Mosby to auction historical Americana, early popcorn wagons Nov. 16

Early 20th century salesmen’s sample playground merry-go-round. Mosby & Co. image.

Early 20th century salesmen’s sample playground merry-go-round. Mosby & Co. image.
Early 20th century salesmen’s sample playground merry-go-round. Mosby & Co. image.
FREDERICK, Md. – The 600+ lots in Mosby & Co.’s Nov. 16 Fall Catalog Auction cover vast collecting territory, from 18th-century English furniture to Native American and Oceanic cultural artifacts. In between, the sale shines a light on two unique American archives: the McWhirter family’s collection of Cretors popcorn machines and wagons; and a remarkable trove of photos and personal memorabilia from early 20th century race car driver Charles Merz. Internet live bidding will be available throughout the sale via LiveAuctioneers.

A small selection of antique and vintage advertising will open the event, with top items including a rare Digesto Gum vendor, a Mills 25-cent high-top slot machine and a pair of oversize Levis display jeans. An original, etched-glass window transom sign advertising the John Stephenson Co. – whose owner invented the rail streetcar – pre-dates the firm’s 1898 move to new premises in Elizabeth, New York.

An eye-catching collection that Mosby & Co.’s owner Keith Spurgeon sourced locally includes approximately one dozen salesmen’s samples. Most notable is the well-detailed sample of an 1873 federal double prison cell with corridor, made by Van Dorn Iron Works of Cleveland. Other samples include a children’s playground merry-go-round, and two adjoining turn of the 20th century school desks.

Petroliana collectors would know the name “Bowser,” which refers to Sylvanus F. Bowser of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bowser invented and marketed the first gasoline pump. Mosby & Co. will offer in its Nov. 16 sale a Bowser gas station oil tank that dispenses oil hydraulically by means of a hand crank. This rare survivor comes complete with its original oak carrying case.

The historical section casts a wide net with such disparate highlights as a pair of Japanese World War II “big-eye” naval binoculars, and a collection of mostly 19th-century ice skating items, including approximately 30 pairs of ice skates. A pair of all-original, circa-1860 Blondin skates carries a pre-Civil War patent.

An absolutely unique entry in the auction is the archive of car-racing memorabilia pertaining to Charles Merz (American, 1888-1952), who drove for the Stutz, National and Peugeot teams. “This is an archive that passed down through Merz’s family, and it includes material documenting the earliest period of car racing. Charles Merz began his racing career in 1905, at the age of seventeen,” said Spurgeon.

The Merz collection includes several hundred photos of races and racers, and spans the period from 1905 through the 1940s. Many of the photos are related to Indy 500 races, and some were autographed contemporaneously by the drivers. Almost all of the pictures are identified on verso. Additionally, the archive contains Merz’s canvas racing cap, goggles and an extremely rare Aug. 30, 1912 trophy cup from the Elgin, (Ill.) Road Race Association. In that particular event, Merz competed and won in a Stutz.

The McWhirter family, whose grandfather started a popcorn business with Cretors products in 1933, has retained a remarkable collection of popcorn wagons and popping machines. Among the wagons are a 1906 Model D that was restored in the 1980s and an extremely rare Model A, a deluxe wagon that requires restoration. Machines include one of only a few known examples of Cretors’ Model 401 twin popper, and a restored Eclipse floor machine. Both machines have peanut roasters built into their designs. Also, the collection includes a 1922 Ford Model T truck whose body was customized for use as a popcorn concession on wheels, and a 1962 Ford Thunderbird with only 77,000 original miles. The classic car was bought new and has remained in family ownership ever since.

A grouping of vintage clothing and jewelry will be followed by a large selection of 18th-century, primarily English furniture and accessories, and consists mostly of Georgian and Regency pieces. A pair of exquisite wall sconces with hand-cut eagles on the glass shades dates to around 1800.

Within the impressive ethnographic section of the sale are several fine Native-American artifacts and articles of memorabilia, including a circa-1790 Iroquois double-handle burl bowl that measures 15½ inches in diameter. A D.F. Barry cabinet card dating between 1884 and 1889 depicts seven Sioux warriors dressed for a ceremonial dance.

Two Japanese samurai helmets will be auctioned. One is crafted in the Zunari Kabuto style, 1550-1600, and retains its original “wakidate” (adornments shaped as wings). The other example, a Kabuto helmet dated 1718, was manufactured by Myochin Armorers.

Oceanic tribal items include a 19th-century ivory-inlaid Fijian “ula,” or throwing club; and a very nicely decorated Middle Sepik River (Papua New Guinea) suspension hook for hanging food.

From a well-known New York collection comes a Pre-Columbian carved wood Chancay (Peru) figure. It dates to 1000-1470 A.D.

The auction will conclude with more than 300 lots of antique and vintage toys, with the highlight being the only known complete example of Ives’ 1875-patent mechanical Revolving Mule Dancers. The selection also includes penny toys, hand-painted German toys, black “jiggers,” comic characters, and both American pressed steel and German tin automotive toys. Approximately 20 boxed monster model kits – several of them still sealed – will be offered, as well.

Mosby & Co.’s Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013 Fall Catalog Auction will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at the company’s gallery at 5714-A Industry Lane, Frederick, MD 21704. For additional information, call 240-629-8139 or e-mail keith@mosbyauctions.com.

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

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Early 20th century salesmen’s sample playground merry-go-round. Mosby & Co. image.

Lost In Space model kit in sealed box. Mosby & Co. image.
Lost In Space model kit in sealed box. Mosby & Co. image.
Selections from the Charles Merz car racing archive. Mosby & Co. image.
Selections from the Charles Merz car racing archive. Mosby & Co. image.
1906 Cretors Model D popcorn wagon from McWhirter family collection. Mosby & Co. image.
1906 Cretors Model D popcorn wagon from McWhirter family collection. Mosby & Co. image.
Extremely rare 18K gold patriotic hat buckle from Civil War period. Mosby & Co. image.
Extremely rare 18K gold patriotic hat buckle from Civil War period. Mosby & Co. image.
Zunari Kabuto helmet with original gilt-lacquer ‘wakidate,’ circa 1550-1600. Mosby & Co. image.
Zunari Kabuto helmet with original gilt-lacquer ‘wakidate,’ circa 1550-1600. Mosby & Co. image.
1875 Ives mechanical Revolving Mule Dancers, only known complete example. Mosby & Co. image.
1875 Ives mechanical Revolving Mule Dancers, only known complete example. Mosby & Co. image.
Circa-1800 glass wall sconces with hand-cut eagles. Mosby & Co. image.
Circa-1800 glass wall sconces with hand-cut eagles. Mosby & Co. image.

New Maya Lin sculpture headed to KC’s Nelson-Atkins museum

Sculptor Maya Lin. Photo by Walter Smith.

Sculptor Maya Lin. Photo by Walter Smith.
Sculptor Maya Lin. Photo by Walter Smith.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is preparing to install a Missouri River sculpture by architectural designer Maya Lin.

The museum says in a release that the artwork, “Silver Missouri,” is created from recycled silver. The sculpture was commissioned by the Nelson-Atkins and will be installed Nov. 15 in the Bloch Building.

Lin designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington in 1981.

She says much of her work focuses on the natural world. Silver Missouri is part of her river series, which Lin began in 2009 with Silver River, of the Colorado River. She says the Missouri River has “an amazing pattern and flow.”

Lin will speak at the museum on the installation day and is expected to ask audience members to share their memories of the Missouri River.

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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

Sculptor Maya Lin. Photo by Walter Smith.
Sculptor Maya Lin. Photo by Walter Smith.

Strokes’ drummer Moretti engages in interactive art

Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes onstage playing drums at Stubb's restaurant and live-music venue during SXSW in Austin, Texas; March 14, 2006. Photo by Matt, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.

Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes onstage playing drums at Stubb's restaurant and live-music venue during SXSW in Austin, Texas; March 14, 2006. Photo by Matt, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.
Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes onstage playing drums at Stubb’s restaurant and live-music venue during SXSW in Austin, Texas; March 14, 2006. Photo by Matt, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.
NEW YORK (AP) People listen — sometimes really carefully — to music, and Fabrizio Moretti, drummer of rock band The Strokes, certainly appreciates that. But, he says, it’s a one-way conversation.

Moretti yearned to have more of an artistic dialogue with the public, so he started one outside the Rag & Bone retail store in Soho, where he’s staged a sort of interactive pop-up art installation.

He put up a large display of removable half-religious saint-half-astronaut statuettes on a wall resembling a shrine and invited passers-by to take them. Some did, some didn’t. It was his version of a social experiment, he explained.

“I thought it was an interesting thing to see this struggle inside the viewer: Should they do something that’s — in a sense — wrong, but if they chose to do it, they’d be involved in this dialogue and exchange with me, and they could do it,” he said.

Sculpture isn’t new for Moretti, 33, who studied the subject at the State University of New York at New Paltz before he started touring. “I went to school for this,” he said, “but I’m new at sharing it with the public.”

The statues have been taken more quickly than he expected. He displayed them in a group of 24, and the plan was to keep the installation filled until Friday. Demand has surpassed output.

“Everything else has all come to a halt during this. You should see my apartment now,” he said. “I’m making them at home, and it’s an absolute mess.”

There’s still music to be made, and Moretti says he and his bandmates, who released the album “Comedown Machine” earlier this year, are working on new material. He says, though, that he may become one of those hyphenated types — an artist-slash-musician.

“I hate to sound jaded, but everything else has become routine and a business — that’s what the music industry has become to me — and I have to remind myself that creating is a privilege. Art has fueled creativity with a newfound fervor,” he said.

But his perch in front of Rag & Bone isn’t a sign that he’s taking on fashion, too. Designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville have no competition to fear, Moretti said with a laugh. “They’re cool, rad. But fashion design? I think I’d be terrible at that.”

___

Online:

http://www.thestrokes.com/us

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

Clars to auction extraordinary works of art Nov. 10

One of the finest works by Eugène de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843-1932) titled ‘The Proposal’ will be offered by Clars Aution Gallery. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
One of the finest works by Eugène de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843-1932) titled ‘The Proposal’ will be offered by Clars Aution Gallery. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
One of the finest works by Eugène de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843-1932) titled ‘The Proposal’ will be offered by Clars Aution Gallery. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.

OAKLAND, Calif. – On Sunday, Nov. 10, Clars Auction Gallery will bring to market an extraordinary offering of investment-level fine art, decorative arts, furnishings, jewelry and Asian antiques and art. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Featured at the sale will be one of the finest works by Eugène de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843-1932) titled, The Proposal. This lovely oil on canvas depicting a young man asking for his lady’s hand in marriage is estimated at $200,000-$300,000. Other impressive works by the following European artists will also be offered: Emilio Grau Sala, Jean Jansem, Albert Rieger, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Peder Mönsted, Charles H. van den Eycken, Robert Julius Beyschlag and Constantin Westchilof.

Important American artists will also be highlighted such as The Black Kimono by William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916). Originally from Chase’s personal collection, this grand portrait from his Kimono Series, which spans his period from the late 19th century through 1910, will be offered for $60,000 to $80,000. A spectacular painting by Louisiana artist Joseph Rusling Meeker (American, 1827-1889) titled Near the Atchafalaya, 1853, is estimated at $40,000 to $60,000.

California artists will have a very prominent presence in this sale beginning with an impressive painting of Yosemite by Thomas Hill (1829-1908). Hill’s dramatic style captures one of America’s most majestic sites in this painting—and was once part of the DeYoung Museum’s collection in San Francisco. The painting carries a $15,000-$25,000 estimate. A lovely rural scene by Maurice Braun (1877-1941) titled The Farm in Autumn will also be featured. The beautiful, seasonal palette of this composition is estimated at $12,000 to $18,000. Works by other notable artists such as Charles Sumner Price, Percy Gray, James Weeks, Hermann Herzog, Granville Redmond, William Pierce Stubbs, Antonio Jacobsen, Frederick MacMonnies, Robert Wood and Louis Comfort Tiffany will also be offered.

For photography collectors an impressive collection of works by Ansel Adams will be offered with provenance of equally impressive note. To commemorate their 100th anniversary in 1954, the American Trust Co. commissioned Adams to undertake a major historical project that consisted of photographing scenes of Northern California. This project cumulated into a book published by the American Trust Co., with text by Nancy Newhall, titled, The Pageant of History in Northern California, and consisted of 60 photographs by Ansel Adams printed on glossy paper. Clars Auction Gallery will present 18 photographs printed from the negatives of this landmark project taken by Adams of scenes ranging from the Golden Gate Bridge to fog looming over the Mendocino Coast. The 18 photographs will be offered as a set, which has a $18,000-$25,000 estimate. Other fine art photographers of note offered alongside the Adams collection will be Richard Avedon, Walker Evans, Bernice Abbott, Imogen Cunningham, Jerry Uelsmann, George Krause and Flor Garduno.

This category will bring to market highly desirable offerings in art glass, fine porcelain, Native American items, exceptional pieces from the Arts & Crafts era as well as exceptional sterling from the finest makers.

In art glass, a signed Daum Nancy vase with the Cross of Loraine, circa 1905, executed in the Art Nouveau taste, will be offered for $3,000 to $5,000. Two offerings from Rene Lalique include a circa 1919 Perruches vase and a Houbigant’s La Belle Saison perfume bottle, circa 1910. Both of these carry estimates of $2,000 to $4,000. In addition, more than 10 Emile Galle Art Nouveau cameo glass examples will be offered.

Turning from Art Nouveau to Arts & Crafts, this period will be richly represented with a selection of Stickley furniture, art pottery and an extraordinary timepiece. A Liberty & Co. Tudric clock by Archibald Knox, circa 1903, will be offered for $4,000 to $6,000. Rounding out this genre will be two Tiffany Studios lamps with shades both carrying an $8,000 to $12,000 estimate plus a rare Tiffany Studios Mermaid lamp base to be offered for $4,000 to $6,000.

Meissen and several Royal Vienna examples will highlight the Continental porcelain offerings with a monumental Royal Vienna urn, topping this group. Executed in hand-painted porcelain with a reserve depicting the portrait of “Unschuld” (Innocence), this urn measures 24 inches high by 16 inches in diameter and is estimated to bring $8,000-$12,000.

The sterling offerings will be exceptional and numbering well over 40 lots. Deaccessioned from the Honolulu Museum of Art is a beautiful Tiffany & Co. Paris sterling-gilt five-piece coffee and tea service estimated to achieve $4,000 to $6,000. A fine grouping of Continental silver beginning with an impressive Austro-Hungarian Renaissance Revival .800 silver 11-light candelabra, 1872-1922, standing 27 inches high, and weighing 15 pounds will be offered for $12,000 to $15,000.

From renowned sterling maker Georg Jensen there will be a Blossom pattern tea service, 1915-1927, (estimate $4,000 to $6,000) and several flatware services, one being a complete service for eight in the Pyramid pattern, with an estimate of $5,000 to $7,000. In addition, there will be two complete S. Kirk & Sons Repoussé and Baltimore Rose pattern services for 12 plus serving pieces.

The Native American collection includes basketry, pottery, totem poles, textiles, beadwork and concho belts. A rare monumental Pomo twined basketry storage bowl, possibly 19th century, having polychrome-decorated repeating geometric reserves, measures 19 inches high by 18 inches diameter by 27 inches wide. Also being offered is a Navajo transitional blanket, late 19th century.

Art Deco design will headline the fine jewelry category with an Art Deco jadeite and platinum ring expected to achieve $20,000, followed by a diamond and platinum bracelet that sports a 2.46-carat old European cut diamond, also estimated at $15,000 to $20,000.

The Asian category will feature a large collection of Chinese furniture including a Qing dynasty Chinese narrow side table (tiao’an) with ruyi head spandrels (estimate $10,000 to $20,000) and a pair of bamboo form horseshoe armchairs said to be made of huanghuali wood. The jade highlight in the auction is a Chinese Mughal-style covered censer carved with flowers in low relief and with an intricately pierced dome lid (estimate: $3,000 to $5,000). Also to be offered is a wide selection of monochrome and enameled ceramics, including a pair of Chinese porcelain bowls finely enameled with poppies from the late Qing/Republic period and bearing a Yongzheng mark (estimate $1,500 to $2,500).

And, when it’s all over, one lucky bidder will drive away in a very cool 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville with only 36,000 original miles. Its high estimate is $25,000.

For more information about Clars’ Nov. 10 fine art and antiques sale call 510-428-0100 or email: info@clars.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.

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

One of the finest works by Eugène de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843-1932) titled ‘The Proposal’ will be offered by Clars Aution Gallery. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
One of the finest works by Eugène de Blaas (Austrian/Italian, 1843-1932) titled ‘The Proposal’ will be offered by Clars Aution Gallery. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This signed oil on canvas titled ‘Black Kimono,’ circa 1903, by William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916) is an important work and will be offered for $60,000 to $80,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.  
This signed oil on canvas titled ‘Black Kimono,’ circa 1903, by William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916) is an important work and will be offered for $60,000 to $80,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.  
This spectacular painting by Louisiana artist Joseph Rusling Meeker (American, 1827-1889) titled ‘Near the Atchafalaya,’ 1853, is estimated to achieve $40,000 to $60,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This spectacular painting by Louisiana artist Joseph Rusling Meeker (American, 1827-1889) titled ‘Near the Atchafalaya,’ 1853, is estimated to achieve $40,000 to $60,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
‘Yosemite’ by Thomas Hill (1829-1908) reflects the artist’s dramatic style. Estimate: $15,000 to $25,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.  
‘Yosemite’ by Thomas Hill (1829-1908) reflects the artist’s dramatic style. Estimate: $15,000 to $25,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.  
This photo of the Golden Gate Bridge by Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) is one of a set of 18 gelatin silver prints to be offered. Estimate: $18,000 to $25,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This photo of the Golden Gate Bridge by Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) is one of a set of 18 gelatin silver prints to be offered. Estimate: $18,000 to $25,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This monumental 19th century Royal Vienna porcelain urn stands 24 inches high. Estimate: $8,000 to $12,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This monumental 19th century Royal Vienna porcelain urn stands 24 inches high. Estimate: $8,000 to $12,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This Austro-Hungarian Renaissance Revival .800 silver 11-light candelabra, 1872-1922, stands 27 inches high, weighs 15 pounds and will be offered for $12,000 to $15,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This Austro-Hungarian Renaissance Revival .800 silver 11-light candelabra, 1872-1922, stands 27 inches high, weighs 15 pounds and will be offered for $12,000 to $15,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This Qing Dynasty Chinese narrow side table with ruyi head spandrels is expected to achieve $10,000 to $20,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.
This Qing Dynasty Chinese narrow side table with ruyi head spandrels is expected to achieve $10,000 to $20,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.

Natchez Antiques Forum recalls Civil War occupation

The historic Melrose estate, at Natchez National Historical Park, an example of the city's antebellum Greek Revival architecture. Image by R. Stephens, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The historic Melrose estate, at Natchez National Historical Park, an example of the city's antebellum Greek Revival architecture. Image by R. Stephens, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The historic Melrose estate, at Natchez National Historical Park, an example of the city’s antebellum Greek Revival architecture. Image by R. Stephens, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) – In 1863, like much of the South, Natchez was deep in the throes of the Civil War.

The Union Army had come up the Mississippi River, the home front had become the front lines for a brief moment, and then the city had become a Union-occupied territory.

Unlike other parts of the South, that occupation wasn’t notably violent and didn’t result in the destruction of huge swaths of the city.

Instead, Union officers occupied Natchez’s grand homes for a time and even became to some degree part of the city’s social scene.

The Pilgrimage Garden Club’s 36th Natchez Antiques Forum will explore that history Nov. 7-9 with the program “On the Home Front: Antiques Behind Union Lines.”

“The forum has to do with the Yankees coming in, and when they did, they only burned down two houses here,” forum founder Jeanette Feltus said. “Whenever the people had parties here, they always invited the Union generals so they wouldn’t burn our houses, and it worked.”

Because this year’s forum happens during the sesquicentennial of the Union occupation of Natchez, the theme “kind of fell together,” forum chair Donna Callaway said.

The Natchez Antiques Forum is one of the nation’s longest-running antiques forums. Every year it has a different focus, but always centers on a Southern theme.

Over the course of three days, attendees have the opportunity to hear presentations by experts about history and antiques and to take tours and attend social events related to the forum.

Keeping with this year’s Civil War theme, the forum will have presentations by Ulysses Dietz, the great-great-grandson of the Union general and later President Ulysses S. Grant; and Bertram Hayes-Davis, the great-great grandson of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America.

“We have representatives from both sides of the war, and have sort of come full circle,” Callaway said.

Dietz is senior curator at the Newark Museum and a member of the family of the Dietz Lighting Co. He will make a presentation, “Lighting the North and the South,” which will discuss his family’s company and its role during the Civil War.

Hayes-Davis is executive director of Beauvoir, the Davis family’s post-Civil War home in Biloxi, and will deliver a lecture titled, “Mrs. Dorsey’s Beauvoir: Home of Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Davis.”

On Nov. 7, the forum will take a tour to Woodville to visit Rosemont, Jefferson Davis’ boyhood home. The tour will also visit two other homes in Woodville and will visit St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, which has in one wall a plaque noting that Jefferson Davis’ mother was baptized there.

Upon returning to Natchez, the tour will visit the grave of Natchez native Sarah Dorsey, donated Beauvoir to Davis after the war, and will visit Magnolia Hall, which houses a piece of furniture that was in Beauvoir at the time it was donated to Davis.

The tour will end at The Briars, where Davis was married.

The discussions of other lectures during the forum will center on the Fort McPherson area of Natchez, the north side of the city where the Union occupation was concentrated, Callaway said.

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Online:

Natchez Garden Club, http://www.natchezgardenclub.com

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Information from: The Natchez Democrat, http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/

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

AP-WF-10-31-13 0820GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The historic Melrose estate, at Natchez National Historical Park, an example of the city's antebellum Greek Revival architecture. Image by R. Stephens, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The historic Melrose estate, at Natchez National Historical Park, an example of the city’s antebellum Greek Revival architecture. Image by R. Stephens, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Giant yellow duck a collateral casualty of Taiwan quake

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck captivated Aussies during its tenure in Sydney Harbour earlier this year. Image by Eva Rinaldi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck captivated Aussies during its tenure in Sydney Harbour earlier this year. Image by Eva Rinaldi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant rubber duck captivated Aussies during its tenure in Sydney Harbour earlier this year. Image by Eva Rinaldi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.
TAIPEI (AFP) – A giant yellow duck on display in Taiwan became a high-profile victim of Thursday’s earthquake after it deflated before exploding during an attempt to reinflate it, officials said Friday.

The 18-meter-tall (59-feet) duck in northern Taoyuan county began to deflate when an air pump went off during a power outage triggered by the 6.3-magnitude quake on Thursday night.

The earthquake shook buildings in the capital Taipei and across much of Taiwan, sending panicked residents running for shelter, although only a few minor injuries and little damage were reported.

However, organizers were forced to suspend the exhibit of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant bath-toy replica, after powerful winds caused the duck’s rear end to burst while it was being re-inflated on Friday morning, rendering it a flattened yellow disc floating on a pond.

Officials said the damage would be difficult to repair and they were planning to borrow another Hofman-designed duck commissioned by Kaohsiung city government, which attracted four million visitors during a one-month display in the southern port earlier this year.

The duck in Kaohsiung — a slightly larger version of the one that captivated Hong Kong recently — was temporarily deflated and lifted to land as a safety precaution when the powerful Typhoon Usagi pounded the island in September.

Since 2007 the original duck designed by Hofman — which is 16.5 meters tall — has travelled to 13 cities in nine countries, including Brazil and Australia, on its journey around the world.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck captivated Aussies during its tenure in Sydney Harbour earlier this year. Image by Eva Rinaldi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant rubber duck captivated Aussies during its tenure in Sydney Harbour earlier this year. Image by Eva Rinaldi, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic license.