August 4, 2014 - Auction Central News

Case record-breaking Summer Auction a ringing success

This rare Tennessee ring jug is the most elaborately decorated Southern example of the form found to date, and was made by Civil War era potter Christopher Haun. It sold for $30,680 and will soon go on display at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. Case Antiques Auction image.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A rare piece of Southern pottery and an exceptionally large diamond were the star lots at the Summer Case Antiques Auction, held July 19 at the company’s gallery in Knoxville. The sale attracted more than 3,200 registered bidders from over 60 countries, bidding in person, by Internet, by phone and by absentee (left) bids – a record for participation in a Case summer auction. It was also the company’s highest-grossing Summer sale to date.

LiveAuctioneers.com provide Internet live bidding.

The auction’s prize pottery piece is headed to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem, N.C.: a 19th century copper oxide and lead-glazed earthenware bottle made in the shape of a ring, which sold for $30,680 (all prices include the buyer’s premium). Although a utilitarian form, company president John Case said it was the most elaborately decorated Southern ring bottle discovered to date, and the only such known form by Tennessee potter Christopher Haun. Haun is remembered not only as an excellent potter, but also for his role in Civil War history: He was part of a group of Union sympathizers executed for burning the Confederate-controlled Lick Creek Bridge in Greene County, Tenn., in 1861.

The bottle was purchased on behalf of MESDA’s new William C. and Susan S. Mariner Southern Ceramics Gallery and will go on exhibit there in October 2015. A 6-gallon William Grindstaff stoneware jar with double handles and glaze drips hammered for $4,248 (est. $1,200-1,400), setting a new auction record for that East Tennessee potter, and a 6 1/2-inch tall Mid-Atlantic cobalt stenciled stoneware preserving jar with elaborate vase of flowers decoration and script “Ham Easters Clay” competed to $2,596. A rare stamped Maryville Pottery stoneware/redware transitional jug delivered $1,770, and a Blount County, Tenn., stoneware jug by D.L. Smith reached $1,534.

The auction’s highest grossing lot overall was a 5.06-carat diamond ring flanked by channel-set diamonds totaling an additional carat, all set in an 18K yellow gold mounting. A GIA report confirming the diamond’s S12 clarity and I color was included and helped propel the ring to $54,450 (est. $30,000-$40,000).

Jewelry was a hot category overall. A 2.45-carat natural sapphire, flanked by two oval brilliant diamonds in platinum prongs on an 18K yellow gold ring shank earned $6,372 (est. $4,000-$5,000), while an Art Deco ring with 1.65 carat diamond encircled by sapphires in an octagonal platinum setting brought $4,598. A Patek Philippe pocketwatch ticked to $2,832.

One of the top-selling paintings was a sleeper: an impressionistic landscape with barns by Alabama painter John Kelly Fitzpatrick (1888-1953). Fitzpatrick’s work is relatively scarce, and multiple phone, Internet and floor bidders chased it to $15,730 – 10 times its low estimate – despite some condition problems. A marine seascape by Albert Pinkham Ryder (American, 1847-1917) sold for $18,150, while a New England village landscape with windmill by Charles Wysocki (American, 1929-2002) blew past its $3,000-5,000 estimate to $13,570, and a Southern genre landscape depicting an African American family and their cabin by William Aiken Walker (South Carolina, 1838-1921) earned $12,390. A drawing of an African American couple in a wagon by Alfred Hutty (South Carolina, 1877-1954) brought $3,776, and a watercolor autumn landscape by Lloyd Branson (Tennessee, 1861-1925) sold for $2,832. A posthumous oil portrait by Cornelius Hankins (Tennessee, 1863-1946) depicting Robert E. Lee, believed to have been commissioned by the daughter of a soldier who fought with Lee, rallied to $3,872. An oil on canvas of a child with her doll by Edmund Adler Rode (Austria, 1876-1965), charmed its way to $6,136, while a mid- 20th century Paris street scene signed Antoine Blanchard brought $3,146.

It was a banner day for Nashville surrealist painter Werner Wildner (1925-2004). Wildner’s painting of a patched-up Humpty Dumpty sitting atop a wall cracked the artist’s previous world auction record by reaching $5,664, but a second Wildner painting in the sale – a trompe l’oeil style “Punch and Judy” scene – outmatched it when it hit $12,390. Both were from a collection of 20th century art consigned by Nashvillians Stephen and Lisa Steiner Small. The Smalls’ collection also included a painting of a circus train by Kentucky memory painter Helen LaFrance (b. 1919) which steamed to $3,509 (est. $800-1000), and a surrealist oil on canvas by self-taught artist Paul Lancaster (Tennessee, b. 1930), titled Eve in the Garden, which elicited $2,242. A colorful abstract mixed media painting by Henry Faulkner (Kentucky, 1924-1981) brought $2,420. A mixed media serigraph, Back-Out, by Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008), signed and numbered 38/100, realized $2,124, while an Andy Warhol (1928-1987) screenprint depicting Kimiko Powers brought $1,815, and a Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983) signed lithograph, Maravillas con variaciones acrosticas en el jardin de Miro, 1975, yielded $1,815.

The sale featured several sculptures. Top seller was a bronze by Harriet Frishmuth (American, 1880-1980) at $8,496. A sculpture of a partially nude woman, Odaliske, by Eugene Barillot (French, 1841-1900) sold for $6,292, while a patinated bronze depiction of a woman and girl at a well, after Emile Joseph Nestor Carlier (French, 1849-1927), drew $5,808. A Salvador Dali gold sculpture, St. John of the Cross, edition G-7/500, 1981, registered in the Dali archives, doubled its low estimate at $3,304.

Folk art highlights included a carved and painted cigar store “Indian Princess” with feathered headdress, which soared to $12,980 (est. $3,500-$4,500), and two carved and painted African American ventriloquist dolls, which descended in the family of a Tennessee minstrel show performer. The female brought $2,242 and the male, $1,888. A brightly colored East Tennessee Princess Feather pattern quilt wrapped up $1,180 and a tree of life textile collage by Kate Clayton “Granny” Donaldson of North Carolina (1864-1960) flourished at $1,062. A rare mid-19th century Middle Tennessee house sampler stitched up $5,664.

Civil War-era firearms were in demand, led by a brass frame .36 caliber six-shot revolver, likely made by Samuel Griswold of Georgia, which hit $17,770. A Smith and Wesson .32 caliber No. 2 Army Revolver with holster, formerly belonging to a member of the Hancock Guards (which occupied Nashville during the Civil War) reached $3,304, and a Sharps Model 1859 Carbine, circa 1859-1866, brought $1,888.

An 1844 map of the world by T. & E.H. Ensign with early depiction of the Republic of Texas reached $2,360. An 1827 land grant signed by Tennessee governor Sam Houston two days before he actually took office, doubled expectations at $3,776.

For the first time in company history, the top-selling piece of furniture in the auction was crafted during the 20th century: a George Nakashima cherry “Frenchman’s Cove” #2 Dining Table, circa 1968, which sold for $14,750. There were three bronze and pewter tables by Phillip and Kelvin Laverne, all of which sold within or above estimates: a “Lo-Ta” cube table, $5,428; a coffee table decorated with Roman figures, $5,566; and a circular “Chan” coffee table, $3,872.

The Nakashima table narrowly beat out a beloved 19th century Southern furniture form: a cherry sugar chest from the Middle Tennessee plantation known as Mooreland, which brought a strong $11,800.

“It’s been awhile since we saw a sugar chest crack the $10,000 mark,” noted company president John Case. “The market for brown furniture isn’t entirely dead – it’s just highly selective.”

A circa 1830 cherry china press with glazed doors and East Tennessee provenance brought near the top of its estimate, $9,676, and a Greene County, Tennessee Chippendale chest of drawers with ogee bracket feet doubled its high estimate at $2,242.

There was avid competition for a Federal tea service by Alexandria, Va., silversmith Charles Alexander Burnett (1769-1849), formerly owned by noted East Tennessee collector Richard Doughty. It sold to a private collector for $11,800. Other tea related items in the sale included a six-piece mid-20th century Mexican sterling tea service, $4,427; a Wood and Hughes Aesthetic Movement five-piece silver tea service, $2,541, and an unmarked American Federal period coin silver teapot, $1,062.

Tennessee’s Milligan College selected Case to sell several deaccessioned Chinese items, including a Qing official’s winter wool and silk skull hat with various accessories, $4,114 (est. $500-700), a Qing civil official’s blue silk surcoat with dragon badge and leggings, $3,872 ($700-1,000), and a Qing silk robe with undergarments, $2,541 ($600-900). A Chinese Export hardwood settee adorned with carved rats, monkeys, cranes and other birds led the Asian category overall at $21,780. A turquoise glazed 6-inch diameter bowl with incised dragons commanded $4,356 (est. $300-400).

The sale featured a sizeable collection of European porcelain, led by a KPM-style porcelain plaque of a partially nude woman embracing a lion, which doubled its estimate to earn $7,502. A pair of large bronze-mounted French cobalt porcelain urns rallied to $6,050 (est. $1,400-1600), while another pair of bronze mounted urns with white porcelain and courting scenes realized $4,356. A scarce Rene Lalique blue Canarina perfume bottle with original box competed to $2,596.

A large consignment of model trains was led by a mechanical scale model of the wood-burning DeWitt Clinton steam engine locomotive and three passenger coaches (the Dewitt Clinton was the first American passenger train). It steamed to just over its high estimate, $1,815.

Other highlights included an oak Reginaphone “Lion’s Head” Model 240 music box and phonograph without tone arm or turntable, $10,148 and a small Continental silver-cased bird automaton music box, $3,068. A framed Chattanooga Brewing Company advertising poster circa 1901 depicting the profile of a young beauty bubbled well past its $800-1000 estimate to earn $4,114.

Case is currently preparing for its September online Asian Arts Auction featuring the contents of the Dragon Dreams Museum, a privately owned Chattanooga museum devoted to dragon-themed decorative arts, whose founder died earlier this year. The company is accepting consignments for its next live Fine and Decorative Arts auction, set for Jan. 24.

For more information, call the gallery in Knoxville at 865-558-3033 or the company’s Nashville office at 615-812-6096 or email info@caseantiques.com.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

A farm landscape by Alabama painter John Kelly Fitzpatrick yielded a strong $15,730. Case Antiques Auction image.

A George Nakashima 'Frenchman’s Cove #2' cherry dining table was the day’s top-selling furniture piece at $14,750. Case Antiques Auction image. — A George Nakashima ‘Frenchman’s Cove #2’ cherry dining table was the day’s top-selling furniture piece at $14,750. Case Antiques Auction image.

A six-piece Federal coin silver tea service by Charles Burnett of the Washington, D.C., area served up $11,800. Case Antiques Auction image.

Jewelry had a strong showing, led by this 5.06 carat diamond and 18K gold ring at $54,450. Case Antiques Auction image.

Punch and Judy set a new auction record for Tennessee artist Werner Wildner, hitting $12,390. Case Antiques Auction image.

African art trove worth $500,000 found at Mo. university

Dan mask, Ivory Coast, carved wood, early 20th century, 9 1/2 inches by 6 inches. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Rago Arts & Auction Center.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – Officials at Missouri Southern State University are assessing a recent trove of African art found in a small room under a stairwell.

Christine Bentley said after she was named to head the art department at Missouri Southern, she wanted to assess the university’s African art holdings and found a 320-piece collection tucked away in the small room that had been enclosed below a basement stairwell.

She was stunned by what she found.

“How in the world did we have that much stuff in that little room?” Bentley said. “It was a much more extensive collection that I thought it was going to be. I was surprised that we had something of this quality.”

Staff from the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas in Lawrence traveled to Missouri Southern earlier this month to view the 320-piece collection and said each item must be properly documented and cataloged, and that steps must be taken to ensure the collection’s preservation.

The works that constitute the basis of the collection, represent the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were presented to the university in 1997 by John and Pam Finley. The overall collection includes ceremonial masks, tools and musical instruments and has an estimated value of nearly $500,000, The Joplin Globe reported.

“The pieces were stored in boxes and plastic containers and on shelves from the ceiling to the floor,” said Burt Bucher, an associate professor of art at MSSU. “It was not temperature controlled, but it was not as bad as it could have been.”

Bentley said she’ll seek funding to get the collection properly stored and appraised.

“It’s a collection worthy of that funding and attention,” she said.

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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

AP-WF-08-03-14 1617GMT

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Suspect in Jewish Museum murders jailed in Belgium

2009 photo of the Jewish Museum of Belgium, in Brussels. Credit: Michael Wal, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and1.0 Generic license.

BRUSSELS (AFP) – A Frenchman suspected in the shooting deaths of four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels was remanded in custody for a month Monday on charges of “murder in a terrorist context.”

Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, who spent more than a year fighting with Islamic extremists in Syria, was extradited from France to Belgium last week for questioning over the May 24 shooting.

A statement from the Belgian prosecutor’s office said the Brussels pretrial chamber “has ordered further detention on remand of NM by one month.”

One of his lawyers, Sebastien Courtoy, said there was no proof of his presence that day at the museum, so “it is totally premature to condemn him at this stage.”

The Frenchman of Algerian descent is being questioned over the deaths of an Israeli couple, a Frenchwoman and a Belgian man by a gunman who opened fire at the downtown museum in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon.

The shooting – the first such attack in Brussels in three decades – raised fears of a resurgence of anti-Semitic violence in Europe and of terror attacks from foreign fighters returning from Syria.

Nemmouche was arrested in the southern French city of Marseille days after the attack after being spotted on a bus from Brussels.

A revolver and Kalashnikov rifle were found in his luggage, resembling weapons caught on a museum video camera, as was a camera.

Nemmouche, who is being held in prison in the city of Bruges, is being defended by two lawyers who have been photographed with controversial French comic Dieudonne, attacked for sketches deemed anti-Semitic.

A photo shows Courtoy and Henry Larquay along with Dieudonne making his trademark “quenelle” salute – a stiff-arm gesture described by critics as a disguised Nazi salute.

Nemmouche has been sentenced seven times in France, including for armed robbery, and has spent seven years in jail where he was notably found proselytising Islam.

Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of Aug. 4, 2014

This Anglo-Indian folding chair sold this spring for $590 at a Brunk auction in Asheville, N.C. It had some cracked pieces, but the typical carved decorations were intact.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Collectors in the 1950s usually wanted furniture and accessories in earlier styles, or perhaps a piece that represented the family’s background, like a German stein or English china. But today collectors can see and buy items from all over the world on the Internet, and auctions have become more international.

Carved wooden furniture from 18th and 19th century China, painted chests from Scandinavia and Black Forest benches and tables with large, carved bears from Switzerland (although they were first sold as German) were not bought to use in many homes. But now interior designers and collectors want something “different” to decorate modern homes.

Anglo-Indian furniture that’s elaborately carved still is a bargain because it is not well known. The British East India Co. explored the world, and had created industries in many ports by the 1700s. There was profitable trade in both Chinese and Indian furniture made for the British market. Samples of popular British chair styles, like Chippendale and Queen Anne, were sent to workmen in India to copy, and British tradesmen were sent to train Indian workers. The resulting furniture was a blend of cultures: British shapes and Indian woods like teak, ebony or rosewood. An inlay of ivory or silver was used on expensive pieces. An entire piece might be carved with a lacelike frame filled with birds and flowers.

There are many records of shipments of Anglo-Indian furniture, but little documented history. There even were complaints from British cabinetmakers that the quantity of imported furniture was harming their business. Today, an average Anglo-Indian carved chair in good condition made before 1900 auctions for $150 to $300. Small center tables go for $500 or more.

When you buy, be sure any damage is minor and can be repaired, because the carvings often break.

Q: My wife recently acquired a metal mechanical bank titled “Monkey Bank.” It’s 7 1/4 inches long. A monkey sits on one end, and an organ grinder on the other. When you put a coin in the monkey’s mouth and press the lever behind him, the monkey flies forward and “deposits” the coin into the organ held by the organ grinder. Do you know the age or value?

A: The original Monkey Bank you describe was produced by the Hubley Manufacturing Co. of Lancaster, Pa., probably in the 1920s. Originals, however, are nearly 9 inches long. Reproductions abound. Some were produced using molds made from original banks, which is why the copies are smaller than originals. An original Monkey Bank recently sold for close to $600. Copies sell for $15 to $25.

Q: I have a blue-and-white beaded purse with a metal clasp and chain. It’s needlepoint with cut steel beads. It was my grandmother’s, so it must be 60-80 years old. Does it have any value, and where can I sell it?

A: Beaded purses were popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many were imported from Europe. Beadwork was a popular form of needlework, and directions for making beaded bags were printed in women’s magazines. Beaded purses are still popular fashion accessories and are made by some well-known designers today. Any vintage clothing store will be interested in your beaded purse if it’s in good condition. Price depends on style, intricacy of the design and condition. Good purses sell for $150 to $250, while exceptional examples have brought about $800.

Q: I have a Heineken beer mug marked “Blue Delfts” on the bottom. I thought it ought to say “Delft.” Do I have a fake

A: That depends on what you mean by “fake.” You don’t have an antique piece of Dutch delft pottery. They are not marked the way yours is. And while Heineken beer has been around for more than a century, blue-and-white pottery with that brand name on the front was made as giftware much more recently. Your mug might not even have been made in Holland. A mug like yours sells online for about $10.

Q: My mother gave me three nun figurines. The bottom of each figurine is marked “Dave Grossman Designs, copyright 1971, MEM.” Two of the figurines also have paper stickers that read “Made in Japan.” Can you provide any information on these figurines and their value?

A: David Grossman opened his company in Hazelwood, Mo., in 1968. The company made figurines, limited editions, music boxes, ornaments and snow globes. Some of the popular series of figurines made by Dave Grossman include Norman Rockwell, Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. The company was one of several sued by Warner Brothers for copyright and trademark infringement because Grossman used characters from Warner Brothers movies and cartoons. The suit was settled in 2014. The value of your figurines is about $10 each.

Tip: Don’t leave vinyl tablecloths or rubber or plastic placemats on a wooden tabletop for a long time. They may react with the finish and cause damage.

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.

Royal Crown Derby plate, molded white basket-weave border, gilt center medallion and rim, c. 1900, 9 1/4 inches, 12 pieces, $95.
Barbie doll, No. 3, blond ponytail, Picnic Set outfit, c. 1960, $115.
Fostoria cake stand, pressed glass, frosted, artichoke, upturned high and low rims, c. 1891, 5 5/8 x 9 1/2 inches, $185.
Peanut roaster, “Hot Peanuts,” painted tin, Kingery Manufacturing Co., c. 1905, 65 inches, $360.
Stoneware jug, cobalt blue spotted bird, impressed “Edmands & Co.,” New York, 1800s, 13 1/2 inches, $420.
Mid-century pottery vase, cylinder, incised linear design, gray matte glaze, signed “Harrison McIntosh,” 4 x 5 inches, $500.
Golf markers, molded heart shape, painted zinc, 1900s, three pieces, $545.
Telescope, brass, spotter scope, collapsible steel tripod stand, J.H. Steward, Victorian, 46 inches, $815.
Garden bench, neoclassical, Sienna marble, acanthus-carved supports, c. 1900, 18 x 72 inches, $1,875.
Cabinet, teak, shelves, door, fall-front and sliding drawers, Peter Hvidt, Denmark, c. 1960, 66 x 53 inches, $2,460.

“Kovels’ Buyers’ Guide to Modern Ceramics: Mid-Century to Contemporary.” Contemporary, modern and mid-century ceramics made since 1950 are among the hottest collectibles today. Our special report identifies important pottery by American and European makers. Includes more than 65 factories and 70 studio artists, each with a mark and dates. Works by major makers, including Claude Conover, Guido Gambone and Lucie Rie, as well as potteries like Gustavsberg, Metlox and Sascha Brastoff, are shown in color photos. Find the “sleepers” at house sales and flea markets. Special Report, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, 64 pp. 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, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

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Entries sought for Detroit aquarium weather vane design

The Belle Isle Aquarium, located in Belle Isle Park in Detroit, was designed by architect Albert Kahn. It opened in 1904. Image by Rmhermen at en.wikipedia.This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

DETROIT (AP) – The Butzel Long law firm is sponsoring a competition to design a weather vane for the Belle Isle Aquarium cupola.

The winning design will fetch a $500 prize. The deadline for entries is midnight on Aug. 29.

Submissions will be reviewed by a five-person jury.

The competition is open to U.S. citizens age 18 and older. Only one entry is allowed per person.

There are size and other guidelines. Weather vane entries must function and rotate with the wind, be made of noncorrosive metal and reflect the aquarium’s historic character. Construction of the proposed design cannot exceed $7,500.

Butzel Long chair Richard E. Rassel says the firm has long ties to the aquarium and calls it a “hidden gem.”

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Online: www.belleisleconservancy.org

AP-WF-08-02-14 0804GMT

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Oregon’s only Frank Lloyd Wright house right for art

The Gordon House by architect Frank Lloyd Wright located in Silverton, Ore. Andrew Parodi at en.wikipedia image. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) – People who appreciate inviting, glass-framed living rooms, subtle red concrete floors and custom fretwork see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House as a piece of art. Wright, however, envisioned the two-story residence as a place for art.

The Gordon House in Silverton, the only Wright building in Oregon and the only one of his residences open to the public in the Pacific Northwest, has towering walls and plenty of clean-lined spaces that serve as perfect backgrounds for captivating contemporary art.

The concrete-and-wood house, designed by Wright in 1957 for Evelyn and Conrad Gordon, was built from 1963 to 1964 on the Gordons’ farm on the Willamette River near Wilsonville. In 2002, the dwelling was dismantled and moved next to the Oregon Garden.

Evelyn was a weaver and artist who saw her home as an accommodating sequence of galleries to display her paintings, prints and sculptures.

Original paintings, many by Northwest artists, hung on every wall, including in the kitchen where cinder blocks rose 15 feet to meet a skylight.

She had Native American weavings, a metal sculpture by James Shull and – sharing Wright’s passion for Japanese art – a Haku Maki woodblock print.

Roger Hull, curator emeritus of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, is helping the nonprofit Gordon House Conservancy reacquire Evelyn’s collection and return it to her beloved home.

One of her pieces, a Charles Heaney oil painting, prompts Hull to say that Wright and Heaney, who moved to Portland as a teenager, were both inspired by the American West and its spacious landscapes that allowed for an interplay of architecture and nature.

Until the collection is reassembled here, art appreciators can view changing exhibits. The upcoming “Wright Angles . . . Home is Where the Art is” features two dozen oil paintings, caricatures and cartoons by Larry Kassell of Silverton.

Like Heaney, Kassell is attracted to relics, from derelict homes and barns to rusty trucks and tractors.

Kassell’s original works will be exhibited from Aug. 3 through Sept. 1 at the Gordon House, 869 W. Main St., Silverton. An artist’s reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 9.

The exhibit can be viewed for $5 from noon to 3 p.m. every day except Tuesday when the historic house is closed. Guided tours are $15.

In another exhibit, Roycrofter artisan CJ Hurley of CJ Hurley Century Arts will present his collection of paintings paired with poetry in the Gordon House Living Room Gallery Sept. 6-28. There will also be a reception Sept. 13 for “Houses, Landscapes, Flowers & Dreams, The Poetic Art of CJ Hurley.”

Year-round, art appreciators can sit the in the built-in library seating and take in Wright’s well-preserved creation, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Wright was an artist before he was an architect, says Molly Murphy, the Gordon House executive director, “and colored pencils were his famously favorite medium.”

He produced a colored pencil rendering of buildings he designed, including the Gordon House, that represented his vision of the project after an introductory interview with the client.

The original renderings are protected at the Taliesin West archives and his original pencil set is part of the collection at his home and studio in Spring Green, Wis. But the Gordon House sells a 9-inch-by-26-inch art print of the residence’s rendering onsite and on-line for $20.

Wright also enjoyed sketching the flora and landscapes of the natural world, adds Murphy. “He called these his Nature drawings. Some of his fans refer to them as the ‘weed sketches.’”

She continues: “His organic architecture concepts marry the building to the site as though they were always meant to be together. The Gordon House is a wonderful example of this at both its original and current location.”

Wright collected art, especially Japanese prints, which he sold off to support his lifestyle when money was scarce. To help tell this story, Murphy says the Gordon House displays traditional Hiroshige and contemporary Haku Maki artwork.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com

AP-WF-08-02-14 1102GMT

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Federal judge to decide fate of Elvis’ acoustic guitar

An Elvis tribute poster. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and Heritage Auctions.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A man who donated to a South Dakota museum a slightly damaged acoustic guitar played by Elvis Presley that is at the center of a custody battle insisted Thursday he had the right to give it away because he owned it.

The instrument’s fate is now in the hands of a federal judge in South Dakota tasked with determining whether blues guitarist Robert A. Johnson owned the guitar when he donated it to the National Music Museum last year along with a guitar made for Johnny Cash, one of Bob Dylan’s harmonicas and other objects.

The museum, located in Vermillion, S.D., insisted in a federal lawsuit that it is the legal owner of the broken Martin D-35, which “The King” played during his 1977 tour and gave to a fan in St. Petersburg, Fla., after a strap and string snapped. But collector Larry Moss argues that Johnson agreed to sell the guitar to him before it was donated.

Johnson and Moss, both of whom live in Memphis, Tenn., are each listed as defendants in the museum’s complaint.

Moss had the opportunity to buy the guitar in 2007 but did not pay for it in full, Johnson told the Associated Press Thursday.

“Since Larry Moss never paid for the guitar, I had the right to donate the guitar.”

A payment agreement dated in 2008 shows that Moss agreed to pay Johnson $120,000 for various guitars including the one in dispute. The agreement is part of the exhibits filed in a libel and defamation lawsuit that Johnson initiated against Moss in state court in Tennessee in January.

The court records also include a check Moss wrote to Johnson for $70,000 in connection with the payment agreement, as well as an email Moss sent to the museum in December 2013 claiming ownership.

Federal court records show Johnson has not responded to the lawsuit in South Dakota as of Thursday. Johnson’s attorney did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.

In court filings, the museum argues that even if Moss was the owner of the Elvis guitar before Johnson donated it to the facility, his ownership ended when the museum acquired it. The complaint states that if Moss feels he was wronged, he should sue Johnson for damages.

“Johnson had possession and control of the guitar apparently for many years during which time Moss purports to have been the owner of the guitar, yet Moss took no action to assert his alleged rights in the guitar,” the museum’s attorney, Mitchell Peterson, wrote in the complaint.

On loan from Johnson, the broken instrument was on display for about two years beginning in late 2008 at the Memphis Rock `n’ Soul Museum.

Johnson, who played with singer Isaac Hayes and the band John Entwistle’s Ox in the 1970s, donated the Elvis guitar and other items to the museum in April 2013. At the same time, he received $250,000 for his 1967 Gibson Explorer Korina wood guitar, formerly owned by Entwistle, who is best known as a member of The Who.

AP-WF-07-31-14 2215GMT

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‘Phantom of the Opera’ poster brings $203,150 at Heritage Auctions

Formerly from the Nicolas Cage Collection, the 1925 'The Phantom of the Opera' poster sold for $203,150. Heritage Auctions image.

DALLAS – A scarce original one sheet poster for the 1925 horror classic The Phantom of the Opera – formerly from actor Nicolas Cage’s collection and one of only four known to exist – sold for $203,150 in Heritage Auctions’ Vintage Movie Posters Signature Auction July 19-20.

The $2.3-plus million auction saw strong interest in prewar movie posters as a rare Charlie Chaplin six sheet for Sunnyside, from 1919, sold for $71,700.

“It was very gratifying to watch 10 bidders vie for a chance to own The Phantom of the Opera one sheet,” said Grey Smith, director of movie posters at Heritage. “Collectors know they have to respond when rarities like this come to market and I know it will be heading to a very good home.”

A stunning and highly sought-after insert for the cinema masterpiece Casablanca – a collector favorite from 1942 – sold for $83,650. Another rare survivor from one of the world’s most critically acclaimed films, a German poster for the 1931 unnerving classic M, sold for $50,787 following interest from 18 bidders.

Collectors of classic film images disregarded the $15,000 estimate for an Italian foglio for La Dolce Vita. The gorgeous poster measuring 55 inches by 77 1/5 inches hammered for $47,800. Likewise, a rare, 1941 insert for The Wolf Man quickly cleared $47,800 against a $30,000 estimate.

A stunning Italian 2 foglio for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, depicting what many collectors consider the most fetching image of star Audrey Hepburn, sold for a strong $35,850. Another Italian 2 foglio for The Lady from Shanghai – featuring Rita Hayworth as a blonde femme fatale – sold for $31,070.

The auction’s most valuable half sheet is from the 1953 classic The War of the Worlds; the rare style B version sold for $35,850. A full-bleed, style B one sheet from The Song of Songs, the 1933 Paramount classic, ended at $28,680; and an insert from the incomparable Citizen Kane closed at $26,290. A French grande style A poster for King Kong ended at $25,095.

Additional highlights included:

A spectacular six sheet for the 1955 generation-defining Rebel Without a Cause: Realized: $22,705.
A previously unknown German magazine advertisement for the 1921 vampire classic Nosferatu: Realized: $20,912 against a $6,000 estimate.
A rare World War I propaganda recruitment poster “Destroy This Mad Brute”: Realized: $15,535.
The only known 9-foot by 20-foot billboard for Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Realized: $10,755.

Upstate NY Antique Boat Museum holds its 50th annual show

CLAYTON, N.Y. (AP) – The Antique Boat Museum on the St. Lawrence River staged its 50th annual show and auction over the weekend.

The Watertown Daily Times reports that the museum’s first boat show in 1965 featured 18 antique boats and a small exhibition. Approximately 125 antique boats took part in the weekend’s festivities at the museum in Clayton, in the Thousand Islands region along the Canadian border.

In the early 1970s, a permanent museum was constructed to host the annual boat show. It was called the 1000 Islands Shipyard Museum. But in 1990, its name was changed to the Antique Boat Museum.

It features more than 300 preserved boats and thousands of recreational boating artifacts.

The museum’s Raceboat Regatta will take place this coming weekend.

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Information from: Watertown Daily Times, http://www.watertowndailytimes.com

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Mass. business amasses millions of vintage musical scores

Dated 1850 California Gold Rush sheet music score. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and Early American History Auctions.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (AP) – After 75 years, a little-known music publishing business is still chugging along in a nearly forgotten former elementary school in the hills of northern Williamstown.

Housed inside the classrooms and hallways of what used to be Broad Brook Elementary School on White Oaks Road – now the home of Broude Brothers Ltd. – are hundreds of thousands of classical musical scores, many of them published in the mid-to-early 1900s. Some of them rare, some of them facsimiles of the original first editions, and almost all of them are not available digitally elsewhere.

Ronald Broude isn’t sure how many different pieces of music are stored here.

“I wouldn’t even want to try and guess,” he said.

Broude is president of the firm, although he said it’s a “glorified,” title as he pitches in just about everywhere, including driving the delivery truck.

And since there are few dealers in these types of publications, the old school building has become a repository of musical history and knowledge, cataloged and stacked from floor to ceiling, waiting for someone somewhere to seek out that knowledge, possibly to make it audible again.

“This is a last stronghold of paper – we are paper people and book people,” Broude said.

With only a simple website and just 10 employees, Broude Brothers Ltd., publishes, sells and rents these often obscure, sometimes rare classical musical scores, and does not take orders over the Internet. They do all their business by phone. Publications are engraved and edited here as well. As a result, the sales staff has to have extensive knowledge of the music publishing business and all the different editions of all the symphonies by all the composers, and all the different instrument parts of the different scores.

“This is probably the only place in the country you can find any volume listed in the Musica Britannica that you might need,” said Broude, referring to the authoritative national collection of British music.

The Broude Trust, a nonprofit, is also operated out of the former school and publishes specialty collector’s volumes called critical editions. They cover aspects of specific composers’ works for particular instruments and contain a wealth of historical data about the music – where it has been played and by whom, and when and how it may have been changed over the years for different performances.

It is a daily, intensive practice of musicology, says Broude, who is the son and nephew of the two brothers who founded the business in 1929 on 57th Street in New York, across from Carnegie Hall.

The Broude brothers set up a little shop for used books of music, which soon became a mecca for the orchestral musician community. Having a flare for finding rare copies of music, they soon began supplying musicians and orchestras with particular pieces they needed, and later began publishing such scores.

In 1982, a few years after Broad Brook Elementary had closed down, the company bought the 50-year old school building for $750,000, and moved the operation from New York to Williamstown over the next several years.

A member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, Broude said the operation hearkens back to another time.

“We are very much like an 18th-century music shop – we do a bit of everything,” he said.

Their customers are professors, orchestra librarians, colleges, conductors, collectors and musicians – roughly 3,500 of them on the books. As such, Broude Brothers is a hidden gem in the Berkshire County cultural economy.

Tanglewood has dealt with Broude Brothers a few times as well.

“A few years ago,” Broude said, “they needed something that evening, and we had it for them.”

Broude has few worries about the future of his business, as what he sells has been popular for hundreds of years.

“It’s not a question of having something new to sell every year, but having something that’s sold well throughout the years,” he said. “Beethoven ain’t going to go out of fashion.”

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