically and the company was forced to declare bankruptcy. It reopened in 1935 under new management and soldiered on until 1948 when it finally closed for good. So, is the Berkey & Gay signature round trademark an assurance of quality? No. The company never regained its true form after the reorganization of 1935 and the products of the second incarnation are decidedly inferior to earlier products. In this instance you have to be familiar with the minor variations in the trademark to correctly identify the era of production.
The case of Mersman is that of one that never quite reached the pinnacle of quality. Berkey & Gay is a case of reaching it and losing it. Both are cases of well-known brand name makers who prolifically marked their wares and are easily identifiable. But then you have to know something about the company to take advantage of the information.
What it all boils down to is that you are on your own in trying to determine the quality of a piece of furniture. Since most of us will never see a Duncan Phyfe paper label or John Goddard’s inscription we must rely on the basic techniques of furniture inspection that we have accumulated over time.
But there is at least an additional reason for searching out the identity of the maker of a piece that has nothing to do with quality assurance or bragging rights about owning something made by a given cabinetmaker or manufacturer. It probably falls in the same category of why people do genealogical research. It doesn’t make any money and it can be time consuming and expensive. There is no guarantee of success and when the seeker does find the answer what have they found? Probably nothing of great import but it is one more loose end in their lives that they have tied down. Finding the maker of a piece often seems to give the seeker a feeling of completion and accomplishment. They have now found out as much as is reasonably possible about the family heirloom or about the newest family treasure. Now they can start to work researching the story about how that table got from New York to Kansas and who wrote that nasty little ditty underneath. Now it gets to be fun.
Send comments, questions and pictures to Fred Taylor at P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or email them to him at info@furnituredetective.com.
Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book How To Be a Furniture Detective is available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL, 34423.
Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, Identification of Older & Antique Furniture ($17 + $3 S&H) is also available at the same address. For more information call 800-387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or info@furnituredetective.com. All items are also available directly from his website.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
One of the great cabinetmakers around the turn of the 20th century was R. Horner of New York. Did he make this clock case? The winged griffins look like his. The formed maiden supports look like his. The overall style of the carving looks like his. But he did not sign it so it is ‘attributed’ to his shop. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Great Gatsby’s.This method of marking chairs was used in Lambert Hitchcock’s factory from 1825 to 1832. Does that mean he personally made this chair? Probably not.J.H. Belter had a factory in Manhattan populated with young immigrant German woodworkers. Did he or they make these two chairs? Without a label they were sold as ‘belter quality’ but without a positive attribution. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Great American Auction Services.This oak drop-front desk has many of the signs of Larkin manufacture including applied decorative molding and golden oak construction. Since it doesn’t appear in the Larkin catalog and doesn’t have a label it can only be said to be ‘Larkin-style.’ Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Phoebus Auction Gallery.This oak chair was attributed to Stickley Brothers. Maybe, maybe not. Probably not.
First of 10 Bronco Nagurski 1934 PSA 5. The first of the ten being offered 1935 National Chicle #34 Nagurski cards is the highest graded of the group estimated value $2,000-$4,000 Photo courtesy of Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers
PHILA., Pa. – The Jim Heaney collection of rare sports cards and art, which includes 10 Bronko Nagurski football cards and a Rembrandt etching of Christ at Emmaus, goes up for auction on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. Eastern at Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers gallery in Chester Heights, Pa.
Extended previews for this sale are Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 14-15, from noon-7 p.m. and noon-2 p.m. on the day of sale. Online bidding for the collection will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
The 300-plus lot auction will also offer valuable artwork by prominent artists such as John F. Folinsbee, Rufino Tamayo, Albrecht Durer, Joan Miro, Peter Max, Clifford P. Grayson and many others.
Furniture lots include a signed Gustav Stickley oak trestle table, an R.J. Horner winged griffin partners desk and Nakashima-style furniture. Additional rarities include estate silver and coins, O.D. Jennings 5-cent slot machine and a Troll & Baker inlaid rosewood Swiss music box.
The sheer quantity of 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski cards found nestled away in the Jim Heaney collection is the stuff of sports collecting legend. Among the thousands of beautifully dusty 1930s sports and nonsports cards, the examples of the Holy Grail of Football cards—the elusive 1935 National Chicle #35 Nagurski—shone the brightest. The collection has many gems but it is hard to ignore the historic release of 10 Nagurski cards into the market.
“What’s fascinating about the Heaney collection is that he treasured the cards,” said Mike Wilson of Wilson’s Auctioneers and Appraisers. He added, “This was a collector who just loved these cards for what they were, not for what they might be worth someday.” Hunter Heaney consigned his father’s collectible cards and art to Wilson upon his father’s death, entrusting that Wilson would use the proper resources to properly honor both the collection and Jim Heaney.
Wanting to ensure the items were accurately assessed, Wilson sought the advice of nationally recognized sports card expert, Kevin Heffner. With a resume that includes lead cataloger and head writer for several national auction houses, Heffner specializes in prewar sports and nonsport cards.
“The day that we looked through the albums will be one I never forget,” said Wilson. Leafing through the first few albums, Heffner saw some intriguing baseball cards including a Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and a trimmed Babe Ruth.
As Wilson describes it, “Then came the football cards, first some Knute Rockne cards, great … and suddenly Heffner looked at me and proclaimed, ‘Oh man, you’ve got a Bronko Nagurski! Amazing!’ And as he turned to the next page, he exclaimed, ‘There’s two more! And then another on the next page!’ I’ve been in this business a long time and moments like this rarely happen; but this was one of those moments, and we were in it.”
Wilson recalls Heffner looking at him, mouth open, smiling from ear to ear. “But then things became surreal,” continued Wilson. “A few more pages into the album and there was yet another, then two more, then three more.” Heffner and Wilson, both professionals whose expertise in their field span a quarter century, were instantly overcome with boyish excitement.
The 1935 National Chicle Nagurski is the single most valuable football card and ranks amongst the sports memorabilia industry’s most important cards due to its difficulty to acquire, in any condition, because it is part of the scarce high number series in a set that is rare to begin with.
According to Vintage Graded Football Cards:
“In 1935, National Chicle began inserting football cards into their packs of gum. The 36-card set that Chicle produced is extremely rare, and many of the cards from the set are heavily desired by collectors. Bronko Nagurski’s rookie card from the same year is by far the most valuable card in the set and one of the most valuable football cards in all of sport card collecting when found in high grade. The incredibly high demand for one of the holy grails of football cards makes it a very sound investment.
“There are only 135 PSA-graded examples of the Bronko Nagurski National Chicle card in existence, so it is extremely scarce to say the least. High grade examples, however, are even rarer with no existing examples at PSA 10, only one example at PSA 9, and only six examples graded at PSA 8, making the high grade examples unbelievably valuable. One mint example sold in 2006 for $240,000 and in 2011 for $350,000.”
Wilson continued, “This is unprecedented, it has never happened, to find 10 of these when there are only 135 graded examples out there in existence. It is like we were part of history in the making.
“Looking back, part of what was so striking to me was that most collectors would have likely grouped the cards together or as sets, with the extras individually or by grade; but these were scattered throughout by category, such as position and stats and ex-teammates. You could tell this was someone who genuinely loved these cards and not for how much they might be worth in dollars and cents.”
Jim Heaney appreciated the cards and what they represented—the players, the stories, and the memories they create. “I remember as a kid when I’d look through the cards and ask about this one or that,” recalled his son Hunter, “and Dad would never say that was a valuable or not a valuable card. He’d start telling us the story of the player, who he played for, for how long, but also if he drank a lot, if he was a loud mouth or a soft-spoken nice guy.”
It made sense that Jim Heaney saw the players for who they were. An athlete himself, Jim rowed crew in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, won the U.S. National Championship in 1953, and competed in the second Pan American Games in Mexico City in 1955 alongside his friend Jack Kelly (brother of actress Grace).
“Yeah, my dad was this rare breed of renaissance man, though, in the truest sense,” said Hunter. “He was such an amazing athlete, but his passion was art and collecting; he had a real sense for it. He famously bought a Picasso print as a young man for $15 and later sold it at Sotheby’s for $120,000. He told his rowing buddies about this great young artist that he found so often, that they nicknamed him ‘Picasso Heaney.’”
Hunter continued, “It was similar to the cards, he just loved it so much, when he saw it he just got it. He was so enthusiastic about things like art, good books, and the cards he’d had since he was a kid. He relished them so much, but he never talked much about everything he himself had achieved in sports. I mean, he was a national champion and an Olympian and almost never mentioned it. I think it’s a bit of a generational thing, the generation that fought in World War II. I think that he and a lot of guys like him, when they got out they just appreciated things more—the little things, their interests, the people and things they enjoyed that brought them happiness. They got an early understanding of how those are actually the big things, maybe the only things.”
The auction starts at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, with the first hour of the sale being dedicated to a lifetime collection of Hollywood and local sports signed memorabilia. Note: there will be no Internet bidding for the noncataloged portion of the sale (2 till approximately 3 p.m.).
Hollywood glitz and glamour will be in abundance with dolls, books, pictures, wines and other exclusive items, featured in Artemis Productions’ “Hollywood and Sports Memorabilia Collection,” on display now. Put on the auction block by Barbara Ann Zippi, owner of Artemis Productions, the collection has been accumulated from her career contacts and hundreds of exclusive events spanning almost 40 years.
Artemis Productions creates, manages and facilitates public relations campaigns and special events. A portion of the proceeds will help fund a permanent Al Alberts Showcase exhibit currently being compiled to honor and perpetuate the memory of Zippi’s uncle, television personality and performer Al Alberts, member of the Four Aces and singer of the hits On The Way To Cape May, Love is a Many Splendored Thing and Three Coins in a Fountain.
First of 10 Bronco Nagurski 1934 PSA 5. The first of the ten being offered 1935 National Chicle #34 Nagurski cards is the highest graded of the group estimated value $2,000-$4,000 Photo courtesy of Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers
Rare ebonized Gustav Stickley trestle table. Signed Gustav Stickley trestle-base oak table with mortise and tenon joinery. Original Gustav Stickley signature on bottom of tabletop. Dimensions: H 28 1/2 inches, W 48 inches, D 30 inches. Estimate: $1,200-$2,200 Photo courtesy of Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
John F. Folinsbee oil on canvas portrait of Patricia Duncan, 40 x 32 inches. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Photo courtesy of Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
Hamenz van Rijn Rembrandt etching ‘Christ at Emmaus, 205 X 155 mm (inside mat dimension). Rembrandt’s etching portrays the meeting of Christ and his disciples. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Photo courtesy Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
Troll & Baker Swiss music box, in rosewood case with mother of pearl and ivory inlay on top. Eight-song music box, in good working condition with key. Dimensions W 31 inches, H 8 1/2 inches, D 12 inches. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Photo courtesy of Wilson’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
This Tipu Sultan gold 4-pagodas from Mysore sold for £22,200. Baldwin’s image.
LONDON – A roomful of enthusiastic bidders found fierce competition from buyers on the Internet, and on the phone, as they fought to take home part of the celebrated David Fore Collection of Indian Coins, offered by Baldwin’s on Sept. 25-26. LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
This concluding two-day auction was well received and in a buoyant market lots achieved some fabulous and worthy prices. The sale total reached £1,189,032 ($1,899,372) inclusive of the buyers premium, which brought the final total for the three auctions to a stunning £3,370,397 ($5,383,561), reflecting the dedication of the passionate collector and numismatist who brought it together, and the reception it has received from the numismatic world.
Coins from the Princely States proved extremely popular, with the highest prices coming from this section. Lot 1618, a Tipu Sultan gold 4-Pagodas from Mysore shone as the star of day one. This extremely fine coin was struck at the most prolific of Mysore mint-towns, Patan, in southern India, under Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan was a ruler who set himself as a fierce rival to the British and although called “The Tiger of Mysore,” produced vast quantities of coinage with beauty and quality. The fine Persian inscriptions on both sides include the name of the denomination “Ahmadi” (another name for the Prophet Muhammad) as well as the date, in both the Mauludi era and also in Tipu’s new abtath system. John Henderson, writer of The Coins of Haider Ali & Tipu Sultan states that “The Tipu Sultan gold and silver pieces afford indisputable testimony to the decorative value of the Arabic script.” In the case of this coin, when coupled with its preservation and tone, the stunning script makes its numismatic and artistic value unquestionable. Against a conservative estimate of £6,000 this beautiful example achieved £22,200 (inc. buyers premium).
Auctioneers Seth Freeman and Graham Byfield, drove a receptive room as strong bidding on coins from the East India Co. tried to compete with the prices achieved for the Princely States. Lot 2009, a rare Bombay Presidency, gold mohur, in the name of “Alamgir II” from the Mumbai mint achieved £12,000 and along with Lot 2130, an extremely fine and rare Madras Presidency gold mohur, Chinapatan, in the name of Muhammad Shah, were the crowning pieces in a strong afternoon session.
Day two brought yet another burst of excited bidders as coins from British and Portuguese India, errors and tokens sold well over estimate. Despite a few light marks, Lot 2305, an extremely fine and toned silver half rupee, circa 1880 depicting ‘Victoria Empress’ on the obverse attracted much attention selling for £10,800. Other silver half rupees from the British India section also proved to be in demand with lot 2299 selling for £7,800 and lot 2323 achieving £10,560.
Baldwin’s British Indian coin consultant and principal cataloger of the David Fore Collection, Randy Weir, commented after the auction:
“It has been a long and exciting road selling this collection, and both David and I are absolutely delighted with the results. We hope that the dispersal of this collection will provide a few key pieces for existing collections and serve as inspiration for those budding numismatists interested in the series. It is a great credit to the Baldwin’s team that this collection has been so successful and the prices achieved further cement Baldwin’s standing at the forefront of the Indian numismatic scene.”
Baldwin’s reported that 33 percent of the total lots were purchased online, contributing 34 percent of the total hammer price.
Jaipur, Nazarana gold mohur, 1887, Year 8, struck in the names of Victoria and Madho Singh (1880-1922). Price realized: $13,200. Baldwin’s image.
Tehri Garhwal, Sudarshan Shah (VS 1872-1906; AD 1815-1859), machine-struck gold mohur, extremely fine and very rare. Price realized: £19,200. Baldwin’s image.
Travancore, Rama Varma V (ME 1057-1062; 1880-1885 AD), gold half sovereign, ME 1057/AD 1881. Price realized: £15,600. Baldwin’s image.
A genuine circa-1910 Honus Wagner baseball card. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
CHICAGO – Several news bureaus are reporting that William Mastro, the auction house owner charged with deceptively altering a rare Honus Wagner baseball card he later sold at a great profit, has pleaded guilty to a single count of mail fraud.
A once-powerful figure in the sports memorabilia world, Mastro was accused of trimming the Wagner card to render the appearance of a perfectly preserved cigarette card, thereby increasing its value. The card subsequently resold in a series of transactions to high-profile individuals, including hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, who paid $451,000 for the card in 1991. Most recently, the card now known as the Gretsky T-206 sold for $2.8 million to Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick.
Mastro, 60, originally pleaded not guilty after a federal grand jury handed down a multiple-count indictment in July. Today, his plea was changed to guilty plea and accepted by Judge Ronald A. Guzman in the U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Although prosecutors said they would not seek a sentence in excess of 2 1/2 years, Mastro could still end up serving up to five years in prison, should the judge decide to overrule prosecutors.
Norman Rockwell’s painting titled ‘Sport’ appeared on a cover of ‘The Saturday Evening Post’ in 1939. The original artwork for the cover is missing from a New York storage unit.
NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Police Department is investigating after a Norman Rockwell painting was discovered missing from a Queens storage facility.
The 1939 painting recently sold at auction for $1 million. Police say it disappeared last month from Welpak Art Moving and Storage in Ridgewood, Queens.
The work, titled “Sport,” depicts a fisherman wearing a yellow rain jacket and smoking a pipe.
The oil painting was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on May 22nd. Police didn’t identify the owner.
Welpak didn’t immediately return a phone call Wednesday seeking comment. It says on its website that it offers high-quality security and a variety of fine art shipping and climate-controlled services.
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Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Norman Rockwell’s painting titled ‘Sport’ appeared on a cover of ‘The Saturday Evening Post’ in 1939. The original artwork for the cover is missing from a New York storage unit.
A top candidate for Kansas State Fossil is the mosasaur, a predatory swimming reptile that inhabited Kansas in prehistoric times when the region was covered by an inland sea. This superb example of a mosasaur skeleton was auctioned by I.M. Chait of Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 4, 2013. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and I.M. Chait.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – A Lawrence resident who’s been a fossil hunter for nearly three decades wants the state of Kansas to recognize a state fossil.
Alan Detrich, 66, has been trying for 12 years to get the state to authorize a state fossil. And now he’s dedicating one last year to the cause before giving up, The Lawrence Journal World reported. Kansas is one of 11 states without a state fossil or dinosaur. Detrich wants Kansas to select the mosasaur, a large, swimming reptile predator common to Kansas when Kansas was covered by an inland sea millions of years ago.
“This is my last try,” he said. “If this does not succeed, the guy that picks up the baton after me is going to have to carry it because at some point you gotta realize that people do not want what you’re recommending.”
Detrich, a retired oil investor and antique businessman, has been a fossil hunter for about 28 years. He has a 17-and-a-half foot mosasaur skeleton prepared to display to help stir public support for his effort. He plans to approach state representatives while also preparing his other 20-foot-long mosasaur for display.
Leonard Krishtalka, director of the of Kansas University’s Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute, said declaring the mosasaur the state fossil could promote education and tourism in Kansas in part because the abundance of fossils in the western part of the state.
“When it comes to mosasaurs, Kansas certainly has the goods,” Krishtalka said. “Other museums, from the United States and other countries, have collected mosasaurs from (Kansas).”
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A top candidate for Kansas State Fossil is the mosasaur, a predatory swimming reptile that inhabited Kansas in prehistoric times when the region was covered by an inland sea. This superb example of a mosasaur skeleton was auctioned by I.M. Chait of Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 4, 2013. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and I.M. Chait.
Damien Hirst (English, b. 1965-), ‘For the Love of God,’ platinum cast of a human skull covered with 8,601 diamonds. Featured in Hirst’s Qatar exhibition titled ‘Relics.’ Fair use of low-resolution image under terms noted in Section 107 of US Copyright Act of 1976. Artwork copyright Damien Hirst.DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Qatar unveiled 14 massive bronze sculptures by British artist Damien Hirst charting the gestation of a human being from conception to birth.
The “Miraculous Journey” statues were uncovered for a day this week outside the Sidra Medical and Research Centre, still under construction on the outskirts of Doha.
They were put back under wraps until January 14 to “protect them while work is ongoing” in the area, the Qatar Museums Authority explained.
The project is an initiative by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the emir’s sister who heads the museums authority and wants to give a boost to art in the gas-rich Gulf state.
The installation consists of 14 figures which took three years to create, ranging between 4.8 meters (15.75 feet) and 10.7 meters (35 feet) in height and weighing between nine and 28 tonnes each.
They begin with the fertilization of an egg and end with a fully-formed baby. It portrays the gestation of a fetus.
The unveiling coincided with the Doha opening on Thursday of a first solo exhibition in the Middle East by controversial artist Hirst. Titled “Relics,” it runs until January 22.
The exhibition showcases Hirst’s diamond-encrusted skull, “For the Love of God,” as well as a shark preserved in formaldehyde.
Qatar this month displayed a statue immortalizing French footballing legend Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final on the Doha corniche.
The display comes as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup.
‘Sheep Station’ by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, New York. Photo via http://gettystation.com.
NEW YORK – Drivers expecting to pump gas on their way up the West Side Highway are in for a shock. Where once gas flowed, now sheep roam. They are epoxy stone and bronze sheep made by the late sculptor Francois-Xavier Lalanne.
How does an artist get a posthumous show in a former gas station?
Well, developer Michael Shvo bought the Getty station on 10th Avenue and 24th Street intending to turn it into a mixed-use residential building. Before that however, the art-loving developer plans to host a series of outdoor shows, of which Sheep Station is the first. Shvo enlisted Paul Kasmin, Lalanne’s dealer, to contribute the animals, which now live behind a white picket fence with lush green grass. If not for the remnants of gas pumps left behind, the scene is practically pastoral.
Or at least as close to pastoral as one can get with traffic rushing by on 10th Avenue. The sheep don’t seem too disturbed though. They’re positively adorable for creatures made of stone. Lalanne was precise in mimicking their colors, their ears, even their wool.
Sure it’s not as practical as a gas station, but the incongruousness of the installation is perhaps the best part. It’s as if the sheep decided the farm was boring, and instead craved the excitement of the Chelsea galleries. I can’t say I blame them.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
‘Sheep Station’ by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, New York. Photo via http://gettystation.com.‘Sheep Station’ by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, New York. Photo by Ilana Novick.‘Sheep Station’ by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, New York. Photo by Ilana Novick.‘Sheep Station’ by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, New York. Photo by Ilana Novick.
Chinese painting, Ming Dynasty, overall size 83 x 40 inches (211 x 102 cm), image: 71 x 36 inches (180 x 91 cm). Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Material Culture image. PHILA., Pa. – Material Culture will offer a strong selection of estate Asian arts, antiquities, ethnographic arts, antique carpets and textiles in its Sunday, Oct. 20 auction titled “Mountains and Valleys” beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
Asian highlights include a Chinese Ming period painting of deer in a pastoral mountain setting, purchased from the Damion Spelios collection in the early 1990s; a group of five 18th/19th century Chinese silk dragon robes from a private New York collection; an outstanding 19th century Indian Pichvai painting rendered in brilliant body colors and gold leaf; and an early Ming period bronze vase in archaic style from the collection of Kirk Lawson.
Highlights among the many antiquities offered are 28 lots of fine Gandharan (second to third century) artifacts from the collection and estate of Alvin Newman, including an outstanding gray schist bust of the Buddha.
Ethnographic arts include an outstanding Solomon Islands ceremonial paddle of carved wood and inlaid pearl shell (provenance: J.J. Klejman Sale 9/24/1974, Sotheby’s Parke Bernet, New York); a Nigerian Yoruba “Ile Ori” headdress of monumental scale from an important private Montreal collection; and a wide selection of early/mid 20th century African artifacts from several estates in Pennsylvania and California.
Highlights of textile arts include a rare Coptic piece with a totemic “evil eye” symbol in surprisingly clear, well-preserved colors; a fine 19th century Bolivian ponchito; an 18th/19th century Greek Island embroidery, silk on linen, in an Ottoman prayer rug design; and an array of 19th C. Central Asian textiles, including an outstanding collection of silk Uzbek robes, as well as several outstanding silk embroidered suzanis.
Among the more than 150 estate carpets offered are many fine 19th century Caucasian pieces, including an outstanding mid-19th century Marasali prayer rug from the estate of Alvin Newman. Among the Asian, Tibetan and Chinese carpets being offered, there is an outstanding 18th century Khotan “saf” carpet formerly in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
For details contact the Material Culture auction department at 215-438-4700.
Chinese painting, Ming Dynasty, overall size 83 x 40 inches (211 x 102 cm), image: 71 x 36 inches (180 x 91 cm). Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Material Culture image.
Fine 19th century pichvai, Nathdwara, Rajisthan, India. Image: 52 1/2 x 33 1/2 inches (133 x 85 cm). Estimate: $1,500-$2,500. Material Culture image.
Solomon Islands ceremonial paddle, carved wood inlaid with pearl shell, 28 1/2 x 7 x 1 inches (72 x 18 x 3 cm). Estimate: $1,500-$2,500. Material Culture image.
Chinese silk dragon robe, 18th/19th century, 62 1/2 x 50 inches (159 x 127 cm). Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Material Culture image.
Marasali prayer rug, Caucasus, mid-19th century, ends expertly rewoven, 4 feet 7 inches x 3 feet 4 inches (140 x 102 cm). Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Material Culture image.
Gray schist head of a bodhisattva, Gandhara, second-third century, 8 x 5 x 6 inches (20 x 13 x 15 cm). Estimate: $800-$1,200. Material Culture image.
