This is known as the Grand Watermelon Note because the large zeros resemble watermelons. Heritage Auctions image. DALLAS â The rarest and most famous of all U.S. currency notes, the legendary 1890 $1,000 treasury note, popularly referred to as the âGrand Watermelon noteâ â due to the design of the large zeroes on the reversed side of the bill, resembling watermelons â became the single most valuable piece of currency in existence when it sold for $3,290,000 on Friday, far exceeding its pre-auction estimate of $2 million.
It was sold by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions as part of the companyâs Florida United Numismatics Convention Rare Currency Auction in Orlando. The sale was part of a series of auctions the firm conducted last week that have grossed more than $105 million total, the largest numismatic auction in history.
The last time this note was offered at auction was in 1970, where it brought $11,000.
âThis note is an icon of American financial history â and is the only known example in private hands â we knew something extraordinary was possible,â said Dustin Johnston, director of rare currency at Heritage Auctions. âCollectors knew this was not a chance that was going to come around again anytime soon, and they bid accordingly. The result being that this beautiful little piece of paper is now the most valuable of its kind in the world and has a new chapter to add to its legend.â
The note sold to a private collector who wished to remain anonymous.
Also topping the seven-figure mark in the auction was a unique 1882 $500 Gold Certificate, which was also the subject of spirited bidding before it finished at $1,410,000.
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This is known as the Grand Watermelon Note because the large zeros resemble watermelons. Heritage Auctions image.This 1890 $1,000 U.S. Treasury note is considered the most valuable piece of currency in the world, having sold for a record $3.29 million. Heritage Auctions image.
Anna Wintour at the Twenty8Twelve fashion show in London, September 22, 2009. Source: Anna Wintour & Alexa Chung. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.NEW YORKâThomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that the Museum will designate the space occupied by The Costume Institute as the Anna Wintour Costume Center. The complex has been completely redesigned and renovated and will reopen on May 8 with the inaugural exhibition Charles James: Beyond Fashion. The Anna Wintour Costume Center will house the Departmentâs exhibition galleries, library, conservation laboratory, research areas, and offices. The curatorial department itself will continue to be called The Costume Institute.
âAnna Wintourâs extraordinary advocacy and fundraising have made this state-of-the-art space a reality,â said Daniel Brodsky, the Museumâs Chairman. âShe has the rare ability to rally diverse groups across a wide range of industries to support The Costume Institute so it can educate and inspire visitors from around the world.â
âThrough her bold leadership at the helm of the annual Costume Institute Benefit plus other significant fundraising, Anna has helped us realize a place where The Costume Institute can move into the future with the latest technology for creating immersive, cutting-edge exhibitions, developing new techniques for object conservation, and designing a customized collection storage facility,â said Mr. Campbell. âHer interest in our mission has allowed us to rise to new levels of growth and prominence. She is an exceptional benefactor, advocate, and friend.â
The Anna Wintour Costume Center will include The Costume Instituteâs 4,200-square-foot main showcase â the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery â which features a flexible design that lends itself to frequent transformation, a zonal sound system, innovative projection technology, and wireless connectivity. The Center also includes the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery, which will orient visitors to The Costume Instituteâs exhibitions and holdings; a state-of-the-art costume conservation laboratory; an expanded study/storage facility that will house the combined holdings of the Met and the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection; and The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, one of the worldâs foremost fashion libraries.
Funding for the renovation also includes a landmark gift of $10 million from Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch along with $1 million commitments from Janet and Howard Kagan and the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation.
The Costume Institute was previously refurbished in 1992. The last exhibition in its galleries was blog.mode: addressing fashion which closed in April 2008. The Charles James exhibition will also be on view in the Museumâs first-floor exhibition galleries from May 8 through August 10.
Founded in 1937 as The Museum of Costume Art, it was incorporated and renamed as The Costume Institute and became a part of the Metropolitan Museum in 1946. It now contains a collection of fashionable dress and regional costumes from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, dating from the 17th century to the present. In January 2009, The Brooklyn Museum transferred its costume collection, amassed over more than a century, to The Costume Institute, where it is known as the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The combined collection of more than 35,000 pieces constitutes one of the largest, most comprehensive costume collections in the world, offering an unrivaled timeline of Western fashion history.
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Anna Wintour at the Twenty8Twelve fashion show in London, September 22, 2009. Source: Anna Wintour & Alexa Chung. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
This 11th century yellow sandstone statue of the deity Rajasthan is in the collection of the Museum fur Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem. May 2006 photo by Gryffindor. NEW YORK (AFP) â The United States returned to India Tuesday three ancient sculptures that had fallen into the hands of traffickers, following a month of tense ties triggered by the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.
Relations between India and the United States were strained last month after authorities arrested Devyani Khobragade, a New York consular official, over treatment of her domestic servant.
In a deal between the two countries, Khobragade was allowed to return to India last week just as a grand jury indicted her on two counts.
India’s consul general in New York, Dnyaneshwar Mulay, refused to acknowledge any link between the issues.
But he expressed deep gratitude to U.S. authorities for the return of the sculptures and hailed what he called strong bilateral ties.
James Dinkins, executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations, also thanked India for its âexcellent cooperation.”
“The excellent international cooperation between the United States and India led to the recovery and return of these priceless antiquities,” Dinkins said.
“The pilfering of a nation’s cultural patrimony cannot and will not be tolerated.”
The sandstone sculptures, dating from the 11th or 12th century, are worth an estimated $1.5 million, had been offered for sale in the United States, officials said.
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This 11th century yellow sandstone statue of the deity Rajasthan is in the collection of the Museum fur Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem. May 2006 photo by Gryffindor.
A hallway view of the John Penrose home shows some of the furnishings that will be sold at the Dreweatts & Bloomsbury auction Jan. 28-29. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image. NEWBURY, England â An eclectic selection of interior antiques belonging to art and antiques dealer John Penrose will be sold at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions Donnington Priory saleroom in their two-day âInteriors, Glass and Ceramicsâ sale on Tuesday, Jan. 28, and Wednesday, Jan. 29. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding both days.
A striking pair of antler electroliers, in the 19th century style, is among the varied private collection belonging to Penrose. At the turn of the century, electroliers quickly replaced gasoliers as electricity began to light the homes of Britain. In an 1891 book Mrs J.E.H Gordon described this new lighting as: âshowing up every wrinkle and line in the face. No one over the age of 18 should be asked to sit beneath such a light!â The pair of electroliers is estimated to achieve ÂŁ500-ÂŁ700 [Lot 286].
Penrose describes his personal taste as âwide-ranging,â as can be seen from in the pieces offered in the sale. From the Georgian period is a mahogany dressing table produced in the manner of Gillows of London and Lancaster. Gillows, founded by Robert Gillow in 1730, developed a national and then international reputation for quality furniture, outlasting the famous furniture producers of the time, Chippendale and Sheraton. The table, circa 1825, is estimated at ÂŁ600-ÂŁ800 [Lot 328].
Penrose has been collecting and dealing in art and antiques for more than 50 years, while writing about and advising clients on the renovation and decoration of period homes. His art gallery, The Dollar Street Gallery, was based in a Georgian townhouse in Cirencester. As chairman of UK-based charity The Discerning Eye since 2007, Penrose currently supports the organization in its aim to encourage a wider understanding and appreciation of the visual arts.
Elsewhere in the sale, from a separate collection, is an early 19th century chamberlainâs Worcester armorial part dessert service from Nunney Court, formerly the residence of Rob Walker, owner of Formula Oneâs highly successful Rob Walker Racing team. The service, circa 1800, is estimated at ÂŁ2,500-ÂŁ3,500 [Lot 22].
A hallway view of the John Penrose home shows some of the furnishings that will be sold at the Dreweatts & Bloomsbury auction Jan. 28-29. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.
Crate of 20 Model 1884 .45/.70 caliber âtrapdoorâ rifles previously purchased from Montana National Guard, $34,800. Morphy Auctions image.
DENVER, Pa. â Morphyâs Jan. 11 Firearms sale, anchored by a fine 35-year private collection, grossed $1.8 million and was 100% sold, according to the central Pennsylvania auction companyâs CEO, Dan Morphy. Two desirable Colt pistols shared top-lot honors in the 633-lot sale, knocking down $96,000 each. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 20% buyerâs premium.
âWe knew from the amount of interest shown prior to the sale that it would probably end up being our most successful Firearms sale ever, and thatâs exactly what happened,â said Morphy. âThere were 2,800 registered bidders, 150 of them in the gallery, which was standing room only. Several of the countryâs biggest firearms buyers were bidding, either in person or over the phones, and there were more Internet bidders [through LiveAuctioneers] than weâve ever had for any Morphyâs gun sale. If I could describe their bidding style as a whole, Iâd say it was very confident. Itâs been our experience that whenever genuinely rare firearms appear in the marketplace, bidders donât hesitate. They go for it.â
And âgo for itâ they did when Lot 146, a Colt production Model 1909 .45 caliber trial pistol, #11 of only 22 manufactured, opened for bidding. Accompanied by a Colt letter of authenticity, it soared to an above-estimate final price of $96,000. A second Colt .45 pistol, entered as Lot 162 and described as a âvery early production with Serial #10 and United States Property on the frame,â also achieved $96,000, easily surpassing its $10,000-$20,000 estimate.
Making it a Colt trifecta at the top of prices realized, a Colt production Model 1910 9.8mm test pistol, the first of only four produced for government trials, was offered together with a very scarce box of 9.8mm Colt ammunition. Entered as Lot 147, it secured a winning bid of $90,000.
Lot 154, a .45 caliber Singer .45 caliber pistol was marked âUS Propertyâ and âModel 1911A1 U.S. Army.â A rare gun to find on the open market, it sold for $78,000 against an estimate of $15,000-$25,000.
Lot 396, a New Haven Arms production lever-action .41 caliber carbine â a short musket or rifle historically used by cavalry â exhibited a pre-Civil War magazine-loader design that influenced later Henry and Winchester lever-action rifles and carbines. âFirearms of this type are very rarely encountered on the market,â said Morphy Auctionsâ general manager, Kris Lee. That statement was borne out by the price realized: $40,800 against an estimate of $15,000-$25,000. Another noteworthy rifle of the antebellum era was Lot 301, a rare Smith-Jennings .54 caliber model with a serial number of 115, achieved $34,800 â more than three times its high estimate.
Lot 389, a handsome Winchester 1886 45/90 caliber WCF Sporting Rifle with a full magazine in its octagon barrel, retained a Winchester letter of authentication and sold well above estimate for $16,200.
A Webley World War I production of the Webley-Fosbery Model 1914 .455 caliber Cordite automatic revolver was entered as Lot 114 and came with a leather holster engraved âGlen C. Holland, Gordon Highlanders,â referring to the famous Scottish Highlands regiment. Estimated at $8,000-$10,000, the antique weapon reached $18,000 at auction.
An unusual entry, Lot 305 consisted of an original armory crate containing 20 Model 1884 âtrapdoorâ rifles with bayonets in very good to fine condition. The consignor had purchased the crate of weapons from the Montana National Guard. It was offered complete with inserts used to protect the firearms during shipment. The lot was bid to an above-estimate price of $34,800.
âWe were extremely pleased with the response to this sale,â said Kris Lee. âBuyers drove and flew in three weeks prior to the sale to preview the collection privately. The week of the auction was so busy we had to race to keep up with the requests for condition reports, questions and showings. It was a great sign that the sale was going to be a success.â
Lee said that after the event concluded, the feedback was âoverwhelmingly positiveâŠMany buyers were first-time bidders with us, and they were impressed with our operation and the quality of what we were selling.â
Morphy Auctionsâ next Firearms sale will be held on July 19, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers. Consignments will be accepted until May 12. For additional information, contact Kris Lee at Morphy Auctions by calling 717-335-4570 or emailing kris@morphyauctions.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog for Morphy’s Jan. 11 Firearms sale, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Crate of 20 Model 1884 .45/.70 caliber âtrapdoorâ rifles previously purchased from Montana National Guard, $34,800. Morphy Auctions image.
New Haven Arms production lever-action .42 caliber Volcanic carbine, pre-Civil War magazine loader, $40,800. Morphy Auctions image.
Smith-Jennings .54 caliber rifle, pre-Civil War, $34,800. Morphy Auctions image.
Webley-Fosbery Model 1914 .455 caliber Cordite automatic revolver previously owned by a member of the Gordon Highlanders regiment (Scotland), $18,000. Morphy Auctions image.
Winchester production of the Model 1866 .45/.90 caliber WCF Sporting Rifle, with Winchester letter of authenticity, $16,200. Morphy Auctions image.
Colt production Model 1909 .45 caliber trial pistol, Serial #11 of 22 made, with Colt letter of authenticity, $96,000. Morphy Auctions image.Colt production Model 1911 .45 caliber pistol, Serial #10, marked âUnited States Property,â with Colt letter of authenticity, $96,000. Morphy Auctions image.Singer production Model 1911A1 .45 caliber pistol, marked âUS Property,â $78,000. Morphy Auctions image.
The Mount Washington Observatory summit weather station coated in a thick layer of rime ice, which forms when fog freezes. With an average annual temperature of just 27 degrees and cloud cover two-thirds of the time, Mount Washington has prolific rime icing much of the year. Mount Washington Observatory image. NORTH CONWAY, N.H. (AP) â The Mount Washington Observatory plans to show its renovated museum on the New Hampshire mountaintop in June.
Extreme Mount Washington will show visitors what winter’s like at the mountain. Through hands-on, high-tech exhibits, the museum will present a sampling of the âWorld’s Worst Weather.â
Designed by Jeff Kennedy Associates of Somerville, Mass., the new museum will feature a user-controlled flat-panel display showing âclear dayâ views from the summit in all seasons; an interactive Snowcat simulator; and a recreation of the 1930s observatory, including the anemometer used to record the famous 231 mph wind.
Exhibit components are being constructed this winter, and will be transported to the summit for installation as soon as the Mount Washington Auto Road opens this spring.
âThe new educational experience will share the science and excitement of this incredible place to guests of all ages in a modern, interactive format,â observatory executive director Scot Henley said. âIt will be a showpiece for Mount Washington Observatory, Mt. Washington State Park, and the greater White Mountains region.”
Nearly $1 million has been raised for the project through more than 400 foundations, corporations, and individual Mount Washington Observatory members, donors and fans from across the country.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-01-11-14 1425GMT
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The Mount Washington Observatory summit weather station coated in a thick layer of rime ice, which forms when fog freezes. With an average annual temperature of just 27 degrees and cloud cover two-thirds of the time, Mount Washington has prolific rime icing much of the year. Mount Washington Observatory image.Mount Washington Observatory uses a 2-ton snowcat to access the peak in winter. The new museum will feature a snowcat simulator that invites summer visitors to ‘pilot’ the vehicle up the mountain. Each of these photos portrays the winter experience, which Extreme Mount Washington will convey to summer visitors. Mount Washington Observatory image.A Mount Washington Observatory scientist knocks ice off the instrument tower. The observatory station could not exist without staff, as the fragile instruments would be quickly destroyed without people to maintain them in the extreme conditions. Mount Washington Observatory image.Summit visitors lean into the wind on the observation deck. The summit of Mount Washington experiences hurricane force winds about every other day on average during the winter, and winds at or about 100 miles per hour about every fourth day on average in the winter. Mount Washington Observatory image.
Claude Monet, ‘Path in the Wheat Fields at Pourville,’ 1882. Bequest of Frederic C. Hamilton.
DENVER â The Denver Art Museum announced Monday the largest gift ever given to the museum. Denver-based philanthropist Frederic C. Hamilton, the museumâs chairman emeritus, bequeathed 22 impressionist masterworks from his private collection to the museum.
The artworks are currently on view at the museum in âNature as Muse: Impressionist Landscapes from the Frederic C. Hamilton Collection and the Denver Art Museum,â part of the trio of exhibitions in âPassport to Paris.â This presentation, on view through Feb. 9, is the first time the collection has been exhibited publicly.
This capstone gift marks 35 years of Hamiltonâs generous giving to the museum. Over the years, Hamilton has supported numerous endeavors and exhibitions, including the groundbreaking 2012 exhibition âBecoming Van Gogh,â and leading the fundraising effort for the $110 million Hamilton Building.
âThe addition of these paintings to the Denver Art Museum collection is a pivotal moment in this institutionâs history,â said Christoph Heinrich, museum director. âFrederic Hamiltonâs generosity, vision and commitment to making Denver a destination for art are unparalleled and have forever changed the museumâs ability to deliver world-class exhibitions and programs.â
The addition of these 22 works elevates the museumâs holdings of impressionist works to one of the best in the Western United States.
âCollecting these paintings has been a joy for the past four decades and I am happy to know that future generations of visitors to the Denver Art Museum will be able to enjoy them as much as I have,â Hamilton said. âIt is my hope that this gift will make the museumâs collection an even greater resource to everyone who lives in or visits our great city.â
Hamilton served as chairman of the Denver Art Museum board of trustees from 1994â2013 and played a pivotal role in the successful expansion of the museum campus with the 146,000-square-foot addition by Daniel Libeskind, which opened in 2006. The building, which bears Hamiltonâs name, will house the collection in a dedicated installation space when the works arrive permanently.
Throughout his tenure, Hamilton has spearheaded two major endowment campaigns for the Denver Art Museum, growing those assets to more than $100 million. In addition to his contribution and support of the Hamilton Building, he also led a multi-million dollar renovation of the North Building in 1997 that resulted in the reinstallation of the American and European art and western American art collection galleries.
A pioneer in Americaâs oil industry, Hamilton founded Hamilton Oil Corp. in the late 1960s, built it into an international oil company and also formed a domestic gas company, both of which he merged into a major integrated oil company in the mid-1980s. He is now chairman of Hamilton Companies LLC, which is active in venture capital, private equity, oil and gas, real estate and acquisitions operations. He is on the National Petroleum Council and a director of the American Petroleum Institute. In addition to his commitment to the DAM, Hamilton serves as a member of the Trusteeâs Council of the National Gallery of Art and trustee emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution, both in Washington, D.C.
Claude Monet, ‘Path in the Wheat Fields at Pourville,’ 1882. Bequest of Frederic C. Hamilton.Eugene Boudin, ‘Le Havre, Anchored Vessels in the Harbor,’ about 1868-1872. Bequest of Frederic C. Hamilton.Vincent van Gogh, ‘Edge of a Wheat Field with Poppies,’ 1887. Bequest of Frederic C. Hamilton.
Emile Munierm, âPortrait de Marie-Louise.â Midwest Auction Galleries image. OXFORD, Mich. â Midwest Auction Galleries will hold its most important auction to date Saturday, Jan. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The main feature of this auction is renowned French painter Ămile Munierâs Portrait de Marie-Louise, an oil painting depicting the artist’s daughter, conserved and authenticated.
Asian works include a Qing dynasty full-tip rhinoceros horn carving, porcelain and bronze vessels, Indo-Persian swords, carved jade, agate, jadeite and ivory items.
The remainder of the auction is composed of an eclectic mix of fine art, antiques and collectibles, including a vintage 1952 Moss midget racer, a Rault Art Deco leaded glass table screen, an African Congo Kuba Bwoom mask and a jewelerâs electric store sign.
For details phone 248-236-8100 or email sales@midwestauctioninc.com.
Amy Park, ‘Concrete and Glass Midtown East,’ watercolor on paper, 32 x 22 inches. Copyright Griffin Gallery. LONDON â West Londonâs Griffin Gallery is challenging the traditional preconceptions of watercolor in their new exhibition âWater + Colour,â running from Feb. 13 to March 14.
From award-winners to international exhibitors, nine artists from major institutions all over the world have been hand picked by Becca Pelly-Fry, director of the Griffin Gallery, to showcase new contemporary techniques in watercolor. This selling group exhibition showcases work using the breadth and variety of contemporary water-based color, including ink, watercolor and acrylic.
Watercolor is often seen as a difficult and unpredictable medium, best suited to delicate landscape paintings, mainly due to its translucency and ability to portray light. Educated at some of the best art institutions in the world, from the Royal College of Art to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, these artists have reworked this much-misunderstood medium to create surprising and spectacular contemporary artwork in a range of styles.
âWater + Colourâ brings together accomplished and talented artists of all ages. American artists Kim McCarty, exhibitor in the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Laura Ball, who has work in the Denver Art Museum; Amy Park, an art scholar from the School of Art Institute of Chicago; and Emilie Clark, who won a residency at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, come together with UK artists including; Peter Haslam-Fox, winner of the UKâs Young Artists Award; Barbara Nicholls, exhibitor in collections across London, Milan and Berlin; Freya Douglas-Morris, exhibitor in Italy, Spain and Germany and Stephanie Tuckwell, first prize winner for watercolors at the Royal West of England Academy for âWater + Colour.â Griffin Gallery is also showing the abstract work of Alf Löhr, an established German artist based mainly in London and recently appointed as a senior fellow at the University of Wales Institute of Cardiff.
âGriffin Gallery is proud to be inviting such a range of watercolor artists to exhibit their work. We are interested in demonstrating the properties of watercolor, and showing what is possible with the medium,â said Becca Pelly-Fry, whis is also curator of the exhibition. âThese artists all exhibit great skill and dexterity with a medium that is traditionally seen as very difficult to master. What I like about the work on show here is that each artist really uses and makes the most of the unique qualities of watercolor.â
The exhibition premiered in New York at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (February 22âMay 22, 2013) and is currently on view at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center through February 16, 2014. It will be presented in Singapore at the CCAâNTU Centre for Contemporary Art, a national research center of the Nanyang Technological University, located within a cluster of international art galleries at Gillman Barracks, Block 43 Malan Road, from May 10, 2014, to July 20, 2014.
