October 21, 2013 - Auction Central News

Qi Baishi painting to make big splash at AGOPB sale Oct. 28

McClelland Barclay (American, 1891-1943), ‘Lydia & Sophie,’ signed, oil on canvas, 30 x 28 inches. Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches Inc. will conduct a Major Fall Fine Art and Antiques Auction on Monday, Oct. 28 at beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern. This auction features property from several Palm Beach estates with some rare and seldom-seen fresh pieces coming to the auction block. In particular is a rare scroll painting by the revered Chinese artist Qi Baishi with provenance from the 1930s. LiveAuctioneers.com will provided Internet live bidding.

Also featured are an Alexander Archipenko bronze with authentication letter and a fabulous French mechanical clock from 1890 with the name “Lady with Her Hands in the Air.” There are over 350 lots of American and European paintings and prints, bronzes, sterling silver, Chinese antiques, Meissen porcelain, lalique, clocks, carpets, and much more.

The ink and watercolor scroll paintings of Chinese artist Qi Baishi (1864-1957) are heavily sought after in the Chinese art world. Scroll paintings are a traditional way of Chinese image making going back 1,000 years. The scroll paintings by Qi Baishi at first appear conventional and an interpretation from the past, however, their execution and attention to detail are what separate him from other Chinese artists of the 20th century. Lot 303 is truly an example of the artist’s unique style, and even though Baishi wasn’t the first artist to focus on small things in nature he was recognized for his careful and naturalistic way of painting the commonplace.

The work is a large ink and watercolor scroll painting of lotus flowers, measuring 54 1/4 inches x 27 inches. The painting is consigned by a Delray Beach resident who inherited the painting from her mother years ago. The painting has an exceptional provenance going back to her grandmother who lived adjacent the Imperial Palace in the 1920s. The painting is accompanied by a catalog of an exhibition of contemporary Chinese art at the Brooklyn Museum from 1939-1946, and is illustrated in this catalog. Additionally there is a photograph of the consignor’s mother and stepfather in front of the painting from the 1930s. The painting has not been offered for sale previously and has an estimate of $50,000-$70,000. The painting is expected to draw considerable interest as the artist has sold for as much as $65 million.

A bronze by Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964), lot 300, is highlighted, as it is one of only 12 authorized posthumous castings by the artist’s estate. The bronze, titled Dutch Fisherman, has a verde-gris patina and is 16 1/4 inches high. Archipenko is known for his departure from Neoclassicism to Cubism after he moved to Paris in 1908, where he was part of a group of Russian émigrés artists known as “La Ruche.” The use of the sculptural void is inherent in his work and this bronze amply illustrates his style. The piece is accompanied by a letter from Donald Karshan, former curator of the Archipenko estate dated Jan. 7, 1964. The rare bronze has an estimate is $30,000-$50,000.

The auction will offer some fine paintings and a collection of American prints from R. Motherwell, R. Indiana, R. Rauschenberg, J. Rosenquist, A. Calder, S. Francis, R. Grooms and many more including lot 115, a serigraph by Ellsworth Kelly, “Black Form”, from Portfolio 9, circa 1967, #4/100. Additionally, lot 287, a painting by American illustration artist McClelland Barclay (1891-1943), has a personal connection to a local woman; the painting includes the consignor’s mother in an interior scene with another couple seated on a sofa. The painting was done as an illustration for Medical Center, a series of dramatic novelettes by Faith Baldwin for Cosmopolitan, circa 1930s, and is accompanied by a copy of the pages published with the painting. The canvas measures 30 by 28 inches and is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

This sale offers the collectors an array of opportunities to buy some unique pieces including lot 306, a circa 1890 French mechanical clock that is documented as being known as the clock with the lady with her hands in the air, translating to French as Bras en l’aire clock. This clock is another excellent example of the merging of whimsy with technical sophistication found in mechanical clocks from the late 19th century and is documented. The estimate is $25,000-$30,000. Lot 100 is another great and unusual clock. A French barbell clock with a 400-day power reserve in a gorge case and aneroid barometer. The clock dial is signed “Brevettee” and is 15 inches high and is estimated at $8,000-$10,000.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Alexander Archipenko (American, 1887-1964), ‘Dutch Fisherman,’ signed, no. 6/12, 16 1/4 inches high. Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864-1957), ‘Lotus,’ signed, ink and watercolor on paper, 59 x 32 inches. Provenance from the 1930s. Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

French mechanical ‘Bras en L’aire’ ormolu clock, circa 1890, 18 inches high. Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

John Moran auction of Calif.-size Bryant estate Nov. 12

This beautiful 1931 Ford Model A woody station wagon is offered with an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. The odometer reads 61,146. John Moran Auctioneers image.

PASADENA, Calif. – John Moran Auctioneers will sell Property of the Estate of Ernest A. Bryant III on Nov. 12. The auction will celebrate the life of a passionate collector and outdoorsman. LiveAucitoneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The two-session, fully cataloged auction features over 500 lots of British and Continental antiques, British, American, and Continental silver, porcelain, high-end horse tack, saddles, spurs, bronzes, period and contemporary California fine art, and two vehicles: a superlative 1931 Ford Model A woody wagon and a 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL hardtop/convertible. (estimates: $20,000 to $30,000 and $15,000 to $25,000, respectively).

Ernest Albert “Ernie” Bryant III was born in 1931 in Pasadena. As a fourth-generation rancher and a third-generation art collector, Ernie inherited a rich legacy of stewardship of the land as well as an appreciation of culture and beauty from his parents. While the Bryant side of the family had deep ties to California ranching, the Tilt side of the family, founders of the Tilt Galleries in Pasadena, had a strong affinity for craftsmanship and the arts. This combined family history influenced Ernie’s interests, adventures and acquisitions throughout his lifetime. Once proclaimed a “collector of collections” by his friends, Ernie’s acquisitions reflect his deep respect and love of art and artists, ranching, and the West. He built genuine friendships with many of the artists and craftsmen whose work he collected and the gallery owners with whom he did business. In the 1960s, he began collecting and driving horse-drawn carriages and buggies. He was a lifelong horseman, and his interest in driving a team began in his teen years.

Session I of the Nov. 12 sale features prime selections from Ernie’s collection of 19th and 20th century European and American paintings and sculptures in styles both traditional and Modernist, retablos, Japanese netsuke and Persian rugs, as well as British, Continental and American furnishings and silver, as well as eclectic items reflecting his great sense of fun, such as a 1930s motorized model of a runabout boat and a large fiberglass trout by artist Roger Kuntz.

Fine furnishings include an exceptional 17th or early 18th century iron-bound walnut Spanish vargueno, expected to find a buyer for a hammer price between $4,000 and $6,000. A mahogany Spanish Revival refectory table, dating to the 1920s and signed by noted Pasadena designer and craftsman George S. Hunt carries an estimate of $1,000 to $2,,000. Also in mahogany, a late Georgian sideboard will make a gorgeous addition to any collector’s dining room (estimate: $1,000 to $1,500). The sideboard is just one of many lots of English furniture dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, ranging from finely crafted, elegant pieces such as Georgian dresser bases, to charming provincial pieces in oak, elm and walnut, such as a Charles II paneled oak chest dated 1670 (estimate: $500-$700).

Bidders seeking quality silver will find in Session I a gleaming bounty of breathtaking depth and quality, representing a broad range of types and nationalities, and featuring well-known makers and designers. Many pieces are from Britain’s Georgian period, including a set of four plates by Paul Storr, dated 1808 and decorated with robust piecrust rims (estimate: $5,000-$8,000). Continental silver is highlighted by a set of four German .800 silver figural candlesticks, each measuring 14 inches high (estimate: $2,500-$4500), and a large number of magnificent bird-form table ornaments from the 19th and 20th centuries, including a German silver stork, estimated to find a buyer for between $600 and $900, and a pair of silver pheasants, estimated at $1,000 to $2,000.

Some of the most heated battles in the saleroom, however, will be waged over the several items from the workshops of Georg Jensen. An early example of his “Grape” wine coaster dated 1919 and offered for $6,000-$9,000, is sure to enthuse collectors of Jensen’s iconic designs, as will a double-handled center bowl from the 1930s designed by Jensen workshop member Harald Nielsen (estimate: $2,000-$3,000). An enormous service of flatware in Jensen’s popular Acorn pattern, is offered for $6,000-$9,000, and is complemented by additional lots of Acorn barware and salt and peppershakers.

Just a few of the many other silver highlights are as follows:

A gorgeous Shreve sterling cocktail shaker in the Fourteenth Century pattern, beautifully monogrammed “EAB”, is expected to bring $600 to $800 at the block;
An early 20th century Shreve sterling tea service, including a tipping kettle, a coffee pot, a teapot, a covered sugar bowl, and a milk jug, each relief-decorated with applied bands of chrysanthemums and monogrammed “B” (estimate: $3,000-$5,000);
A William Spratling silver box, the cover paved in diamond-shaped tortoiseshell tiles (estimate: $1,000-$1,500).

Session II of the sale is devoted to Western items. In the late 1970s, Ernie Bryant began assiduously building his collections of early California paintings, Western fine art and sculpture, saddles and horse tack, American Indian artifacts, American and European firearms, and vehicles. Items within this session are sure to excite all those with an affinity for ranchero culture. Several Edward H. Bohlin sterling silver belt buckles, some featuring gold or ruby accents, are sure to turn heads. A number of bronzes by Edward J. Fraughton depict broncos, packhorses and Native Americans. Estimated to earn between $5,000 and $7,000 at the block, a Ben Wagner scale model of a Wells Fargo heavy Concord coach makes an intriguing addition to the catalog and reflects Ernie Bryant’s passion for wagons and carriages.

A cowboy hat and jacket, signed by Frank Tenney Johnson, Joe D. Paxton, and many members and affiliates of the Rancheros Visitadores, an exclusive ranching social club which meets yearly in Santa Barbara, is a wonderful and unusual find. Decorated with original drawings from some of those who signed it, the set is estimated to find a buyer for between $1,000 and $1,500. A stunning parade saddle by Visalia Stock Saddle Co. features tooled roses in the black leather and 80 conchos with Rancho Visitadores horse heads throughout, is expected to hammer for $3,500 to $5,500.

The Bryant collection of works by Edward Borein is extensive, including etchings, drawings, drypoint prints, and watercolors. Offered with an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000, Borein’s watercolor work “The Trail Boss” is a quintessential scene from the artist: a cowboy mounted on horseback watches a distant herd while an expansive Western landscape rolls out below him. Other Borein works included in the offering depict Santa Barbara mission scenes, wagon scenes, and of course, cowboys roping, riding, and herding.

Works by Native American craftsmen include a large Pima basket measuring 22 inches in diameter offered at $1,000 to $1,500; polychrome Mission basketry bowls; an impressively large Navajo lodge rug made in the 1920s (estimate: $10,000-$15,000); pictorial rugs, eye-dazzlers, Germantown weavings and wearing blankets.

For details contact the office via telephone (626-793-1833) or email (info@johnmoran.com).

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Conservatively estimated to bring $15,000 to $25,000, this 1965 Mercedes Benz 230 SL hardtop convertible is presented in excellent condition. John Moran Auctioneers image.

A fantastic Spanish walnut vargueno, dating to the 17th century, is expected to hammer between $4,000 and $6,000. John Moran Auctioneers image.

These heavy sterling plates, one of the many lots of Georgian silver, bear the mark of Paul Storr and date to 1808. John Moran Auctioneers image.

Estimated at $6,000-$9,000, this early Georg Jensen “Grape” wine coaster, dated 1919, leads a large selection of items by the Danish master of modern silver design. John Moran Auctioneers image.

This Visalia Stock Saddle Co. parade saddle, featuring 80 silver conchos decorated with Ranchero Visitadores horse heads, is one of many pieces of high end tack offered from the Bryant estate (estimate: $3,500 to $5,500). John Moran Auctioneers image.

‘The Trail Boss,’ a watercolor by Western genre master Edward Borein, is one of an extensive collection of works slated for sale by the artist (estimate: $20,000 to $30,000). John Moran Auctioneers image.

Exhibition reveals the man in Roman Emperor Augustus

The statue known as the Augustus of Prima Porta, first century. Till Niermann image. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

ROME (AFP) – A political genius, a great reformer, a patron of the arts—but ancient Rome’s first emperor Augustus was also a family man, as highlighted in a new exhibition that opened in Rome this week.

The show marks 2,000 years since the death of the founder of the Roman Empire and the man most associated with the “Pax Romana,” a period of immense architectural and artistic achievement.

“We wanted to look at the personality of Augustus beyond the official persona,” said Daniel Roger, chief conservator at the Louvre museum in Paris, which is co-organizing the exhibition in Rome.

Through some 200 items including statues, jewelry and platters, the exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale delves into the emperor’s family life and tries to depict the ebullient mood of the time.

The show brings together for the first time statues of Augustus in his attire as a divine leader and as a star general, as well as an equestrian one found in the Aegean Sea in Greece and displayed in Italy for the first time.

“We know of more than 210 portraits and statues of Augustus. He was no ordinary emperor,” said Mariarosaria Barbera, the chief superintendent for Rome’s vast archaeological heritage.

Barbera said Augustus had specifically wanted his official images to reflect his duties, his political program and his plans for the future.

“From an upstart young prince he became a man of power who legislated everything in public and private life, including the length of togas that citizens were allowed to carry,” she said.

Caius Octavius was born in 63 B.C. and died in A.D. 14.

He was the grand nephew of Julius Caesar and became his adopted son. He governed Rome for more than 40 years—a golden age in its history.

The young Octavius took on the title of Augustus to indicate his position had divine blessing, and he managed to bring together the aristocratic and populist strands of political thought at the time.

Flanked by his general Agrippa, his best friend whom he married to his only daughter, Julia, and by his political adviser Maecenas, Caesar Augustus hugely extended the territory controlled by Rome.

He was also well known as an arts patron and helped sponsor Virgil, Horace, Livy and Ovid.

The artists of the time were inspired by ancient Greece but created new styles for a new empire.

Roger called it “a privileged time in Roman history” when Rome itself was transformed “from a city of bricks into a city of marble” under Augustus.

With imposing statues, “we have the impression Augustus invented political propaganda but that is an anachronistic term,” Roger said.

“What he really wanted, was that artistic style as much as the military would unite the provinces of the Roman empire,” the curator said.

While his public life flourished, the emperor’s private life was marred by the tragedy of the death of his grandchildren—whom he had groomed to take over the reins of power.

After a first political marriage with Clodia, the goddaughter of Mark Antony, he then married Scribonia, grand-niece of Pompey, whom he repudiated the same day she gave birth to Julia to marry the great love of his life, Livia.

Without a direct heir, he ended up adopting her eldest son, Tiberius, before dying aged 76.

The exhibition runs at until Feb. 9 and will then move to the Grand Palais in Paris, where is will be on exhibit March 19 to July 13.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Record-breaking Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi lifts the mask

Zeng Fanzhi (b.1964), 'The Mask,' set of silk silkscreens printed in colors, 2006. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions.

PARIS (AFP) – His 2001 painting The Last Supper has just sold for $23 million, but growing up in a working class family during China’s Cultural Revolution, Zeng Fanzhi could never have anticipated the path his life would take.

“The notion of the artist didn’t exist,” he said of his art school days in the central Hubei province.

“We were art workers. We didn’t know that we could be free and independent,” Zeng, in Paris for a retrospective of his works, told AFP.

Based on Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, Zeng’s Last Supper—part of the Paris show—set a new record for a contemporary Chinese artist when it was sold at auction in Hong Kong on Oct. 5.

The work, which depicts Christ and the disciples wearing masks and communist Young Pioneers uniforms, was purchased by an anonymous private buyer following a 10-minute telephone bidding war.

Born in 1964 in Wuhan in Hubei province, Zeng is currently the subject of a show at Paris’ Museum of Modern Art featuring around 40 of his works dating back to 1990.

“It’s the first time in my life that so many of my works have been brought together … It’s very important to me,” he told AFP, speaking through an interpreter. Currently ranked the fourth highest-selling contemporary artist—in terms of auction turnover—according to art data firm Artprice, his sales in 2012/13 reached $34.3 million.

Such success is a far cry from his days as a student at the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts.

“In the place where I was living, there were no toilets so I had to go to the neighboring hospital several times a day,” he said.

This inspired a series of works based on what he had witnessed on his visits.

For his graduation painting he presented the expressionistic Hospital Triptych No. 1 which attracted the attention of the Chinese art world.

In 1993, Zeng moved to Beijing and began working on his masks series.

“Behind most of these masks, it’s me. I had very few friends because I had just arrived in Beijing,” he said.

His works have always drawn on his own life and emotions including his childhood, which was indelibly marked by the Cultural Revolution.

From its start in 1966 until Mao’s death in 1976, this saw the rejection of traditional forms of Chinese culture.

In The Last Supper the disciples’ Young Pioneers uniforms feature the red scarves that were a symbol of achievement in Communist China—something Zeng said always eluded him.

And the Judas figure “wears a gold scarf which evokes the power of money and capitalism.”

“I never had the red scarf,” he said.

“I was excluded from collectivity. It was like a badge of shame for my parents. It was a shadow over my childhood,” he added.

Zeng is now collaborating on a museum project that he believes will enable him to express his artistic vision.

His current work uses a technique which he adopted in the middle of the last decade in which blurred lines are employed to depict landscapes.

“Before painting a big canvas, I prepare for several days in order to attain a state of calm and serenity. Then I paint fast, in an intense way,” he said.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Security tight after Banksy graffiti woes

On Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013, this Banksy artwork titled 'Ghetto 4 Life' appeared in New York's South Bronx. Image courtesy of Banksy.

NEW YORK (AFP) – Guards were on close watch Saturday as British street artist Banksy brought his in-your-face creations to New York City, where some unhappy property owners defaced his work.

The Briton, whose identity is a secret, has sent hipsters and art fans scrambling to get a peek at his “Better Out Than In” month-long residency in New York.

He has received offers of big money for some of his creations. But most of the works have so enraged property owners that they have been rapidly defaced.

“Graffiti does ruin people’s property, and it’s a sign of decay and loss of control,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this week. “Some places are for arts, and some aren’t.”

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the owner of a building Banksy painted on — showing two geishas on a bridge — was tagged and now has guards standing watch due to large crowds and several incidents.

The artist’s take on the twin towers of the World Trade Center brought down on September 11, 2001 — painted in Brooklyn Heights, was removed after less than a week on view. Authorities did not immediately say why.

Banksy reportedly has sold his works for anywhere from $30 to $1.87 million.

Banksy’s stenciled designs, known for their irreverent humor and political activism, have propelled him from a graffiti rebel to a reluctant star who has spoken out against the exorbitant sums paid for his art.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

This Oct. 17, 2013 Banksy's depiction of geishas crossing a bridge was defaced, leading to tighter security around the artwork. It appears on a wall in New York's Williamsburg neighborhood. Image courtesy of Banksy. — This Oct. 17, 2013 Banksy’s depiction of geishas crossing a bridge was defaced, leading to tighter security around the artwork. It appears on a wall in New York’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Image courtesy of Banksy.

Nasher unveils public sculptures throughout Dallas

Francois-Auguste-Rene Rodin (French, 1840-1917), 'Eve,' in situ at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas. Image courtesy of Nasher Sculpture Center.

DALLAS (AP) – The Nasher Sculpture Center is unveiling 10 public sculptures placed throughout the city of Dallas.

The museum is marking its 10th anniversary this year by commissioning the works. The exhibition of sculptures, called “Nasher XChange,” is being unveiled Saturday. The works will be on display through Feb. 16.

The works range from New York-based artist Ugo Rondinone’s multicolored pier extending into Fish Trap Lake to Dallas-based artist Vicki Meek’s series of markers on the Paul Quinn College campus commemorating people and events.

For her project, Netherlands-based artist Lara Almarcegui is burying debris from a demolished house on the property where it once stood.

The Nasher Sculpture Center, located in the Dallas Arts District in downtown, showcases collection of the late real estate developer Raymond Nasher and his late wife Patsy.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Alaska museum adds car nearly identical to Fairbanks’ first vehicle

The Pope Motor Car Company followed its Pope-Toledo Type XII with the 1907 Pope C/60 V, as shown here. Photo by Tomislaw Medak, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – With a few pops, bangs and a loud rumble, a 1906 Pope-Toledo Type XII seven-passenger touring car rolled onto Fairbanks’ streets for the first time in 90 years on Tuesday.

The Pope-Toledo, a green windshield-less car with brightly polished brass fixtures, a wood interior and a hand-crank starter, is nearly identical to the first car to arrive in Fairbanks in 1908 and is the newest addition to the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum.

“It’s the first time one has been on the road in many, many years,” said Fountainhead Museum Manager Willy Vinton after taking the historic addition for a short drive.

The Pope-Toledo first arrived in Fairbanks in 1908 aboard the steamer Cudahy. The maroon Type XV was ordered by David Laiti and used to shuttle people to Fox and excursion parties around town, museum historian Nancy DeWitt said.

The second Pope-Toledo, the same Type XII as now resides at the Fountainhead Museum, began driving the roads of Fairbanks in 1911 under the guidance of Robert “Bobby” Sheldon. A picture of Sheldon posing in front of his battered Pope-Toledo hangs in the museum.

DeWitt said the museum has been hunting for a Pope-Toledo to add to its Alaska collection for years but said it has been difficult. She said they’ve encountered only about 10 Pope-Toledos and only three that were the Type XII model.

“I’ve been looking for of these for a while,” she said. “We found a few, and they just didn’t look right. Willy found one, but it was a different model and they were asking a lot. But then, we found this one in Kentucky.”

Both DeWitt and Vinton said it’s easily in the best shape of any Pope-Toledo out there.

From finding the vehicle, it took about a year to buy it, do some restoration work, send it to a few antique car shows, prepare it for its trip to Alaska and ship it, DeWitt said.

“It’s the holy grail of the brass era,” Vinton said. “There’s not a flat piece of metal on that car.”

The Pope-Toledo Type XII features a Roi De Belge body, a beautifully curved form that is meant to resemble upholstered armchairs, DeWitt said.

The Pope-Toledo will be on display at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum starting Sunday. The museum is open from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays during its winter hours.

“There are cars that we won’t take out in the rain,” DeWitt said, “and this is one of them.”

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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Illinois high court invalidates Internet sales tax

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois Supreme Court threw out a state law Friday that taxes certain Internet sales, saying the so-called “Amazon tax” violated federal rules against “discriminatory taxes” on digital transactions.

The 6-1 ruling represented the first time a court had invalidated an Internet sales tax law among 18 states that have them. It brought an immediate cry from traditional, store-based retailers for Congress to step into regulating taxes on web sales.

The court determined that Illinois’ 2011 “Main Street Fairness Act” was superseded by the federal law, which prohibits imposing a tax on “electronic commerce” and obligates collection that’s not required of transactions by other means, such as print or television.

Illinois’ law required out-of-state retailers to collect state taxes on annual sales of more than $10,000 that involve in-state “affiliates,” or website operators and bloggers, that draw consumers to the retailers’ sites in exchange for a cut of each sale.

That prompted several high-profile departures from the Prairie State by companies such as CouponCabin.com, which fled rather than lose so-called “click-through-nexus” payments from the Internet retailers.

But Justice Anne Burke, writing for the court’s majority, questioned whether there was any substantial difference between out-of-state businesses reaching Illinois consumers through a click-through-nexus approach or through other approaches that aren’t taxed.

“The click-through link makes it easier for the customer to reach the out-of-state retailer,” Burke wrote. “But the link is not different in kind from advertising using promotional codes that appear, for example, in Illinois newspapers or Illinois radio broadcasts.”

Justice Lloyd Karmeier dissented, saying the federal law does not apply because the state statute doesn’t “impose any new taxes or increase any existing taxes,” but rather changes the definition of who’s obligated to collect them.

But Illinois residents should not expect refunds for the books, neckties, CDs or other items they bought by click during the past two years. Regardless of how an item is purchased, Illinois shoppers must pay 6.25 percent sales tax. If a retailer doesn’t collect it online, taxpayers must do the math and add the owed sales tax when figuring their state income-tax return in the spring.

Illinois’ tax collector, the Department of Revenue, said it’s considering asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Amazon.com did just that in August, when it sought a review of the New York Court of Appeals’ March ruling upholding the law there. The Empire State was among the first to argue that a business with “affiliates” within its borders gives the company a physical presence there _ a must if a state hopes to collect taxes from it, according to a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Revenue officials also said they would continue to push the “Marketplace Fairness Act” in Congress to “level the playing field for all businesses.” Its sponsor is Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat.

Friday’s Illinois ruling “underscores the need” for Capitol Hill action, said David Vite of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.

“Brick-and-mortar businesses, which pay property taxes, and income taxes, and are hiring people, are at a significant competitive disadvantage with their remote-selling counterparts,” Vite told The Associated Press. “It’s time for the federal government to clarify and finish putting retailers, who are making payroll and putting people to work, on equal footing.”

An Amazon spokeswoman did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday.

Neither proponents nor opponents of the measure could say how much Illinois had collected, but just as the law’s backers trumpet economics, so do those opposing it. George Isaacson is a lawyer from Lewiston, Maine, who represents the plaintiffs in the case, Performance Marketing Association. Its members are the affiliates who post the retailers’ links.

“Our understanding is that the primary economic impact, the effect of the legislation, was in forcing the web affiliates to lay off people,” Isaacson said. “That’s less income, less income tax. The law was self-defeating in terms of economic impact.”

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Online:

The case is Performance Marketing Ass’n v. Hamer: http://tinyurl.com/ybdtxtd

Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of Oct. 21, 2013

This 7-inch fabric ball, stitched by hand in about 1900, recently sold for $165 at Keepers Antiques in Chichester, N.H.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Our Victorian ancestors made many of the toys their children played with. Inexpensive printed fabrics were designed to be cut out and sewn into dolls, games or toys. The fabric usually pictured all the parts of a colorful toy. There also were printed instructions explaining how to assemble the pieces and, if necessary, how to stuff it. We have seen stuffed Christmas stockings made from prints that featured Santa, evergreens and other Christmas decorations. There were many versions of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” A similar game made in about 1900, called “The Monkey Donation Party Game,” was made from a white fabric with a black printed monkey holding a stitched-on circular piece with the words “Please put a penny in the cap.”

During the first quarter of the 20th century, many manufactured fabrics could be made into advertising dolls. Printed fabric was inexpensive to make and to mail. An unusual printed toy of that period is a ball made of six colored oval pieces. Each piece pictures a baby holding a finished ball. It was made in 1900 by Art Fabric Mills, and the fabric included printed instructions and the words and music of a lullaby. A collector recently paid $165 for a homemade ball in unfaded condition, but the uncut pattern sells for more—about $200 to $300. A flat piece of fabric can be framed and displayed on a wall. The assembled ball is less decorative.

Q: I recently acquired a vintage dining room table, one table leaf and five matching chairs. The wood is walnut, and the table is very ornate. We found a paper label on two of the chairs. It reads “Midwest Furniture & Chair Co.” I can’t find any information about the company. And what could the set be worth?

A: Midwest Furniture & Chair Co. was in business in St. Joseph, Mo., in the 1920s. Your set would be worth more if you had a sixth chair. Sets by the same maker have sold recently for $450 and $675, but both had at least six chairs plus a sideboard or buffet. So your table and five chairs might sell for $200 or less.

Q: I have a letter opener that reads “Pan-American Exposition, 1901” on the blade and a picture of the fair’s Electric Tower on the handle. The back has fruit and flower designs. It’s silver-colored, but I’m not sure if it’s sterling silver. Does it have any value?

A: The Pan-American Exposition was held in Buffalo, N.Y., from May to November 1901. Many souvenir items were made picturing the buildings and other features of the fair. The Electric Tower pictured on your letter opener was the tallest structure at the fair and was often pictured. Most souvenir items are silverplate, not sterling silver. Your letter opener is probably worth about $25. Here’s a little history: President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz while the president was shaking hands with visitors in the Temple of Music on the fairgrounds on Sept. 6, 1901. He died eight days later. For more information about the 1901 World’s Fair, go to PanAm1901.org.

Q: A few years ago, I was at a garage sale and spotted a bronze-colored bust of a classical woman. I instantly fell in love with her. She’s imprinted on the back with the artist’s signature, “Henri Jacobs,” and “copyright 1904 by Napoleon Alliot.” I would like to know more about the maker of this bust.

A: Henri Jacobs (1864-1935) has been called the “Father of Belgian Art Nouveau.” He was an artist and architect and was also known for his Art Nouveau busts of women. Napoleon Alliot was a sculptor who also had a foundry. Your bust could sell at auction for more than $1,000 even though it is not bronze.

Q: When the floor of our AmVets Post in Perry, Ohio, was replaced, we found a bottle with the words “Fairport Bottling Works, M. Killinen, Prop.” in raised letters. The bottle was covered in dirt but is clear glass. The top is broken off, but it will still make a nice vase once the jagged part is cut off or ground down. I don’t think it has value, but I’d like to know how old it is and where it’s from. Our post meets in an old building that I think was an icehouse around the time of the Civil War, so the bottle may date from the mid- to late-1800s.

A: Matt Killinen, the business proprietor whose name is on the bottle, emigrated from Finland in 1887 and settled in Fairport, Ohio. He founded the Fairport Bottling Works in about 1894 and was in business until at least 1913. The company sold soft drinks throughout northeastern Ohio.

Q: I have come across a “Grimm Cover,” which apparently is some sort of commode or potty. It’s made of galvanized steel and is embossed “Grimm Cover, Patented July 19, 1804.” Have you ever seen another one?

A: You actually have a sap bucket cover, not a commode cover. A patent for a “new and improved sap-spout and cover” was granted to G.H. Grimm in 1904 (not 1804). His newly designed spout and cover made it possible to pour sap without removing the bucket from the hook that attached it to the tree. The covers were made in two sizes, 12 and 14 inches. It’s not clear how many years they were made, but they were still in Grimm’s catalog in 1912. We have seen several Grimm’s Covers advertised online. They sell for under $10 each.

Tip: If you’re polishing a wooden-handled copper or silver teapot, be sure to cover the wood so it’s not stained by the metal polish.

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer 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 amount 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.

Hen-on-nest covered dish, amber glass, hobnail rim, Indiana Glass Co., 5 1/4 x 7 x 5 1/2 inches, $15.
Tilt-top table, maple, turned pedestal, 3 slipper feet, 26 x 23 inches, $140.
Fire chief toy car, tin, friction, Louis Marx, 20 inches, $170.
Imari pattern dessert plates, Aynsley China, 8 inches, 12 pieces, $190.
Day dress, shot silk, pleated bodice, green, teal fringe, lined, c. 1840, $385.
Amos & Andy Fresh Air Taxi, tin lithograph, clockwork, Marx, 8 inches, $650.
Shearwater Pottery cat, seated, Walter Anderson, 10 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches, $800.
Rooster windmill weight, cast iron, old red paint, Elgin Wind Power & Pump Co., c. 1900, 16 x 16 inches, $805.
King Cole Tea & Coffee door push, porcelain, lithographed, 3 x 8 inches, $1,420
Rococo-style commode, painted, red & green flowers, yellow ground, two drawers, 35 x 52 inches, $3,440.

The Kovels.com Premium website is up and running. In addition to 900,000 free prices for antiques and collectibles (more that 11,000 with photographs), premium subscribers will find a dictionary of marks for silver and another for ceramics, with pictured marks and company histories. Premium membership also includes a subscription to the digital edition of our newsletter, “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” and its archives, where you’ll find articles about almost anything you collect. It includes up-to-date information for the savvy collector. Go to Kovels.com and click on “Subscriptions” for more information.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

‘Titanic’ violin sells for more than $1.6M at auction

The long-lost circa-1880 violin of 'Titanic' bandmaster Wallace Hartley, which was auctioned by Henry Aldridge & Son for more than $1.6 million. Image courtesy of Henry Aldridge & Son.

LONDON (AP) — A violin believed to have been played on the Titanic before the doomed vessel sank was auctioned for more than $1.6 million Saturday, a fantastic figure which one collector said may never be beaten.

The sea-corroded instrument, now unplayable, is thought to have belonged to bandmaster Wallace Hartley, who was among the disaster’s more than 1,500 victims.

The story of Hartley’s band, which stoically continued playing on the ship’s deck until the disaster’s final hour, is a memorable part of James Cameron’s “Titanic,” when Hartley and his colleagues are seen playing “Nearer, My God, To Thee” as the passengers around them scream and drown in the icy water.

The incredible story, and its heart-rending portrayal in one of the world’s most popular films, likely played a role in pushing the instrument’s price to 900,000 pounds, or past 1 million pounds when the buyer’s premium and tax are taken into account.

“It’s a world record for a Titanic artifact,” said Peter Boyd-Smith, a Titanic memorabilia collector at the auction, hosted by Henry Aldridge and Son in the western England town of Devizes.

“The only other items that are probably worth that kind of money are the items salvaged from RMS Titanic if they are ever put up for sale and those are in the exhibitions that go around America and Europe.

“It may never get beaten.”

The violin, with Hartley’s name on it, is believed to have been found at sea with the musician’s body more than a week after the Titanic sank.

“Mr. Hartley and the band were very brave people … standing by their posts to the bitter end,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said ahead of the sale.

Henry Aldridge and Son said the violin has been subject to numerous tests to check its authenticity since it was discovered in 2006. It said earlier this year that the violin was Hartley’s “beyond reasonable doubt.”

The violin, of German make, was a gift from Hartley’s fiancee Maria Robinson, and was engraved with the words: “For Wallace on the occasion of our engagement from Maria.”

Andrew Aldridge said the buyer, who bid over the phone, wished to remain anonymous.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

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