April 21, 2014 - Auction Central News

Art dealer sues Maryland auction house over missing painting

Circa-1917 oil painting by Ellsworth Woodward (Louisiana, 1861-1939), auctioned for $21,510 at Sloans & Kenyon's, Feb. 17, 2013. Image courtesy of Sloans & Kenyon

NEW ORLEANS – When you boil it right down, there are two basic types of property that turn up at the center of court cases worldwide: tangible and intellectual. These days, legal ownership of intellectual property can be established rather quickly. US Copyright Law has been demystified with respect to photo copyright, for example, and now decrees that, unless a binding contract takes precedence, ownership of a photograph belongs to the person whose finger pressed the shutter release to capture the image. This newly defined aspect of intellectual property law was globally publicized when actor Bradley Cooper took a “selfie” of himself and a gaggle of other stars at the 86th Academy Awards in March. Who owned the image whose potential value was estimated to be no less than two million dollars? “Cooper,” said legal pundits who weighed in on the matter online.

But what about the ownership of tangible goods purchased at auction? At exactly what nanosecond does the winning bidder become the actual legal owner? It has always been widely assumed and accepted within the trade that ownership of an item purchased at auction transfers immediately upon the drop of the auctioneer’s hammer and the deal-sealing verbal declaration, “Sold!” That method works like a Swiss clock 99.9 percent of the time. But what happens if the item purchased at auction goes missing while still in the physical possession of the auction house? A legal squabble involving New Orleans art dealer/appraiser Amanda Winstead and Bethesda, Md.-based auction house Sloans & Kenyon is bringing the question into sharper focus.

The facts are, on Feb. 17, 2013, Sloans & Kenyon auctioned a number of artworks from the collection of retired attorney Robert S. Fastov. Among the works offered was an attractive Ellsworth Woodward (Louisiana, 1861-1939) painting depicting the iconic Lotus Fountain on the former campus of Newcomb College in New Orleans’ Garden District. Estimated at $15,000-$25,000, the painting sold for $18,000 plus a 19.5% buyer’s premium, making the total purchase price $21,510. Winstead was the winning bidder.

Immediately after the auction, Winstead sent off a check to pay for the painting and made arrangements for a Maryland shipping firm to collect the painting at Sloans & Kenyon’s upscale Chevy Chase gallery. That’s when the first sign of trouble surfaced, said Winstead’s attorney, Lisa A. Montgomery.

“(The shipper) was turned away by Sloans & Kenyon,” Montgomery said. “When Winstead contacted Sloans & Kenyon, she was told various and sometimes conflicting stories: the auction house had the painting, the painting was lost but they were searching for it, the painting was mis-lotted in the inventory, they were removing a wall next to storage racks to search for the painting…”

In an interview with Auction Central News, Stephanie Kenyon, owner and president of Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers, explained the artwork’s disappearance more succinctly: “It went missing, and we don’t know where it is.”

Kenyon said she believes a porter may have misfiled the painting. “This is a very large facility – 40,000 square feet on two floors. We don’t know what happened to the painting, but we don’t think it was stolen. We’ve reviewed our security camera footage and found nothing suspicious. It’s entirely possible that it may have become conjoined with another, larger painting. We have a part-time staff member whose current task is to search for the painting.”

Kenyon stressed that Sloans & Kenyon never negotiated the check that Winstead sent to pay for her purchase. “We held the check while we searched for the painting because we had hopes that it would turn up. I don’t know whether our accounting office returned the check to [Winstead] or not, but it would no longer be valid anyway, due to the amount of time that has passed,” she said.

Winstead was not satisfied with the explanation she received from the auction house and, in August, filed a lawsuit against Stephanie Kenyon and Sloans & Kenyon. In the suit, it was alleged that the painting had not been misplaced, but rather, was “sold…to a third party for a greater amount than what Plaintiffs agreed to pay.” Attorney Montgomery clarified the wording as follows: “The lawsuit sought specific performance for delivery of the painting and failing that, damages. We only alleged ‘upon information and belief’ that the painting had been sold to a third party. Pleading upon information and belief is an established method of pleading in a civil case, but the party must still prove their case at trial. To do this, the party will take the sworn testimony of the parties, or depositions, to use at trial. There was no trial since defendants did not answer the lawsuit…”

The defendants did not respond to the lawsuit, said Kenyon, because “it was improperly filed in the State of Louisiana (as opposed to Maryland).” Resultedly, the case was heard as a default in the Civil District Court in New Orleans. Judge Paula Brown tried the case and, on Oct. 31st, rendered a $44,940.52 judgment in favor of Winstead.

Attorney Montgomery told Auction Central News that the basis for the case was rightful ownership. “The law governing auction sales in all 50 states establishes that title to the lot passes to the highest bidder at the fall of the hammer. By law, Winstead became the owner of the Woodward painting on February 17, 2013 when she entered the highest bid for the painting, and Judge Paula Brown made this finding.”

In order to collect on the judgment, Winstead hired Rockville, Maryland, lawyer Scott N. Bergman, who took legal steps to garnish a Sloans & Kenyon account at EagleBank to satisfy the Louisiana judgment. To date, no funds have been accessed, but according to Attorney Montgomery, “…the bottom line is $44,940.52 was legally seized or ‘frozen’ from one of Ms. Kenyon’s accounts effective 3/31/2014. [Kenyon] has to fight the seizure in court in Maryland in order to have the funds ‘released’ from the seizure.”

Mongomery continued: “The bank has to file an answer to the Writs of Garnishment no later than May 1, 2014…(and) must also deposit the funds into the Registry of the Court.” Montgomery noted that the deposit of funds might not be required if Kenyon files papers to contest the seizure.

Kenyon said she only recently learned of the attempt to garnish funds. “Two days ago the bank told us they had been contacted about a garnishment,” Kenyon said. “We now have 30 days to appear before a judge with a motion to nullify the Louisiana judgment. If the judgment is nullified, the garnishment will be nullified, as well.”

After the case of the missing Ellsworth painting has been resolved, Kenyon may find herself in court again, but as the plaintiff rather than the defendant. She said that upon her attorney’s recommendation she is considering filing a defamation suit against Winstead.

“Something like this could damage our reputation. The allegation that we did something else with the painting, that we sold it privately for a huge amount of money, is simply false,” Kenyon said. “Why would we do such a thing? We still think the painting is going to turn up, and when it does, we’ll let Ms. Winstead know. She will have right of first refusal.”

The plaintiff’s attorney commented: “If defendants file a lawsuit…they will have no choice but to give sworn testimony on what happened to the Woodward painting.”

As it stands, the scorecard on this case is looking rather bleak. Winstead is without a painting she bid on 14 months ago, Sloans & Kenyon has lost out on the commission it would have made from the sale of the painting, and both Winstead and the auction house have incurred what one would imagine are substantial legal fees. The winner – if there is one – seems to be Robert Fastov, who consigned the now-missing painting to auction.

“He has been compensated,” Kenyon confirmed.

# # #

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Peacocks featured in 2 top lots at John Moran auction April 29

This 1910 masterwork by Frederick Hurten and Agnes Rhead, made at the University City Pottery, is conservatively estimated to hammer for between $70,000 and $90,000. John Moran Auctioneers image.

PASADENA, Calif. – John Moran Auctioneers will present a large and exceptionally high quality selection of early 20th century design, silver, Continental furnishings and fine art from important Southern California estates and private collections at their 200-lot Antiques and Fine Art Auction scheduled for April 29. Additionally, collectors of American art pottery will be thrilled to find a masterwork by one of the leading artists in his field, Frederick Hurten Rhead (1880-1942).

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The large vase, standing nearly 18 inches tall, is signed to the underside with Rhead’s monogram and that of his wife and collaborator, Agnes (b.1877), along with marks for the University City Pottery in Missouri and the American Women’s League, and dated 1910. Magnificently incised and polychrome-enameled with the sweeping figure of a peacock, its highly detailed tail feathers fanning across the buff-colored ground interlaced with stylized tree branches, it possesses the immense authority lent by a striking design and outstanding execution.

Though Rhead’s most ubiquitous contribution to 20th century design is as the designer of Fiestaware, the brightly colored dinnerware manufactured by the Homer Laughlin Co., it was during his short time teaching at the People’s University in University City, Mo., alongside several other notable artists, including Adelaide Alsop Robineau and Taxile Doat, that the British-born artist produced the tiles and vases that today rank among his most highly valued works. A four-tile panel, also from University City and dating from 1910 and also featuring a peacock, realized $510,000 at auction in October 2012, and another 1910 piece, a vase decorated with mushrooms, fetched $120,000 at auction in June 2012. Another vase, dating from 1911 and also decorated with mushrooms, is held in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The vase offered at Moran’s is expected to equal or surpass those examples, though it has been assigned a conservative estimate of $70,000-$90,000. With its arguably more compelling design, it also arrives on the market with excellent provenance, having not once been offered for sale since its purchase from the pottery in 1910. That purchase was by a couple residing in St. Louis, who subsequently presented it as a wedding anniversary and baby gift to the Meyers Family of Iowa City, Iowa. It has since passed through several generations of the same family, and was only recently rediscovered in the home of the current owner in Southern California.

Other early 20th century design highlights on offer at Moran’s include two Rookwood ‘’Standard’’ glaze vases, offered at $500-$700 and $400-$600, and a Rookwood floor vase or umbrella stand with applied decorations (estimate: $1,000-$2,000). A stunning Art Nouveau bronze lamp base by Swedish designer Emy Wahlstrom carries an estimate of $3,000-$5,000, while a Dirk Van Erp hammered copper and mica lamp is estimated to sell for $10,000-$15,000. A Stickley Brothers / Quaint oak bookcase (no. 4770) with glazed double doors is offered at $1,500-$2,500.

Fans of European porcelain will not be disappointed. A Meissen porcelain figural group depicting Harlequin and Columbine, modeled by Paul Scheurich on characters in the Russian ballet Le Carnival, is expected to bring $3,000-$5,000 at the auction block. A charming Berlin / KPM plaque of a pale blonde beauty in profile, and another of a Bacchante, are estimated to bring $3,000-$5,000 and $7,000-$9,000 respectively. Expected to earn $800-$1,200 is a Samson porcelain armorial vase, decorated in imitation of Chinese Export famille rose porcelain, that would make an intriguing addition to any collection.

Consignments from a private Malibu collection have ensured that this catalog will also be flush with a number of impressive pieces of Continental furniture. A Louis XV-style gilt-bronze mounted vitrine cabinet, measuring just over 9 feet tall, is expected to find a new home for $40,000-$60,000. A breathtaking Beckstein Empire-style grand piano (estimate: $50,000-$70,000) will also be offered. Made in 1882, it features an impressive gilt bronze-mounted case decorated with lyres, scrolling foliage, rosettes, and laurel sprays. Buyers seeking dramatic lighting options will be pleased to see the large Louis XV-style gilt bronze 24-light chandelier in this catalog (estimate: $30,000-$50,000).

Competitive prices are also expected for decorative silver. Offerings from American makers include pieces by S. Kirk & Son, Tiffany, Samuel Bell, Gorham, and Shreve & Co. among others. A six-piece S. Kirk & Son silver tea and coffee service, repousse-decorated with mixed flowers and foliage and featuring charming floriform finials, includes a kettle on a stand, and is expected to find a new owner for $6,000-$9,000.

Those seeking a tea set in a more muted aesthetic might be more drawn to a stately three-piece hand-hammered sterling silver coffee service by Shreve & Co. (estimate: $1,000-$2,000). Four pieces of rare flatware by much sought-after San Antonio, Texas, maker Samuel Bell, are conservatively estimated to hammer between $300 and $500. Silver by British and Continental makers is also slated for sale. A Danish modern sterling silver pitcher by Kay Fisker for A. Michelsen, Copenhagen, carries a $4,000- $6,000 estimate, while a Regency sterling silver teapot by Matthew Boulton is priced at $800-$1,000. A pair of very large Old Sheffield Plate four-light candelabra carrying the maker’s mark of W. Garnett should realize $800-$1,200.

Additional highlights across decorative arts categories include:

• A rare pair of terra-cotta relief sculptures by British sculptor Robert Wallace Martin (1843-1923), each depicting a classical youth playing a pipe and a classical maiden in a landscape, respectively, is anticipated to earn $6,000-$9,000.

• A number of French bronzes by varying makers are up for grabs, including a figure of a dog by French artist Pierre Jules Mene (estimate: $700-$1,000).

• An exquisite and delicate Swiss Juvenia enameled silver and gilt metal mystery clock carries an estimate of $4,000-$6,000.

The fine art offerings in this catalog also promise a number of standout highlights. Perhaps most anticipated of the group is View of the Roman Campana, 1796, by Russian painter Feodor Matveef. An impressively proportioned canvas (measuring 58in x 72.25in), this work is expected to hammer for $70,000-$90,000. Now Reigns Here a Very, Very Peacock by English artist George Lance is a monumental still life tableau bordering on trompe l’oeil, featuring a peacock flanked by flowers and a mountain of fruit. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1885 as well as the American Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia (1876), this work is estimated to bring $50,000-$70,000. A charming composition by Austrian artist Theodor von Hormann, depicting children playing on an outdoor patio, is expected to realize $12,000-$18,000.

Consignment inquiries are always welcomed – interested parties are encouraged to contact the John Moran Offices directly via phone: 626-793-1833 or email: info@johnmoran.com for additional information regarding consignment.

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

Designed by Emy Wahlstrom, this striking Swedish Art Nouveau or Jugendstil bronze table lamp is expected to fetch $3,000-$5,000. John Moran Auctioneers image.

This highly decorated Samson porcelain Chinese export style vase is only one of many Continental porcelain pieces up grabs in the April 29 catalog. Estimate: $800-$1,200. John Moran Auctioneers image.

Estimated to earn $6,000-$9,000, this repousse-decorated sterling silver coffee and tea service is by Baltimore maker S. Kirk & Son. John Moran Auctioneers image.

A pair of terra-cotta relief sculptures by Robert Wallace Martin (British, 1843-1923), carries an estimate of $6,000-$9,000. John Moran Auctioneers image.

A hyper-detailed composition by English artist George Lance (1802-1864), titled ‘Now Reigns Here a Very, Very Peacock,’ is estimated to hammer for $50,000 - $70,000. John Moran Auctioneers image. — A hyper-detailed composition by English artist George Lance (1802-1864), titled ‘Now Reigns Here a Very, Very Peacock,’ is estimated to hammer for $50,000 – $70,000. John Moran Auctioneers image.

Reading the Streets: What’s happening on Ludlow?

Serban Ionescu and David Nordine, New York City. Photo via globalgraphica.com.

NEW YORK – It seems even luxury condo developers are street art fans, like the owners of 35 Ludlow St., who had Serban Ionescu and David Nordine do a mural on the roll-down gate that fronts the building. I imagine it certainly makes potential buyers stop and look, either because they love the comic book colors, bright yellows and reds against a black and white background, or because they’re trying to figure out what’s going on. In my case it was both.

There’s what look likes animals being birthed out of other animals, including what may be a knife-wielding bunny, which looks like it’s chasing a fish that just happens to have another bunny growing out of its head. To the left, there is what might be a red waterfall of blood. Or maybe the remains of an unfortunate lunch? Another mysterious animal appears to be spilling out of the whale’s mouth, wearing a stylish top hat, just relaxing, impervious to the chaos around it.

Next door, there’s another piece worth a look. It’s a mythical goddess lifting herself up out of the sea, covered in seaweed. I adore pieces like this unsigned wheatpaste. It’s probably why I like Swoon so much (review of her upcoming Brooklyn Museum show coming here soon). In this one, the woman/mermaid’s curly hair blends in with the swirls of seaweed, and for some incongruous reason, there are pigeons on her shoulders. I don’t even like pigeons, but they seemed momentarily appealing. Such is the power of this piece, which would get a whole review of its own, if only the artist had signed it.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Serban Ionescu and David Nordine, New York City. Photo by Ilana Novick.

Artist Unknown, New York City. Photo by Ilana Novick.

Chicago dealer has become an urban archaeology legend

Stuart Grannen in a paneled room moved from a 1913 jewelry store in Nashville, Tenn. Architectural Artifacts Inc. image.

CHICAGO – Stuart Grannen, founder and owner of Architectural Artifacts Inc., really digs antiques and industrial artifacts, literally and figuratively.

An archaeologist by trade, Grannen’s passion for “digging for treasures” began as a boy, when at the age of 7 he found and purchased his first treasure – a stained glass window. This ultimately led to a formal education in archeology and prompted his development and evolution of urban archeology. This has served him and the recipients of his efforts well for the better part of three decades.

Recently Antique Trader spent some time talking about the treasures presently in his store, inquiries he receives from treasure hunters – like a recent request for help acquiring a purple elephant – which he fulfilled, and the historic people he’d most like to lunch with if he had the chance.

Antique Trader: It’s been said that you’re an urban archeologist and ‘treasureologist.’ Are those accurate titles?

Stuart Grannen: Yes, I’m an archeologist. That was my formal education. The treasures I find are very good quality and useful items.

A.T.: How do you explain what Architectural Artifact is and does, to people who are unfamiliar with it?

S.G: We buy and sell high-quality antiques from around the world. What separates us from the rest is that we focus on large and unusual items.

A.T.: If we were to walk into your showroom today, what types of items would we find?

S.G: You would walk in the door and immediately see a large bronze table with winged, naked women on it from the old Continental Bank in Chicago. You would see a revolving, old barber pole that used to be on the streets. You would also see a 10-foot hanging Spanish chandelier that came from one of the McCormick estates. You would see a Fisk life-size iron deer. You would see a set of interesting, wooden lockers from the Bank of France in Paris.

A.T.: How has the industrial antiques and furnishings business changed since you opened Architectural Artifacts in 1987?

S.G: Truthfully, I invented it 30 years ago. It’s what I like, it’s what my eye always went to. It’s what I could afford to buy at the time. When I stopped buying industrial antiques 10 years ago, the industry kind of took off.

There are lots of items that are industrial but not all of them are made with a good design in mind. I buy French industrial lights and other great Italian design items such as swing seat tables – interesting pieces and not just industrial items.

A.T.: What can you tell us about the plans and development of your Museum of Historic Chicago Architecture?

S.G: I’m not really doing that anymore. I’ve sold a lot of it. There are plans in the works for new galleries at the store (4325 N. Ravenswood Ave. in Chicago) and a new outdoor showroom.

A.T.: If you were able to have lunch with a group of five architects/designers, who would select and why?

S.G: Thomas Jefferson, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago architect Jeanne Gang. The great Egyptian architect Pharaoh Ramses because he built what nobody else could build, and no one knows how he did it.

For more information, visit www.architecturalartifacts.com or call 773-348-0622.

Architectural Artifacts’ Three Keys to Great Business

• Only buy when you have the money.

• Don’t worry about the size of the profit, just make one.

• Buy and sell the best pieces.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Unusual bench from an ice-cream parlor. Architectural Artifacts Inc. image. — Unusual bench from an ice cream parlor. Architectural Artifacts Inc. image.

Terra-cotta element. Architectural Artifacts Inc. image.

Massive oak entry mirror. Architectural Artifacts Inc. image.

3 finalists named for 25th annual BP Portrait Award

'Man with a Plaid Blanket' by Thomas Ganter © Thomas Ganter; 'Letter to my Mom' by David Jon Kassan © David Jon Kassan; 'Jean Woods' by Richard Twose © Richard Twose. Images courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, London.

LONDON – In a record-breaking year for entries, three artists have been short-listed for the 25th anniversary BP Portrait Award 2014 at the National Portrait Gallery, London. Their sitters are a homeless man in Germany who earns money by cleaning car windshields, an American woman who was reluctant to sit for a portrait painted by her son, and the Bath-based grandmother and model featured in Channel Four’s Fabulous Fashionistas.

One of the world’s most prestigious art competitions, the first prize was increased last year by £5,000 to £30,000 making the prize one of the largest for any global arts competition. The winner also receives a commission to paint a portrait for the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection worth £5,000, to be agreed between the gallery and the artist.

The Second Prize winner will receive £10,000 and the Third Prize winner £8,000. While the competition is open to everyone over the age of 18, for the seventh year there will be a BP Young Artist Award of £7,000 for the work of an entrant aged between 18 and 30. This award winner and the other prizewinners will be announced June 24. The portraits go on display to the public at the BP Portrait Award 2014 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from June 26 to Sept. 21.

The three artists shortlisted for the 2014 BP Portrait Award 2013 are Thomas Ganter for Man with a Plaid Blanket, David Kassan for Letter to my Mom and Richard Twose for Jean Woods.

Thomas Ganter (b. March 26,1974) for Man with a Plaid Blanket (160 x 60 cm oil on canvas)

Thomas Ganter is an artist and illustrator from Frankfurt/Main, Germany. His shortlisted portrait of Karel, a homeless man he encountered following a visit to a museum, invites the viewer to contemplate the coexistence of wealth and poverty. “After being in a museum, I saw a homeless man and was stunned by a similarity: the clothes, the pose, and other details resembled what I just saw in various paintings. However, this time I was looking at a homeless person wrapped in a blanket and not at the painting of a saint or noble in their elaborate garment. By portraying a homeless man in a manner reserved for nobles or saints, I tried to emphasize that everyone deserves respect and care. Human dignity shouldn’t be relative or dependent on socio-economic status.” Karel, who tries to earn some money by cleaning car windscreens in the artist’s neighbourhood, attended five sittings for the portrait. After these, in which the head and the hands were painted, Ganter used a life-size doll, and painted the clothes and the blanket before finally adding the artificial flower at the bottom right.

David Jon Kassan (b. Feb. 25,1977) for Letter to my Mom (124.5 x 81 cm oil on aluminium panel) New York-based artist David Jon Kassan, born in Little Rock, Ark., invited his mother and father to sit for him in his studio in New York City while his parents made a brief stop on their way to Europe. He had painted his mother a few years before, and he says she was reluctant to sit for him again, saying in order to persuade her, he had to bribe her by offering her a painting of his son Lucas. “My work is very personal and heartfelt,” he says. “It’s my visual diary, so my family and loved ones make up a large part of what and why I paint. My parents have always been inspirational to paint. This portrait is a letter to my mom, who hates it when I paint her. But I tell her in the painting that by painting her, it is my way of spending time with her, contemplating our relationship and time together, my earliest memories.” The Hebrew text painted onto the portrait above the sitter reads: “Dear Mom,/ This painting is my way to spend more time with you./ My way to meditate on our life together./ And all of the earliest memories I have/All of my earliest memories from you.”

Richard Twose (b. April 1,1963) for Jean Woods (90 x 60 cm oil on board)

The first time Richard Twose, a teacher and artist, saw the sitter of his portrait, Jean Woods, was when she was working in a shop in Bath, the British city where he is based. He was impressed not only by her striking looks and contemporary, edgy style, but also by the depth of character in her face. Following the broadcast of Channel Four’s documentary Fabulous Fashionistas which featured Jean, Richard’s daughter told him she was the grandmother of a friend. After calling her and asking her to sit for him, he was struck by her professionalism as a sitter – derived from her recent experience as a fashion model and from a quality of stillness she seems to possess naturally. “Sometimes as Jean was talking, especially about her much-missed late husband, she reminded me of Rembrandt’s Portrait of Margaretha de Geer,” says Richard. “Jean has a similar intensity and honesty in her gaze. I wanted to capture that sense of someone who has learnt to be almost fearless, looking forward to life still but with a great richness of experience behind her.”

This year the competition received a record-breaking 2,377 entries from 71 different countries, up from 1,969 entries from 77 different countries last year. 55 portraits have been selected for the exhibition.

The Portrait Award is now in its 35th year at the National Portrait Gallery and 25th year of sponsorship by BP. This highly successful annual event aims to encourage artists to focus upon, and develop, the theme of painted portraiture within their work. The BP Portrait Award 2013 had 285,514 visitors.

“The work of these 2014 BP short-listed artists exemplifies another outstanding year of contemporary portrait painting, with excellent entries from around the world,” said Sandy Nairne, director, National Portrait Gallery, London.

One of the 55 exhibited artists will also be eligible for the BP Travel Award 2014, an annual award of £6,000, which allows artists to experience working in a different environment on a project related to portraiture. The resulting portraits are displayed in the following year’s exhibition. The winner will also be announced on June 24.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of April 21, 2014

These small vegetable figures fit into a 13-inch-high papier-mache cabbage-shape box. It's a child's skittles set that sold for $4,425 at a 2013 Bertoia toy auction in Vineland, N.J.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Antique games of all sorts interest collectors. Sometimes the rules of a game or the history of its design and graphics is unknown. Several 2013 auctions offered containers shaped like chickens, frogs or even vegetables that held nine related small figural pins. They are 19th-century children’s skittles sets.

The game of skittles has been popular in England, Wales, Scotland and Germany for centuries, and was mentioned in writings as early as the 1300s. It is a lot like American bowling. It was played on a field, often near a pub. A ball, rounded stick or heavy disk was thrown at the nine pins. The object was to knock down all of the pins.

Amusing game sets with papier-mache figural pins and a rubber ball were popular in the 1920s and ’30s. The sets with animals and vegetables were made for children, possibly by the companies that made papier-mâché candy containers. They were small enough to use on the nursery floor or a tabletop. Full children’s sets are hard to find because the unusual pins often were used for other games and were eventually lost. Auction prices today for figural skittles sets in good condition range from about $1,500 to $18,000.

Q: Please tell me the value of a mahogany Killinger tilt-top tea table. It’s part of an estate inherited by my husband. I believe the Chippendale-style table dates from the 1930s or ’40s. It’s marked with the letters CW; between the letters is a sort of arrow topped by the number 4.

A: Your table was made by the Kittinger (not Killinger) Furniture Co. of Buffalo, N.Y. The mark was used on official reproductions made for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation from 1937 to 1990. Kittinger is said to have reproduced more than 300 pieces of American antique furniture for the foundation. Most were made of mahogany and copy Chippendale, Queen Anne and Hepplewhite American antiques. Kittinger, which still is in business in Buffalo, traces its history back to 1866. A Colonial Williamsburg reproduction made by Kittinger is a high-quality piece of furniture. Your table, if in excellent shape, could be worth more than $1,000.

Q: About 40 years ago, my uncle gave me an interesting light bulb with a crucifix inside it. The cross and the bulb both light up. Can you tell me when this was made and if it’s worth anything?

A: Light bulbs with glowing figural objects inside were first made in the 1930s. They were made with different figures or words inside. Philip Kayatt invented them in 1933. He applied for a patent for a “glow lamp,” a tubular light bulb with a silhouette inside. In 1941 Kayatt was granted a patent for a glow lamp that could display figural objects. The bulbs contained neon or argon gas. The metal figure inside the bulb was coated with phosphors that made it glow. The drawing accompanying the patent shows a crucifix inside the tubular bulb. Kayatt was president of Aerolux Kayatt Glow Lights, which later became the Aerolux Light Corp. The company made glow light bulbs from the 1930s until the 1970s, when it was bought by Duro-Lite. Other companies made similar bulbs. The value of glow bulbs can go from $15 to $65.

Q: I read your column about vintage talcum powder tins and the probability that old powder may be contaminated with traces of asbestos. I am 74 and still have some full talcum powder tins I was given as a little girl. The powder still smells good, but how can I tell if it contains asbestos?

A: Don’t worry about testing the powder. It’s not worth the expense and bother. But to be safe, don’t open the tins or use the powder. Inhaling it is the problem. Just enjoy displaying the old tins. Any cosmetic powder sold by U.S. retailers after the mid 1970s is safe to use.

Q: I have a cream-colored Orphan Annie mug with green trim marked “manufactured exclusively for the Wander Co., Chicago, makers of Ovaltine.” It has a picture of Orphan Annie on the front holding up a mug and saying, “Did ja ever taste anything so good as Ovaltine? And it’s good for yuh too.” Her dog, Sandy, is pictured on the back with the words, “Sandy’s running for his Ovaltine.” How much is the mug worth?

A: The comic strip Little Orphan Annie was created by Harold Gray in 1924. The Little Orphan Annie radio series debuted in 1931. It was sponsored by Ovaltine from 1931 to 1940. Your mug is one of the premiums offered to listeners. Its value today is about $15.

Q: I collect Victorian pressed glass. One odd piece I have had for years is a squat Amberette saltshaker with amber staining. Please tell me more about the pattern’s history and also what the shaker is worth.

A: Your saltshaker is the smaller of two shaker styles in the pattern, which is also known as Klondike. The pattern was introduced in 1898 by Dalzell, Gilmore & Leighton Co. of Findlay, Ohio. Dalzall was in business from 1888 to 1902, but was sold to National Glass Co. in 1900. The pattern was made in clear glass, frosted glass, and frosted glass with amber staining. Collectors have also spotted a squatty shaker like yours in emerald glass. A pair of amber-stained squatty shakers would sell for about $350, but a single shaker is worth less than half that because most collectors want a pair.

Tip: Hold glass lampshades carefully when you remove a light bulb from an old lamp. The Tiffany lily-shaped shade and others like it are held in place by the screwed-in bulb.

Take advantage of a free listing for your group to announce events or to find antique shows, national meetings and other events. Go to the Calendar at Kovels.com to find, publicize and plan your antiquing trips.

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Rabbit-in-egg candy container, papier-mache, glass eyes, 1920s, 7 3/4 inches, $75.
Sasha Gotz doll, blond, painted eyes, sailing suit, red tam, box, 1960s, $140.
Moser glass decanter, soldier profile in oval reserve, green ground, gilt scroll overlay, long neck, bulbous base, stopper, 9 x 4 inches, $195.
Baseball pennant, New York Yankees, sliding player, blue, white, felt, 1940s, 11 x 28 inches, $200.
Danish silver bowl, stepped foot, Georg Jensen, 4 x 8 inches, $450.
Copper Lobster Okimono, moveable, Japan, circa 1900, 3 1/2 inches, $710.
Pie crimper, wrought iron, pierced 1838 penny wheel, 7 inches, $770.
Coal scuttle, mahogany, tole white dog, England, circa 1890, 18 x 12 inches, $1,475.
Currier & Ives print, American Fireman: Prompt to the Rescue, frame, 1858, medium folio, $1,080.
Bench, oak, paneled, lift top, carved arms, England, circa 1780, 48 inches, $2,830.

“Kovels’ A Diary: How to Settle a Collector’s Estate” is our new week-by-week record of the settlement of an estate, from your first days gathering legal papers to the last days when you’re dividing antiques among heirs and selling everything else – even the house. How to identify pottery, jewelry and other popular collectibles. Tips on where and how to sell furniture, jewelry, dishes, figurines, record albums, bikes and even clothes. We include lots of pictures and prices and explain the advantages of a house sale, auction, selling to a dealer or donating to a charity. Learn about how to handle the special problems of security and theft. Plus a free current supplement with useful websites, auction lists and other current information. Available only from Kovels for $19.95 plus $4.95 postage and handling. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or write to Kovels, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Replica of Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’ sculpture draws Easter visitors

Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Image by Stanislav Traykov, Niabot. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

PHOENIX (AP) – The spirit of Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture is being felt this Easter week thousands of miles away from Vatican City – outside a Phoenix charity’s dining hall.

St. Vincent de Paul executive director Steve Zabilski said he expects more people than usual to sit before a replica of one of the Italian artist’s most famous works.

About 20 people gathered at one point on Good Friday in the 50-seat chapel, Zabilski said.

“What makes this so special is it’s not in a great big cathedral or an art museum but it’s at a place where the homeless, the downtrodden and the working poor frequent,” Zabilski said.

The statue has been a fixture at St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Phoenix since January 2013.

Zabilski said the sculpture depicting Mary holding the body of Christ moves visitors. People often go up to kiss or touch the statue as well as leave prayer books, flowers or coins on it. Zabilski recalled taking a tour group into the chapel and explaining the sculpture’s presence.

“One of the people (seated) turned to me and said, ‘Shhh,’” Zabilski said, laughing. “He was absolutely right.”

Jana Black, a 54-year-old woman who is trying to save enough money to get to Flagstaff, recognized the statue from seeing the original on TV. While many people at St. Vincent de Paul might never have heard of it, that doesn’t diminish their ability to appreciate it, Black said.

“It brings God’s creativity to Phoenix straight from the Vatican,” she said.

For Dalton Puckett, a 22-year-old welder from Orange, Texas, it is a reminder to have hope. Puckett has been living at a nearby homeless shelter for two days. On Good Friday, he kissed the hand of Jesus’ sculpture and then touched Jesus’ foot.

The statue stands for “hopes and dreams and that everything is possible. There is no bottom of the barrel you can’t make it out of … because he (Jesus) gave his life for us,” Puckett said.

Husband and wife David Newren and Claudia Hecht distribute the replicas through their company, Arte Divine. They have overseen the construction of a dozen replicas licensed by the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

According to Newren, each one is cast from a mold of the original.

The sculptures have typically been placed in churches or cathedrals. There is one in the Italian embassy in Washington, D.C. Newren said Fulton Brock, his friend and a former Maricopa County supervisor, suggested St. Vincent de Paul receive one. A replica was made and transported with the costs offset by private donations.

It was even blessed by Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Newren said.

Newren said he’s happy that people are enjoying the statue in a way they couldn’t at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

In 1972, the original sculpture was severely damaged by a hammer-wielding man who shouted he was Jesus Christ. Since then, millions of tourists have had to look at it through bulletproof glass.

“If you’re viewing the original, the original almost looks like a framed photograph because it’s so far away from that window,” Newren said. “Here, you can experience it in an important way.”

___

Follow Terry Tang on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ttangAP

AP-WF-04-19-14 2319GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

‘Crazy’ prices paid for world coins at Chicago Int’l Coin Expo

The Chicago International Coin Expo, held April 10-13 in Rosemont, Illinois, was buzzing with activity. Image courtesy of FW Media.

ROSEMONT, Ill. – It doesn’t matter whether it’s a US or foreign coin, collectors want to own the best.

“Any rare types in high grades are bringing just crazy, crazy prices, and at auction mostly,” said Tom Michael, world coin market analyst at Krause Publications.

Michael just returned from the Chicago International Coin Expo held April 10-13 in Rosemont, Ill., where he spoke to collectors from around the world.

“Almost all dealers who have coins worth over $10,000 or $20,000 are consigning them to auctions and that is where they are getting the big money,” he said.

Heritage Auctions, for example, held four auctions at CICF, bringing in more than $13 million on the hammer.

“Auctions draw collectors to the shows,” Michael said.

And while the auctions may have the high-priced coins, collectors can find plenty of mainstream coins on the show floor, Michael said, with about 70 percent of the coins selling for $500 or less.

“On professional preview day, I ran into somebody I knew from the East Coast, a low-key guy, who spent most of the day with one dealer and spent $3,000 to $4,000 with him to fill in holes in his collection,” Michael said.

Many dealers are helping people build collections, and will buy coins at shows specifically to resell to their clients, Michael added.

But in every instance, collectors are looking for high-grade coins, he said.

“You can have a high-rarity coin in a low grade and it goes homeless,” Michael said. “If you’ve got a nice dragon dollar from a province in China in MS-60, its chances of selling at auction is iffy. If it’s MS-65, you can get big dollars for it.”

While commercial third-party grading has been an integral part of the US coin market for almost 30 years, it is just now taking hold for world coins.

“But it’s fast becoming the standard,” Michael said.

American auction houses sell graded world coins, Michael said, while some European firms want to stay away from graded coins. But that is slowly changing.

“And that is a function of the type of person buying and collecting today,” he said. “A vast majority of people paying these high prices aren’t the traditional coin collector of the last 20 years. They may not know how to grade very well.”

That’s why they are drawn to third-party graded coins.

“When you’re looking at a coin that may be an MS-60 or MS-65 you’d better be darned sure which it is, because there is a big difference in price,” Michael said. “If you don’t have the confidence to grade it yourself, you need a third party.”

But Michael knows not every collector can buy coins that are the best of the best.

“If you have been a core collector and are put off by the crazy, crazy prices for third-party high grade coins, don’t be discouraged,” Michael said. “There is a lot of nice material in lower grades like XF and AU. You can build a nice collection.”

In fact, the drop in gold and silver prices has helped bring down the price of many mainstream coins, he said.

“For any coin graded below MS, prices are quite reasonable again,” he said.

“When gold is at $2,000 an ounce and silver is at $40, that pushes a lot of circulated-type coins out of the range of the average collector. But with gold at $1,300 and silver at $20, some of those coins that they might have been interested in will now be available at a price they can afford.”

Collectors came from as far away as Moscow for the CICF show and Heritage’s auctions.

“As a show organizer, the most satisfying sight is to look over the bourse floor and see customers sitting in chairs at every dealer’s table,” said Scott Tappa, KP numismatics publisher and CICF chairman. “That was definitely the case at CICF. Early auction lot viewing was busier than usual, and that fed into very active dealer setup, early bird and general public attendance days. There may be larger coin shows out there, but for world and ancient coins CICF continues to be a must-attend.”

Next year’s CICF show will be held April 9-12, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza O’Hare. For more information visit www.cicfshow.com.

# # #

Exhibit recreates Warhol’s 1964 World’s Fair mural

Warhol's work was to be hung outside the Circarama theater at the New York State Pavilion (left). Image by JonathanRe. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Subject to disclaimers.

NEW YORK (AP) – Even for a 1964 New York World’s Fair that celebrated “The World of Tomorrow,” Andy Warhol may have been ahead of his time.

His monumental piece commissioned specifically for the fair – a mural depicting mug shots of the New York Police Department’s 13 most-wanted criminals – was deemed too edgy for the family friendly event and was painted over just before opening day.

Now, 50 years later, the work is the focus of a museum exhibition being staged on the very fairgrounds where the pop-art provocateur was censored.

“There’s no question Warhol was not interested in the notion of a family friendly fair,” said Larissa Harris, the exhibition’s curator. “It’s possible that he understood the concept very clearly, but he did this absolutely intentionally.”

The exhibition, “13 Most Wanted Men: Andy Warhol and the 1964 World’s Fair,” opens April 27 at the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. It includes never-before-shown archival documents and materials, including the artist’s letter agreeing to the paint-over and the NYPD mug shot booklet.

Warhol was one of 10 artists commissioned by famed architect Philip Johnson to create 20-foot-by-20-foot artworks for the outside of the New York State Pavilion’s Circarama theater.

Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, who was seeking the Republican presidential nomination at the time, gave the order to paint over Warhol’s mural. The stated reason, according to Johnson and others, was because seven of the 13 criminals were Italians and he didn’t want to risk alienating Italian-Americans, Harris said.

“It does seem like an incredibly bold step,” said Nicholas Chambers, a curator at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, which is collaborating on the exhibition. “In retrospect, it seems that was the only possible outcome – that it had to be censored.”

According to his autobiography, Warhol believed the work was whitewashed “because of some political thing I never understood.”

Warhol offered another work as a replacement – 25 identical portraits arranged in a grid of the fair’s controversial head Robert Moses – but it was rejected by Johnson as inappropriate.

Warhol never made another public work.

The documents show that Warhol agreed to have the mug shot mural painted over in silver. (He was already producing paintings that had large silver blank panels.) Removing it wasn’t an option because it would have ruined Johnson’s vision for the building’s exterior that called for a combination of black-and-white and colored pieces.

Three months later, Warhol took the screens he used for the mural and created 13 Most Wanted Men on canvas.

Nine of the 13 original canvases – assembled from various collections – are the subject of the exhibition.

The goal of the show is to delve into the mural’s creation and the reasons Warhol chose to make 13 Most Wanted Men for the World’s Fair.

“Warhol loved experimenting with how far he could go,” Harris said. The 36-year-old pop artist, known for his depictions of Coke bottles, soup cans and celebrity portraits, was also creating silkscreens of suicides and car crashes at that time.

“Andy was interested in this darker side to American media culture,” Chambers said. “There are these kinds of connections to tragic events even in some of the more iconic celebrity portraits that he was doing at that time. … The Marilyn Monroe portrait for instance, was produced shortly after her suicide.”

The exhibition runs through Sept. 7 and then goes on view at the Warhol museum from Sept. 27 to Jan. 5.

AP-WF-04-19-14 1854GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Sign up for daily highlights by email