Massive Chinese blue and white porcelain jar. I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers image. BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers will hold an Asian arts, antiques and estates auction Sunday, Feb. 9, beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate live auction bidding.
Featured among the well over 500 lots to be sold are:
– A collection of old and antique Chinese and Japanese ivories, from two Orange County estates;
– Carved jades, Chinese snuff bottles, and carved netsuke (including erotic) from a Beverly Hills collection;
– Early Chinese ceramics, together with Asian decorations and artwork from the Jack Willis Trust;
– A Midwest estate, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics, bronzes, scholars’ pieces, and bead jewelry;
– Numerous Chinese scrolls, together with Japanese artwork from various American collections.
For details contact I.M. Chait Gallery / Auctioneers at 310-285-0182 or email chait@chait.com.
Rare and monumental Chinese painted pottery figural group of a Bactrian camel, probably Tang Dynasty (618-907). Estimate: $40,000-$60,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
NEW ORLEANS – Neal Auction Co.’s annual Important Winter Estates Auction, scheduled this year for Feb. 8-9 is highlighted by many major works from nearly every collecting category.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. Saturday’s session will begin at 10 a.m. Central; Sunday’s at 11 a.m.
Chinese works in Neal Auction’s February auction are numerous and include porcelain, pottery, furniture, textiles, bronzes and jade. Lot 255, a Tang Dynasty (618-907) camel consigned by a Florida collector, should attract the interest from Chinese and Western collectors alike. The large, expressive camel is expected to achieve between $40,000 and $60,000.
Among the other Chinese lots in the auction that should draw collector interest is a group of furniture from the Miami estate of restaurateur Luo Yapquan. A highlight from that collection is lot 621, a pair of extensively carved low-back armchairs, which bears a modest estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.
Included in the two-day auction is lot 449, an important canvas by the critically acclaimed regionalist/American Scene artist John McCrady (Mississippi, 1911-1968). Neal Auction’s forthcoming McCrady work titled August Evening is a powerful, evocative and environmentally visionary image featuring a still-life of borrowed objects from the sea, the earth and the artist, himself, set on a Grand Isle, Louisiana, shoreline. As in other important works, such as Sic Transit, the artist poignantly portrays man and nature in a state of delicate coexistence. Estimated at $50,000 to $70,000, August Evening should attract considerable attention nationwide.
Lot 454, an early French harbor scene created by French born artist Marie Adrien Persac (French/Louisiana, 1823-1873) prior to his immigrating to Louisiana in 1842, should generate interest from Persac collectors around the world. Neal Auction’s meticulously painted watercolor invites comparison to the artist’s later view of the Port of New Orleans, now conserved at the Historic New Orleans Collection. The Persac watercolor, View of a French Harbor, carries a presale auction estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.
Included in the February auction is a select group of important photographs consigned by New Orleans artist Charles Fritchie. Featured in the Fritchie collection is lot 501, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, the iconic image by Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984). Works by Adams, which capture the wild, untamed beauty of the American landscape, garner attention from collectors and museums around the country. Neal Auction’s photograph is estimated to bring $25,000 to $35,000. Two Shells, a 1970s Cole Weston (American, 1919-2003) print of a 1927 negative by his father, Edward Weston (American, 1886-1958), should attract bidder interest as well. Images of natural forms are among the most revered of Edward Weston’s photographic series and Neal Auction’s Two Shells will be no exception. The print is being offered as lot 507 with a presale auction estimate of $1,500 to $2,500.
Other lots from the Fritchie photography collection include lot 502, an Ansel Adams print titled Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada (from Lone Pine, Calif.); lot 508, a Walker Evans (American 1904-1975) print of a Depression Worker; and lots 509, 510 and 511; three 1960s prints by Jerry Uelsmann.
John Gould’s (English, 1804-1881) five-volume set of The Birds of Great Britain will be offered in Neal Auction’s February auction as lot 20. In terms of artistry, the set is considered “the culmination of [Gould’s] … genius” (Isabella Tree, The Ruling Passion of John Gould, London, 1991); in its writings, it demonstrates a great deal of environmental foresight. Describing the “Golden Eagle,” Gould writes: “as civilization advances, this noble bird, the lord of our ancient forest, will either become extirpated or driven to seek an asylum in parts of the country where nature still preserves a savage aspect … We should not have occasion to lament the gradual disappearance of this noble bird.”
Gould published the book himself, producing only some 750 copies, which remain much sought after as complete volumes and as individual plates. Neal Auction’s five-volume set – still in its original bindings – is expected to achieve $35,000 to $55,000.
Neal Auction’s Important Winter Estates auction includes period English furniture and decorative objects from the collection of a noted antiquarian. Highlights are lots 113, a George III mahogany breakfront, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000; 223, a pair of George III mahogany armchairs estimated at $8,000 to $12,000; and 218, a pair of circa 1833 Georgian 18-inch library globes by Smith, estimated at $25,000 to $35,000.
American furniture highlights include lot 307, a circa 1845 rosewood portfolio cabinet on stand attributed to J and J. W. Meeks, which carries a $4,000 to $6,000 presale estimate. The piece was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in their landmark exhibition “Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825-1861,” curated by John K. Howat and Catherine Hoover Voorsanger.
For details email clientservices@nealauction.com or phone 504-899-5329.
Rare and monumental Chinese painted pottery figural group of a Bactrian camel, probably Tang Dynasty (618-907). Estimate: $40,000-$60,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
John Gould (English, 1804-1881), ‘The Birds of Great Britain,’ 5 vols., [1862]-1873. Estimate: $25,000-$35,0000. Neal Auction Co. image.
Extensive Durgin ‘Iris’ pattern sterling silver flatware service of 12. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
Pair of Georgian 18-Inch library globes, circa 1833, by Smith, London. Estimate: $25,000-$35,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
John Frederick Herring Jr. (English, 1815-1907), ‘English Hunt Scene,’ oil on canvas. Estimate:$50,000-$75,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
Fine Chinese Western Zhou-style creamy white jade vase and cover, probably Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
Rare Shearwater Pottery jardiniere, circa 1940, thrown by Peter Anderson and decorated by James McConnell ‘Mac’ Anderson, 26 3/4 inches high. Estimate: $15,000-$25,000. Neal Auction Co. image.
The “I’ll Knock a Homer For You” baseball autographed by Babe Ruth and inscribed by five other New York Yankees. Grey Flannel Auctions image.
WESTHAMPTON, N.Y. – The “Little” Johnny Sylvester collection, a unique family-owned archive documenting one of the most famous stories in baseball history, will be auctioned on February 6. The centerpiece of the collection is the baseball Babe Ruth signed and sent to Sylvester, a gravely ill 11-year-old boy, together with a promise to “knock a homer” for him. As history would show, the young fan made a remarkable recovery after receiving the baseball and learning that Ruth had kept his promise.
Perhaps the most publicized baseball of all time, it was autographed by Ruth and inscribed with the words “I’ll Knock A Homer For You” on one of the panels. Five other New York Yankees also autographed and inscribed the ball.
The story of Little Johnny was embraced by the media and struck a chord with all Americans, not just sports fans. Shortly before October 6, 1926, Babe Ruth and the Yankees sent the signed baseball to Little Johnny, who was hospitalized near his home in Essex Falls, New Jersey. The youngster had been seriously injured after falling off a horse and being accidentally kicked in the head. Learning of the incident and Sylvester’s devotion to the Yankees, the team sent the baseball to Sylvester from St. Louis, where they were playing the Cardinals in the 1926 World Series.
“Ruth had promised to hit a home run for Little Johnny and, amazingly enough, he hit not one, but three homers in Game 4 of the Series. It was the first time Ruth had ever belted three in a game, and in so doing, he became first player to do so in a World Series,” said Richard E. Russek, president of Grey Flannel Auctions, the company producing the auction.
The young patient’s spirits were lifted by the gesture, and three days later (Game 6), Ruth sent a hand-written letter stating he would try to hit another homer for Johnny, “maybe two.” The day after Game 7, October 11, 1926, Ruth personally visited the youngster in Essex Falls. On December 16, 1926, Ruth penned another letter to the boy, inquiring about his recovery and inviting him to Yankee Stadium for the 1927 World Series “to help win another pennant.”
Ruth wasn’t the era’s only sports star to reach out to the ailing Sylvester. “Big Bill” Tilden, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, sent Johnny three hand-written letters, wishing him well, and even sent the boy an autographed tennis racquet he had used in the U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open).
Hall of Fame halfback “Red” Grange, a friend of Ruth’s, also sent a letter to the kid, promising to score a touchdown just for him. In his letter, Grange invited Johnny and his father to a game, and also gifted the boy with an autographed football.
The Little Johnny Sylvester collection, which includes all of the aforementioned items, was on loan to the Babe Ruth Museum for more than 25 years and comes to auction directly from its owner, John Sylvester Jr.
Grey Flannel has auctioned many legendary items connected with the Yankees, including Babe Ruth’s 1932 “Called Shot” game-used jersey, which they sold in 2005 for $1,056,630. The Feb. 6 auction includes many other rare and important Yankees items, including a 1919 Frank “Home Run” Baker game-used road jersey, the earliest known jersey of any Yankees Hall of Famer.
The “I’ll Knock a Homer For You” baseball autographed by Babe Ruth and inscribed by five other New York Yankees. Grey Flannel Auctions image.Archival newspaper image of Babe Ruth visiting Little Johnny Sylvester’s bedside on October 11, 1926. Grey Flannel Auctions image.
Signed watercolor and gouache painting by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959) titled ‘Flower study in red and yellow.’ Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.
LONDON – A set of 38 witty signed and dated pen and ink drawings by one of the most prolific English artists and children’s book illustrators of his generation, Walter Crane (1845–1915), will be offered in Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ sale of Watercolours, Drawing and Prints on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate Internet live bidding.
The informal sketchbook contains scenes from two family holidays in St. Pierre en Port, in 1904, and at Brundish, in Suffolk, in 1905 of picnics, days at the seaside and nights at the casino, tennis matches and concerts.
As part of the Arts and Crafts movement, and founder of the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society, Crane was influenced by William Morris throughout much of his early life. During this time Crane was allied with the British socialist movement and his focus on design for textiles, wallpaper and home decoration reportedly did as much as Morris himself did to bring art in to the daily lives of people across the social spectrum.
In 1894, Crane famously collaborated with William Morris on the page decoration of Morris’s fantasy novel The Story of the Glittering Plain. The sketchbook is estimated to sell for £2,000-£3,000 [Lot 229].
From the collection of a friend and patron of William Morris, and Arts and Crafts enthusiast, Lawrence W. Hodson, are two sets of drawings by the artist Hasegawa Settan (1778-1843) and his studio. The wealthy West Midlands brewery owner compiled his extensive and eclectic collection to refurbish his family home, Compton Hall, Wolverhampton in 1895. The two sets, depicting narrative scenes, figures and natural history subjects are all inscribed L.W. Hodson in pencil on verso. The majority of the Hodson Collection was sold for a total of £1.3 million in three auctions during 2013 by Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.
Hasegawa Settan trained under the great master of ukiyo-e, Utagawa Toyokuni, and became a highly respected woodblock printmaker, being awarded the honorary Buddhist title of Hokkyo, meaning “bridge of the law.” The two groups of drawings appear to have been reference drawings from the artist and his son’s studio. They are estimated to sell for £2,000-£3,000 and £1,000-£1,500 [Lots 316 and 317].
A signed watercolor and gouache painting by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959) is rare piece by a man better known as a controversial artist and pioneer of modern sculpture. The painting, titled Flower study in red and yellow, may well have been part of Epstein’s 1930s series of landscape and flower studies in which he returned to a more conventional style than he is commonly known for. It is reported that in the summer of 1933 Epstein produced nearly 100 watercolors, while staying in a rented property close to Epping Forest in Essex. The watercolors were exhibited in London at Arthur Tooth & Son in December 1933. It is estimated to sell for £1,500-£2,000 [Lot 366].
From the estate of actor and film director Charles Laughton and his actress wife, Elsa Lanchester, 42 original sketches, signed by the novelist Norman Mailer for the film adaptation of his book The Naked and the Dead, are the product of a collaborative effort between Laughton and Mailer. Nine of the sketches relate to scenes in the novel, including views of the island from the invasion fleet, views of the pass, the structure of the rapids traversed by Croft and Wilson and a scene from Croft’s “time machine.” one of a series of flash-backs that populate the novel. The remaining sketches depict characters in the novel, in the cases of Cummings and Croft, Mailer has supplied sketches for both “outer” and “inner” appearance. The sketches contain additional annotations and provide an insight into the rather jocular nature of this nascent collaboration. Sold as one lot the sketches are estimated to sell for £4,000-£6,000 [Lot 232].
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.
Signed watercolor and gouache painting by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959) titled ‘Flower study in red and yellow.’ Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.
Renovation of the Arts and Industries Building in 2012. Image by G. Edward Johnson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Financial pressures have forced the Smithsonian Institution to rethink plans to reopen one of the oldest buildings on the National Mall this year as an innovation pavilion, leaving the site’s future in question.
The 133-year-old Arts and Industries Building, one of the original exhibition spaces in the nation’s capital, has undergone a $55 million federally funded renovation to replace its roof and rehabilitate the structure. It was shuttered in 2004 because of structural problems and leaks. While scaffolding is now being dismantled around the building, it will remain closed until further notice, officials said late Monday.
Last year, the Smithsonian announced a partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reopen the structure as an innovation center this fall to showcase American ingenuity. But funding has not materialized for the project as planned, said Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough.
“We can’t really access any federal funds for the building,” Clough said. “At this point, we don’t see opening in 2014. I think it’s a question that comes later when we might be able to reintroduce the idea of some federal funding for staffing of the building.”
In its most recent requests to Congress, the Smithsonian has prioritized other building projects, primarily the construction of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Another factor complicating the future of the Arts and Industries building is its possible conversion into a proposed Latino cultural museum. A bill pending in Congress names the building as the preferred site for a Smithsonian American Latino Museum, though it would likely require a large underground addition to function as a museum.
“We have to be mindful of the fact that this building could in fact become a Latino museum with the addition of some underground space,” Clough said. “There just aren’t many sites anymore for museums on the mall.”
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Renovation of the Arts and Industries Building in 2012. Image by G. Edward Johnson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
‘Lawrence before Valerianus,’ a fresco depicting Saint Lawrence by Fra Angelico (c.1395-1455), Vatican Pinacoteca museum. Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – A 15th century Italian manuscript illustrated with gold leaf that was stolen from Italy 25 years ago will be returned to that country after it was found in Florida.
The manuscript is a framed, single page taken from a prayer book in Turin, Italy. The calligraphic script is in Latin, and there’s a small, colorful portrait of Saint Lawrence, offset with gold highlights. Officials said the text and portrait were done by hand by what was likely a monk in the Middle Ages.
“It is with great joy that I receive this on behalf of my government,” Adolfo Barattolo, the Italian consul general, said at a news conference Monday in Tampa with officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Palermo, who worked on the case, said the Catholic text describes the plight of Saint Lawrence, who was slowly roasted to death on a grill by the Romans after he didn’t bring them riches.
Officials said the page’s journey from Italy to Florida began in 1990, when a husband-and-wife team of professors stole several items from the Archdiocese in Turin and sold them to a bookseller.
Italian cultural authorities recovered some of the stolen items in London, but for decades, other items disappeared.
In 2011, an Italian officer saw a 2006 newspaper article about a Bible exhibit at the Florida International Museum in St. Petersburg; the article mentioned an illuminated manuscript – the term for a text that is embellished with a drawing or decoration, usually with gold leaf – from Italy.
The officer contacted experts, who flew to Florida to confirm it was part of the stolen cache.
Shane Folden, the deputy special agent in charge of the Tampa office of the Department of Homeland Security, said a St. Petersburg couple had bought the manuscript from a bookseller in Islamorada, Fla.; the bookseller had bought it at an auction in England.
Neither the couple nor the bookseller was charged; the couple voluntarily handed the manuscript over to authorities in 2011.
The manuscript will now be sent back to Turin, Barattolo said.
Folden said that a repatriation of this kind of cultural artifact is uncommon in the Tampa area but more common in larger cities.
According to Homeland Security statistics, more than 7,150 artifacts have been returned to 27 countries since 2007.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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‘Lawrence before Valerianus,’ a fresco depicting Saint Lawrence by Fra Angelico (c.1395-1455), Vatican Pinacoteca museum. Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, New York City, as seen from the Hudson River. A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is used to exhibit art and architecture from Medieval Europe. Photo taken in December, 2004 by Moncrief.
NEW YORK – A superb array of six near-life-size enthroned figures in stained glass from England’s historic Canterbury Cathedral will be shown in the exhibition Radiant Light: Stained Glass from Canterbury Cathedral, opening February 25 at The Cloisters—a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. The brilliantly colored panels come from one of the great surviving series of medieval stained glass, and the exhibition represents the first time they have left the cathedral precincts since their creation in 1178–80.
The exhibition completes the celebration of the 75th-anniversary year of the founding of The Cloisters.
The exhibition is made possible by the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts.
Founded in 597, the cathedral is one of the oldest Christian structures in England. Thomas Becket—who is venerated as a saint and martyr both by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion—was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his martyrdom in 1170. He was canonized in 1173. After a severe fire in 1174, the cathedral was extensively rebuilt, and the ambitious series of stained glass windows—in which 86 ancestors of Christ are depicted—was created at this time. No expense was spared in executing this extensive cycle.
The cathedral was an important pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages—as evidenced in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a literary masterpiece from the 14th century—and its popularity increased after the construction of a shrine to Becket. Today, Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion worldwide. Recent repairs to the stonework of the south transept window of this magnificent historic structure necessitated the removal of many of these stained-glass windows, all of unparalleled beauty. While the restoration of the windows has been undertaken, the stained glass has also been conserved.
The windows that will be shown at The Cloisters were originally from the clerestory of the cathedral’s choir, east transepts, and Trinity Chapel. The six figures—Jared, Lamech, Thara, Abraham, Noah, and Phalec—were part of an original cycle of 86 ancestors of Christ, the most comprehensive ancestor cycle known in art history. One complete window (Thara and Abraham), nearly 12 feet in height, will be shown with its associated rich foliate border.
These imposing figures are masterpieces of Romanesque art, and exude an aura of dignified power. The angular limbs, form-defining drapery, and encompassing folds of the mantles all add a sculptural quality to the majestic figures, which are remarkably legible, even at a distance. (At Canterbury Cathedral, the clerestory windows are some 60 feet above the floor. The display at The Cloisters will be arranged in a towerlike structure.) The glass painting of Methuselah Master—to whom the figures of Jared and Lamech are attributed—is distinguished by a remarkable delineation of form by means of a fluid graduated line and bold shading.
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication, The Ancestors of Christ Windows at Canterbury Cathedral, by Jeffrey Weaver (J. Paul Getty Museum) and Madeline H. Caviness (Tufts University). Written for general audiences, the book provides information about the context, iconography, and style of the windows, and how they were perceived by various communities during the Middle Ages. Published by The J. Paul Getty Museum, the book will be available in the Museum’s book shops ($25).
An interactive panorama of the Canterbury Cathedral on a large touch-screen monitor will provide visitors with a 360-degree view of the building’s interior and will show the windows in their original location. A short video, Recreating a Medieval Window, will be shown in gallery.
Exhibition Credits and Related Programs:
The installation is organized at The Cloisters by Timothy B. Husband, Curator, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. Exhibition design is by Michael Langley, Exhibition Design Manager; graphics are by Mortimer Lebigre, Graphic Designer; and lighting is by Clint Ross Coller and Richard Lichte, Lighting Design Managers, all of the Museum’s Design Department.
An audio tour including interviews with Metropolitan Museum curator Timothy Husband and The Very Rev. Robert Willis is available for rental ($7, $6 for Members, $5 for children under 12).
The Audio Guide is sponsored by Bloomberg.
Education programs include a Sunday at the Met on March 2, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. The early-music ensemble Blue Heron will perform “Music for Canterbury Cathedral” on Sunday, April 13, at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. in the Fuentidueña Chapel at The Cloisters ($40). More information is available on the Museum’s website (http://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/concerts-and-performances/blue-heron-a?eid=4252).
The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, New York City, as seen from the Hudson River. A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is used to exhibit art and architecture from Medieval Europe. Photo taken in December, 2004 by Moncrief.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A bill introduced in the New Mexico Legislature would impose government oversight of art auction houses and change the way some do business.
Sen. Tim Keller’s bill would authorize the Attorney General’s Office to regulate art auctions and act on consumer complaints. It also mandates certain disclosures, such as minimum prices and whether an auction house has a financial interest in artwork being sold.
“Because there’s no statute, there’s no basis for a complaint. Unless these transactions constitute egregious fraud that would be covered under federal contract law, there’s nowhere for people to complain to,” Keller said.
The Albuquerque Democrat said his bill is a response to reports of questionable auction practices that distort prices for expensive pieces of art, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
“Usually $10,000 and over – fine art – those are the concerns I’m hearing about,” Keller said.
David Clemmer, a former auction house director and now a curator at a Santa Fe gallery, said Keller’s bill could be considered onerous by the businesses involved.
Auction houses probably won’t want to disclose pricing details or any financial interests in artwork they are selling, Clemmer said.
“There’s a certain amount of theatricality involved in auctions, no doubt about it. But that’s part of why people go to auctions,” Clemmer said.
Keller said the bill’s disclosure elements get to the heart of the specific complaints that have come to his attention.
He would not identify the people whose complaints prompted him to introduce the legislation, except to say that they were gallery owners and art investors.
“The fact that they feel they need to stay anonymous to me is another reason that we need the regulation,” Keller said. “Things are clearly bad enough and tense enough that they’re not even comfortable going public with it. Some of them are worried about retribution for the works that they need auction-house services to sell.”
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Lithograph after Jasper John’s painting ‘Flag.’ It is believed that the use of this work to illustrate the subject in question qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and T&R Art Inc.
NEW YORK (AP) – A former New York foundry owner once popular with artists pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he tried to sell phony knockoffs of a sculpture of Jasper Johns’ classic 1960 Flag painting and the sculptures of two other artists, ending a weeklong trial that featured testimony by Johns.
Brian Ramnarine, 59, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in Manhattan federal court. He acknowledged that he had falsely claimed that the artists had authenticated the sculptures that prosecutors said he created from molds he kept after being paid by the artists to do work.
U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl asked him if he knew what he was doing was wrong and illegal when he committed the crimes.
“Yes, your honor,” Ramnarine answered.
Ramnarine’s skills with liquid metal made him a favorite of artists in the 1980s and early 1990s, and Johns conceded that he had used him several times because of his excellent work.
Ramnarine agreed not to challenge any sentence of 10 years or less in prison as part of a plea deal. The wire fraud charges otherwise carry a potential of 60 years in prison, and Ramnarine could face another 20 years in prison because he admitted carrying out additional sculpture frauds after his arrest.
Sentencing was set for May 30.
Ramnarine admitted falsely telling prospective buyers that the works he was offering from Johns and two other artists were legitimate.
Johns testified last week that the sculptures of Flag offered by Ramnarine were fakes.
Johns, 83, was the star witness for prosecutors trying to prove Ramnarine tried to sell an unauthorized bronze sculpture of the painting in 2010. Four bronze copies of Flag were made in 1960, and the jury was shown a picture of President John F. Kennedy posing with one that was given to him.
The Sharon, Conn., artist said he went to Ramnarine in 1990 and asked him to create a wax mold because he was considering making a gold sculpture of Flag from a wax mold. He said he didn’t believe he had spoken with Ramnarine since 1990 and wasn’t friends with him.
Johns chuckled when a prosecutor asked him if he ever gave Ramnarine a copy of a painting that was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for millions of dollars.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-01-27-14 2348GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Lithograph after Jasper John’s painting ‘Flag.’ It is believed that the use of this work to illustrate the subject in question qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and T&R Art Inc.
A single-owner collection of 530 World War I and World War II-era posters will be auctioned. Louis J. Dianni LLC image.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Around 1,600 quality lots in a wide range of collecting categories will be sold at the fifth annual Palm Beach Auction slated for Feb. 15-17 by Louis J. Dianni, LLC. Start times all three days will be noon (EST). Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com.
The Saturday, Feb. 15, session will be dedicated mainly to period furniture and decorative accessories; Feb. 16 to militaria and weaponry; and Feb. 17 to artwork and art glass.
“At our last auction we fielded more than 1,500 left bids, so absentee bidding and phone bidding will be more than welcome, too,” said Louis Dianni, owner of Louis J. Dianni, LLC, a firm with locations in Sunrise, Fla., and Hopewell Junction, N.Y. He added, “We feel the quality of merchandise in this, our fifth Palm Beach Auction, matches or exceeds that of any prior sale.”
An expected star of the Feb. 15 session is a circa-1770 English bracket clock in a faux tortoise case, with four gilt pineapple finials (est. $2,000-$4,000). The case has hand-painted decoration to appear as brass inlays, and the brass back plate is engraved with scroll decoration. The face of the 15-pound, 22-inch-tall clock reads, “Strike Silent Robert Swannell – London.”
Period furniture will include a set of four late-19th century oak chairs by Michael Thonet of Poland, each chair having an alligator seat and back pattern (est. $300-$500); an early 20th century Napoleon III-style ebonized wood buffet with ormolu mounts and stone decorations and red velvet interior (est. $400-$800); and an early 20th century Italian carved oak cassone (storage chest for linens) with a center coat of arms and two painted panels on each side (est. $400-$800).
Decorative accessories will feature a circa-1750 Chinese export pitcher, made in Sweden, with the coat of arms of Maj. Count Carl Johan Morner (1698-1782), with winged griffins and a dragon form handle (est. $500-$1,000); a pair of lidded urns from around 1890, armorial with a coat of arms by Samson, hand-painted with enameled decoration (est. $200-$400); and a pair of Chinese export Canton serving dishes, decorated in the Blue Willow pattern (est. $200-$300).
World War I posters will also be sold Feb. 15, to include a 1918 poster by Albert Herter (American, 1871-1950), titled His Home Over There, 27 inches by 41 inches (est. $400-$600); a 1918 poster by Alonzo E. Foringer (American, 1878-1948), made for the Red Cross and titled The Greatest Mother in the World, 28 inches by 42 1/2 inches (est. $300-$500); and a 1919 poster by Howard C. Christy (American, 1872-1952), titled Americans All, 26 1/2 inches by 40 inches (est. $200-$400).
The Feb. 16 session will feature militaria items, to include a .45-caliber Kentucky rifle made around 1835 with lock by Joseph Golcher, boasting a tiger maple full stock profusely inlaid with engraved silver depicting an Indian with tomahawk, hunting dog and eagle on the check plate and a 41-inch octagonal barrel (est. $8,000-$12,000); and an 18th century Dutch East India Company Javanese steel sword with carved and hand-checkered rhinoceros horn, with a blade measuring 24 3/4 inches in length (est. $1,000-$2,000).
Also offered will be an 18th century leather and silver mounted Dutch East India Company notebook, or diary, with blank pages, measuring 5 1/4 inches by 3 inches, with the binding and cover original and the leather dry (est. $1,000-$2,000); and an 18th century, hand-hammered silver and carved coconut chalice, depicting Britannia on her chariot with multiple ships behind the figure and another scene depicting an anchor and a rope (est. $500-$1,000).
Historical photos will feature a circa-1900 hand-colored photo of the Native American Standing Elk, by the photographer Carl Moon, showing the subject dressed in Northern Plains attire, probably props from Moon’s studio (est. $500-$1,000); and a collection of 46 United Press International photographs pertaining to the assassination of President Kennedy, including JFK’s assassination, the funeral, Jack Ruby, Lyndon Johnson and Lee Harvey Oswald (est. $200-$400).
An oil on canvas portrait painting of Gen. Robert E. Lee, done in 1872 by James Kimball Harley (American, 1828-1889), showing Lee in his Confederate uniform, housed in the original frame with grape leaf and vine decorations (est. $2,000-$4,000). Also sold will be a scrimshaw sperm whale’s tooth, circa 1810-1830, depicting a whale hunt in progress, with a harpooner, whale and longboat, about 7 inches long and weighing 1 pound 12 ounces (est. $2,000-$4,000).
World War II posters will also be featured in the Feb. 16 session, to include an example by N.C. Wyeth (American, 1882-1945), showing the American flag, Uncle Sam and a phalanx of advancing infantrymen, 30 inches by 40 inches (est. $500-$1,500); and a 7th War Loan (bond) poster by Cecil Calvert Beall (American, 1892-1967), with a graphic based on the iconic World War II photo of the Marines on Iwo Jima, 26 inches by 37 inches (est. $500-$600).
A few items from the Feb. 17 session include a hand-woven 18K gold necklace by A.A.G. Correa & Son, 16 inches long, from the Turk’s Head Collection, with no noticeable flaws (est. $3,000-$4,000); a bronze sculpture of a winged male holding a female on his shoulder, by Mathurin Moreau (French, 1822-1912), cast circa 1900 and standing 39 inches tall (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a hand-blown glass bud vase, made and signed by Marvin B. Lipofsky, 9 inches in height (est. $500-$1,000).
The fine art category on Feb. 17 will be led by an original oil on canvas by David D. Burliuk (Russian, 1882-1967), titled Travelers Stop, one of two Burliuks in the sale and depicting multiple figures in a townscape with chickens and a horse and carriage, 22 inches by 27 inches (est. $8,000-$10,000); and an oil on canvas landscape rendering with figures by Dutch painter Marinus Koekkoek (1807-1870), mid-19th century, 19 inches by 25 inches (est. $3,000-$4,000).
Other artworks that day will feature an oil on canvas landscape work by Cullen Yates (American, 1866-1945), rendered circa late 19th or early 20th century and measuring 25 inches by 32 inches (est. $2,000-$3,000); and an oil on canvas by Homer Dodge Martin (American, 1836-1897), titled simply Waterfall and showing a waterfall in a forest, probably painted in the third quarter of the 19th century and measuring 36 inches by 22 inches, minus the frame (est. $2,000-$3,000).
World War II-era posters will be sold on the sale’s final day as well. Examples include a 1943 poster by Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978), titled Four Freedoms, 28 inches by 40 inches (est. $500-$1,000); a 1943 work titled Bits of Careless Talk by Stephen Dohanos (American, 1907-1994), 28 inches by 40 inches (est. $200-$400); and a 1942 poster by John Falter (American, 1910-1982), titled The World Cannot Exist Half Slave, 28 inches by 40 inches (est. $200-$400). All 530 of the World War I and II posters are a single-owner collection assembled from shortly after World War I until the owner’s death in 1989 and are to be sold unreserved.
The three-day event will be held at the Hilton Hotel & Conference Center, located at 150 Australian Ave. in West Palm Beach.
To learn more about Louis J. Dianni, LLC and the upcoming 5th annual Feb. 15-17 Palm Beach Auction phone 954-895-8727 or email ljdmarine00@gmail.com.
![John Gould (English, 1804-1881), ‘The Birds of Great Britain,’ 5 vols., [1862]-1873. Estimate: $25,000-$35,0000. Neal Auction Co. image.](https://www.liveauctioneers.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014_0129_neal20.jpg "John Gould (English, 1804-1881), ‘The Birds of Great Britain,’ 5 vols., [1862]-1873. Estimate: $25,000-$35,0000. Neal Auction Co. image.")
