Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819–1905), ‘The Last Shot.’ Gray’s Auctioneers and Appraisers.
CLEVELAND – A collection of paintings—including Old Masters, 17th, 18th and 19th century European and American paintings last seen on the market in the early 20th century—is being offered at Gray’s on Oct. 8 in their Fine Art, Antiques and Decorative Arts Auction. Internet live bidding for the auction is offered by LiveAuctioneers.
Sale highlights include a stunning oil on canvas by the Belgian artist Eugène Verboeckhoven, Cattle at Rest in an Evening Field (lot 10). Verboeckhoven is recognized as an excellent painter of animals and appears to have been the last link to a secular tradition, with its roots deep in the 17th century, which linked observation of nature, studied composition and idealized reproduction of reality.
The Dutch Golden Age landscape painter Egbert Lievensz van der Poel’s A Nocturnal Village Scene on the Oude Delft, with Numerous Figures Gathered Around a Burning Tar-Barrel (lot 14), is a dramatic example of compositional chiaroscuro. Flames spring from a raised tar barrel creating a beautiful play of light and dark over the nighttime scene. Flemish Baroque painter Christoffel Jacobsz van der Laemen (Brussels 1606/15-1651 Antwerp) is famous for his “gezelschappen.” Lot 13 titled Interior with Figures Playing Cards, is a masterful example the genre which depicts portraits of ladies and gentlemen enjoying music or conversation in interior settings. Lot 16 is Adoration of the Holy Family, a triptych from the Antwerp Mannerist School. Adoration scenes were especially popular with the Antwerp Mannerists, who delighted in the patterns of the elaborate clothes worn by the Magi, and the ornamentation of the architectural ruins in which the scene is set.
Also included in the robust assembly of paintings on offer at the auction is A Train of Thought, by Thomas Waterman Wood (lot 32). The artist was born to the cabinetmaker John Wood and raised in the small town of Montpelier, Vt. He was a great painter of Vermont ideas, conditions and character. This work shows a man in his workshop, wood shavings sprayed on the floor, and a newspaper in hand, beautifully juxtaposing manual and intellectual labor. Another noteworthy inclusion is the 19th century canvas by Walter Charles Horsley, The Village Pet (lot 3) which is a quaint country scene depicting a family with their sheep.
An arresting oil on canvas, The Last Shot (lot 36) by English-born American artist Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, who was fascinated by the American West, depicts a mortal battle between a settler and a Native American on the desolate plains. Tait gained recognition from the American public starting in 1852, when Currier & Ives reproduced lithographs of his works. Another American scene but of a very different nature is Gloucester Harbor (lot 37), by the landscape and marine painter Wesley Webber. Gloucester Harbor depicts a maritime scene in winter with the frozen ocean surrounding large sailing ships seemingly trapped in the ice and snow. Braced against the frigid conditions sailors dressed in bright red jackets contrast with the gray and white winter-scape.
A collection of Japanese bronze sculptures, mostly Meiji period, from the Genryusai Workshop are featured at the auction. Lot 100 depicts a lion pouncing on an alligator. The alligator is signed by Mitani, one of the more well-known sculptors from the Genryusai workshop. Lot 136 is an exquisite Chinese, finely carved porcelain in high relief, turquoise glazed, brush pot by Wang Bingrong, a 19th century Chinese ceramicist. The base is inscribed in relief seal script Wang Bingrong.
Condition reports will be provided upon request.
For more details contact Serena Harragin at 216-458-7695 or by email at serena@graysauctioneers.com.
This 19-inch-high fruit stand, sometimes called a berry set, is made of silver-plated metal with Burmese glass bowls. It sold in the spring of 2014 at an Early’s Art Glass auction in Milford, Ohio, for $3,220.
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Is it called a fruit bowl, berry bowl, fruit stand, fruit dish, epergne, basket or bride’s basket? A search of 1880s and ’90s catalogs of silver and glass tableware manufacturers had similar pieces called by any one of these names.
A formal Victorian dinner party served multiple courses with special serving pieces for each one. The many-named stand was used at the end of the meal. A typical dinner had up to nine courses. First was raw oysters, then soup, meat, poultry, salad, dessert, then fruit and perhaps cheese, followed by coffee and tea in the drawing room. The table was cleared between courses and sometimes even fresh tablecloths were used.
The bowl with many names often was the centerpiece for the dessert and fruit courses. There were small berry bowls and berry sets that held strawberries or raspberries or similar fruit served with fresh cream and sugar. Elaborate stands that held colored glass bowls probably held fruit like bunches of grapes, or apples that are easier to serve since the bowl and stand would be too heavy to pass around the table. The silver-plated stands were decorated with three dimensional figures, animals, flowers or strange groupings like a cupid driving a chariot pulled by a peacock or the Greek god Poseidon with his spear poised to catch a piece of fruit from the bowl below. The bowls were sometimes silver but more often were colored art glass like Amberina, Burmese, Peachblow, Pomona, satin glass, or pressed or cut glass.
Because collectors since the 1960s have preferred colored glass, art glass pieces found in stands today often are replacements for the original old clear glass bowls. An all-original “berry bowl set” on a silver-plated stand with two Burmese bowls decorated with flowers sold recently. The silver stand featured young boys riding on turtles. It sold in 2014 at an Early’s Art Glass auction in Milford, Ohio, for $3,220.
Q: A family member has a coffee table and two end tables that are stumping us. The tables were purchased in Germany in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The tops are hand carved, stained and painted, and covered with a piece of glass that can be removed. The legs are screwed in. They are marked on the bottom “D.B.G.M. Geschutzt.” I hope you can help with some information and a value.
A: Your tables are in the style called “Black Forest,” a term used to describe the elaborate, naturalistic wood carvings of animals, plants and landscapes thought to be made in the Bavarian Black Forest region of southwest Germany. But most pieces were really made in Brienz, Switzerland, where the carving style started in the early 1800s. From the mid-1880s to the 1940s, Brienz wood carvers made rustic clocks, benches, hall trees, smoking stands, chairs, tables and other furniture they sold to tourists. It was popular with Americans. The mark on your tables stands for Deutsches Bundes Gebrauchsmuster (German Federal Registered Design) and was used in West Germany from 1948 to 1985. So your tables were probably made in the 1950s. Black Forest carvings from Brienz are from the 1880s to 1920s are sought after and sell for a lot of money. Most midcentury Black Forest style pieces made for tourists in Germany or Austria, are machine-made and worth much less. Your tables could sell for $50 to $100.
Q: Please tell me the value of a 1939 San Francisco World’s Fair woman’s compact. It has an image of a tall building on the front.
A: The Golden Gate International Exposition was held on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay in 1939-40. Among the many souvenirs of the fair are several different styles of compacts. The building pictured on your compact is the Expo Tower at the fair’s main entrance. Any compact from the fair sells for about $10-$20.
Q: I have an antique doll that reads “Dainty Dorothy, Germany” on the tummy. It has yellow hair, a bisque head, open mouth with teeth, and a kid body. It is jointed but is missing a hand. It has shoes and socks and a new dress. The doll is about 21 inches tall. Can you tell me how old it is and what it might be worth?
A: Dainty Dorothy was a line of dolls sold by Sears, Roebuck & Co. and by T. Eaton Co., a Canadian department store, from 1910 until; at least 1922. Kestner, Simon & Halbig, Armand Marseille, and Gebruder Heubach made bisque heads for the dolls. If you find a manufacturer’s mark on the doll’s head on the back of the neck, you can identify the maker. Dolls with composition forearms and lower legs were made beginning in 1912. An all composition version was sold by Eaton in 1918. Not having the original dress doesn’t affect the value very much but the value of your doll is lower because it’s missing a hand. Your doll is worth $50 to $75.
Tip: Cover the nose of your hammer with a piece of felt to protect the wall when you are putting up picture hooks. If the wall is smooth, some of the new stick-on hooks might work.
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.
New! “Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2015,” 47th edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. It’s available this month and includes a special bonus section that helps you determine prices if you’re downsizing and selling your antiques. It’s the best book to own if you buy, sell or collect – and if you order now, you’ll receive a copy with the author’s autograph. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and more than 32,000 up-to-date prices for more than 700 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, a report on the record prices of the year and helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available for $27.95 plus $4.95 postage. Purchase online at KovelsOnlineStore.com ; by phone at 800-303-1996; at your local bookstore; or write to Price Book, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
This 19-inch-high fruit stand, sometimes called a berry set, is made of silver-plated metal with Burmese glass bowls. It sold in the spring of 2014 at an Early’s Art Glass auction in Milford, Ohio, for $3,220.
Ruth Asawa (American/Japanese, 1926-2013) ‘Hanging Five-Lobed Continuous Form with Spheres Inside Four of the Lobes, Two of the Inside Spheres Containing Spheres within Them,’ c. 1954. Keno Auctions image. NEW YORK – On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Keno Auctions will conduct its sale of Modern and Contemporary Fine Art & Design starting at noon. Fifty lots will be offered, featuring stellar examples of modern and contemporary design with a small but superb selection of 19th century paintings.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
“We are very excited to present our first sale of modern and contemporary fine art and design,” said Leigh Keno, of the eponymous full-service auction house, referring to his 50-lot sale, which will take place in the intimate gallery setting of his late 19th century Upper East Side townhouse. The auction will showcase the best in modern and contemporary furniture by such design luminaries as Gio Ponti, Carlo Mollino, Wharton Esherick, and Zaha Hadid, as well as several important works by American art and design icons including Alexander Calder, Ruth Asawa and Cindy Sherman, including significant treasures from the John W. Freeman collection.”
Keno said that Freeman has had a life-long interest in Modernism—particularly sculpture—and his friendships with many artists over the past six and a half decades, including Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson and Elie Nadelman is evidenced by their gifts to him including a set of spiral silver cuff links made by Calder in 1955, as a 27th birthday present for Freeman. (This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New York, under application number A267 95).
In 1954, Freeman purchased a monumental 103-inch-by-21-inch woven iron and brass wire hanging sculpture by the important Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa, from her first solo exhibition at Peridot Gallery in New York. According to Freeman, on the night of the party when Calder gave him the cufflinks ($4,000-8,000), one of the things Calder first noticed, hanging at the end of the long living space, was a nearly 9-foot-high hanging sculpture by Ruth Asawa “I think that he was quite impressed by the piece; I doubt if he had seen her work before,” recalls Freeman.
From the estate of Dr. Alfred Ziviello, a longtime client and friend of Leigh Keno comes an impressive collection of modern art by important artists including, a 1980 Monotype by Sam Francis and a unique, incised and glazed ceramic dish created in 1953 by famous French artist Marc Chagall.
Here is a sampling of several of the top featured lots:
– Ruth Asawa (American/Japanese, 1926-2013), Hanging Five-Lobed Continuous Form with Spheres Inside Four of the Lobes, Two of the Inside Spheres Containing Spheres within Them, c. 1954, iron and brass wire,103 inches high, 21 inches diameter. Estimate: $100,000 – 200,000.
– Cindy Sherman (American, b. 1954) Untitled Film Still #39, 1979 gelatin silver print Signed, dated and numbered by artist in pencil on reverse, signature, “1979” and “1/10, Edition 1 of 10, Image: 9 1/2 x 6 inches, sheet: 10 x 8 inches, early photographs by Cindy Sherman, one of the most influential American living artists. Estimate: $80,000-120,000.
– Wharton Harris Esherick (American, 1887-1970), dining table, made as a labor of love for Hannah Weil Fisher, Paoli, Pa., 1930, oak and pearwood. Incised to edge of top “TO HANNAH WHARTON ESHERICK + YORK” and on top surface dated “MCMXXX,” 73 1/2 inches long long. Estimate: $80,000-120,000.
– The low table by Carlo Mollino Model #1114, c. 1950, is beautifully conceived to resemble a reclining female and is constructed of acero (Italian maple). Mollino’s furniture is among the most sought after in the world. A very small number of these tables were made; this example retains its original finish on the acero. Estimate: $70,000-100,000.
– Zaha Hadid (Iraqi/British, b. 1950), the internationally renowned architect designer, produced Gyre lounge chair from the Seamless Collection, Manufactured by Established & Sons, London, England, 2006, polyester resin and polyurethane lacquer, edition 6 of 12, 25 inches high, 94 inches wide, 72 inches diameter. Estimate: $50,000-80,000.
–Tiffany Studios (1902-1932) Dogwood border table lamp, c. 1910, leaded glass and patinated bronze, impressed on base “Tiffany Studios / New York / 531” and “Tiffany Studios / New York / 1491” on shade, 29 1/2 inches high, 20 1/2 inches diameter. Estimate: $30,000-50,000
Two stunning 19th century paintings are also featured in the sale:
– Hendrik Willem Mesdag (Dutch, 1831-1915), Return of the Fishing Fleet at Sunset, 1873, oil on canvas, Signed and dated “H. W. Mesdag 1873” lower left, 27 x 34 1/2 inches. Estimate: $50,000-100,000. This stunning painting by Mesdag has been a private collection for more than a century. The original owner, Edouard Pierre Albert Thys (1868-1914), was a leading citizen of Antwerp and banker during Belgium’s belle epoque before the First World War. Importantly, Return of the Fishing Fleet at Sunset is related to a sketch entitled Bomschuit op het strand featured in J. Poort’s catalogue raisonné, now in the archives of Museum Vlaardingen in Holland. Among numerous residences, Thys and his wife, Helene Therese Marie Cateaux Thys (1869-1933), maintained a castle in Brasschaat and built a mansion at 91 Boulevard Leopold in Antwerp, which is now the Ridder Smidt van Gelder Museum.
– Seymour Joseph Guy (American, 1824-1910), The Piano Lesson, c. 1884, oil on board, 16 1/8 x 12 inches. Estimate: $8,000-12,000. The Piano Lesson dates from about 1884. The two figures in the composition are closely related to the pair of mother and daughter that appears in See-Saw Margery Daw (1884, Location Unknown – reproduced in American Paintings from the Landon Collection [Charlotte, North Carolina: Mint Museum, 1979], p. 51) which also explores the subject of motherly affection. The models for the figures are not known, but it is likely that the young girl is one of the artist’s nine children, who formed a veritable storehouse of potential models for his brush. As in many of Guy’s works, a beautifully designed and well-crafted piece of furniture (here a piano) appears in the right foreground, and leads the viewer’s eye into the composition while forming a fascinating structure in its own right.
Also in the sale are two paintings of note from the estate of Dr. Alfred Ziviello:
– Martha Walter (American, 1875-1976), Crowded Beach, oil on board, Signed “Martha Walter,” lower left, 14 x 18 inches. Estimate: $5,000-10,000.
– Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994) Untitled, 1980 monotype with dry pigments, inks, and oils on handmade paper Signed in pencil “Sam Francis” lower right Inscribed in pencil “EXP-SF-37-02- ’80” on verso, lower right 30 3/4 x 25 1/4 inches.Estimate. $12,000-18,000. Executed in 1976, this work is identified with the interim identification number of “SFM80-875” in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Unique Works on Paper. This information is subject to change as scholarship continues by the Sam Francis Foundation.
From the estate of Herman Krawitz, are paintings by the Israeli/American artist Boaz Vaadia (born 1951). In 1986, Krawitz purchased two works by Israeli-American artist Boaz Vaadia at one of his first New York City exhibitions. Vaadia incorporates refuse material from the area surrounding his SoHo studio such as slate, shingles, boulders and bluestone to create figural sculptures with universal features.
Ruth Asawa (American/Japanese, 1926-2013) ‘Hanging Five-Lobed Continuous Form with Spheres Inside Four of the Lobes, Two of the Inside Spheres Containing Spheres within Them,’ c. 1954. Keno Auctions image.
Set of spiral silver cuff links made by Calder in 1955 version. This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New York, under application number A267 95. Keno Auctions image.
Cindy Sherman (American, b. 1954) Untitled Film Still #39, 1979. Keno Auctions image.
Zaha Hadid, Gyre lounge chair from the Seamless Collection, Manufactured by Established & Sons, London, England, 2006. Keno Auctions image.
Wharton Harris Esherick (American, 1887-1970) ‘A Dining Table,’ made as a labor of love for Hannah Weil Fisher, Paoli, Pa., 1930. Keno Auctions image.
This low table by Carlo Mollino Model #1114, circa 1950, beautifully conceived to resemble a reclining female and is constructed of Acero (Italian maple). Keno Auctions image.
Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994) Untitled, 1980 Monotype. Keno Auctions image.
Map of Trinidad from government and other surveys, circa 1865. Drawn and engraved by John Bartholomew. HistoryMiami, 2004-236-1.
MIAMI – The Miami International Map Fair, the longest continuously running map fair in the world, will return to HistoryMiami museum Feb. 6-8. Visitors are invited to peruse and purchase antique maps from some of the finest map dealers in the world and discover the history and future trends of cartography.
Held annually during the first weekend in February, the Miami International Map Fair provides both the serious collector and casual buyer with a weekend to browse antique maps, rare books, panoramas and atlases from around the world, as well as provide expert opinions and attend a series of special topical lectures. Visitors are also encouraged to bring in a map from their own collections for an expert opinion.
The 2015 lecturers include:
Jacqueline V. Nolan – Cartographer and GIS specialist with the Library of Congress’ Geography and Map Division, Nolan has worked for several federal agencies including the Defense Mapping Agency, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey, where she received recognition for her contribution in GIS on a national hydrologic regression model. Her maps have appeared in research journal publications, and in numerous reports issued by the Congressional Research Service.
Richard H. Brown – A collector of maps, atlases and views relating to the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars (1755-1783), Brown is involved with a number of public and private libraries, and maintains a particular interest in the conservation and digitization of rare maps. He is a vice chairman of the Norman Leventhal Map Center and currently chairs a committee responsible for a Revolutionary War exhibition. Brown is a councilor of the American Antiquarian Society and serves on the Madison Council of the Library of Congress and the Library Committee of the New York Historical Society.
William B. Ginsberg – A published and acclaimed scholar, known for writing three major cartographic works: Sea Charts of Norway, 1585-1812 (2012), Maps and Mapping of Norway, 1602—1855 (2009), and Printed Maps of Scandinavia and the Arctic, 1482—1601 (2006).
Additionally, The Florida International University GIS Center has partnered with the Miami International Map Fair and will present interactive GIS presentations throughout the weekend.
Daily admission to the fair is $20 for adults and children, $15 for HistoryMiami members and $10 for university students with ID. Weekend registration is $70 per person for HistoryMiami members and $80 for nonmembers and includes a VIP private preview, a cocktail reception with the map dealers, optional tours and complimentary lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Online Weekend Registration is open until Feb. 3. Fair hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. at 101 W. Flagler St. in downtown Miami. Parking is available at the Cultural Center Parking Garage, 50 NW 2 Ave.
To register for the Miami International Map Fair or event information, please call 305-375-1618 or email mapfair@historymiami.org.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Map of Trinidad from government and other surveys, circa 1865. Drawn and engraved by John Bartholomew. HistoryMiami, 2004-236-1.
Autographed publicity photograph of Tina Turner. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and Fame Bureau Limited. BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A restored one-room schoolhouse where Tina Turner attended classes opened Friday as a museum honoring the singer’s career and recalling her childhood in this small West Tennessee town.
More than 100 people attended an opening ceremony, ribbon cutting and tour of the Tina Turner Museum at Flagg Grove School, located on the grounds of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville. The museum features gold-and-platinum records and glittering outfits and dresses worn during performances by Turner, whose Grammy-winning singing career includes hit songs Nutbush City Limits, Proud Mary and What’s Love Got To Do With It.
Turner, who lives in Zurich, Switzerland, did not attend the ceremony, but she recorded a video that was played for those in attendance. Turner said she did not attend because she has problems with flying long distances.
She thanked those involved with the project, which she supported from its start.
“My spirit is with you,” Turner said in the video. “Have a wonderful day. Ciao.”
Fans from as far as the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden attended the ceremony. Television personality Robin Roberts and musicians Melissa Etheridge, Ann Wilson of Heart, Mike Love of the Beach Boys and The Oak Ridge Boys sent video tributes.
“I remember my first Grammy nomination – you of course won,” Etheridge said. “I’m just so inspired by you … You are just the definition of rock and roll, the queen of rock and roll.”
Turner, whose given name is Anna Mae Bullock, attended the Flagg Grove School while growing up in nearby Nutbush, located about 50 miles northeast of Memphis. The building was located on farmland owned by Benjamin Flagg, who saw a need for a school for the area’s black children and began building it in 1889. The school is representative of the one-room schoolhouses for African-American children that sprang up in the rural South after the Civil War.
The school closed in the 1960s and was used as a barn before the dilapidated building was moved by tractor-trailer from Nutbush to Brownsville in 2012. The museum also includes old wooden desks and a chalkboard used by the students and teachers. Members of the Flagg family attended the ceremony.
Private donations, including a sizable one from Turner, and public funds helped pay for the $300,000 restoration of the school, said Sonia Outlaw-Clark, executive director of the Delta Heritage Center. The school is seen as a symbol of the values of education, family and hard work possessed by area residents.
“Not only does the school give you a sense of appreciation of her, her music and where she came from, but also a historical perspective of what life was like here,” said Martha Lyle Ford, a Brownsville resident and Turner fan.
Those involved in the project view the museum as a way to honor someone who used her education, talent and perseverance to go from humble beginnings to an international star. Among the items displayed in the museum are dresses designed by Giorgio Armani and Bob Mackie that were worn by Turner during her 50th anniversary tour in 2008-2009
“Those artifacts, those performances have her blood, sweat and tears woven into the fabric, and now we have brought that fabric back to where it began,” Brownsville Mayor Bill Rawls said.
The museum is also a way to bring tourist dollars to Brownsville. Officials hope that travelers interested in cultural and music tourism who fly into Memphis, known for its blues and rock and roll bloodlines, will make the 50-minute car ride eastbound on Interstate 40 and spend money in the town.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-09-27-14 0316GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Autographed publicity photograph of Tina Turner. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and Fame Bureau Limited.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526 or 1527-July 11, 1593), ‘Fire,’ oil on wood, 1566, Kunsthistorisches, Museum Vienna, Austria. The painting will be part of the Hapsburgs exhibit. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.
The museum will launch its birthday celebrations with a luncheon Wednesday.
The MIA plans several birthday year projects, including “The Habsburgs: Rarely Seen Masterpieces from Europe’s Greatest Dynasty,” which will bring many masterworks amassed by one of the longest-reigning European dynasties to the U.S. for the first time.
Also planned are “Delacroix,” organized by the MIA and traveling to the National Gallery of London, an exhibit exploring the artist’s influence and legacy, and an exhibit on a Leonardo da Vinci document dedicated to the study of water.
There also will be “Myopia,” a retrospective of the work of Devo lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-09-27-14 1449GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526 or 1527-July 11, 1593), ‘Fire,’ oil on wood, 1566, Kunsthistorisches, Museum Vienna, Austria. The painting will be part of the Hapsburgs exhibit. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Drawings from an 1894 anthropology book of katsina figures, or spirits, made by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – A Hopi official says 24 ceremonial items purchased last year at a French auction house have been returned to the tribe in northern Arizona.
Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, says representatives from the Annenberg Foundation brought them Friday afternoon to the village of Walpi on Hopi land.
He says a cultural ceremony was held to welcome back the Kachina friends.
The Los Angeles-based charity also separately returned artifacts to the San Carlos Apache tribe.
The foundation bought the masks last December at a contested auction in Paris.
The tribes argued the artifacts represent their ancestors’ spirits and shouldn’t be sold.
A bid by the tribes’ lawyers to get a French court to block the auction failed after a judge ruled the sale was legal in France.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-09-27-14 2227GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Drawings from an 1894 anthropology book of katsina figures, or spirits, made by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – An oil painting by Edouard Leon Cortes and a comic strip by Charles Schulz each sold for $27,000, and a 5.13 CTW brooch in an unusual form brought $7,000 at Cordier Auction & Appraisals’ Summer Two Day Firearm and Militaria and Antique and Fine Art Auction on Aug. 23 and 24. The 1,048-lot auction was held at the company’s auction house located at 1500 Paxton St. in Harrisburg.
Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAucitoneers.com. More than 45 percent of the gross was attributable to LiveAuctioneers bidders, on both days.
The sale featured items from more than 150 consigners. Almost 200 people were in attendance over the two days in addition to phone and absentee bidders, while more than 3,500 bidders were preregistered to bid over the Internet. Prices quoted are hammer prices; they do not include the buyer’s premium.
Saturday’s sale offered firearms, militaria and collectibles, coins, silver and jewelry. Online bidding for the firearms was enthusiastic. A German DWM 1916 dated Luger hammered at $1,200, and a Colt 1860 Army revolver sold for $1,600 on an estimate of $800-1,200. In long guns, a W.L. Evans Model 1816 flintlock musket sold for $1,200, while a Colt 1878 SxS 12-gauge shotgun with side hammers hammered down at $1,400, within the estimate of $1,000-2,000. A John Moll signed Kentucky rifle sold for $4,100 to an online bidder after spirited bidding. Moll was one on the very early gunsmiths in America. A Parker Brothers “D” grade SxS shot gun with an extra barrel set with matching serial numbers sold for $4,000 after heavy competition to an out-of-state bidder in the room. In militaria and collectibles, an early 19th century A.W. Spies marked saber sold for the low estimate of $800. A large scale model of a Colt 1911 pistol standing 33 inches tall with a moving slide and hammer and removable magazine sold online for $6,500.
Coins featured an 1854 Liberty Head gold piece graded very fine that sold for $1,500, and a 1924 Saint-Gaudens $20 gold piece in choice brilliant uncirculated condition that sold for $1,400. Collectibles offered several notable items including a Continental sterling owl form vessel with articulated wings that sold for $1,800. The athletic medal archive of Clara M. Schroth (born in Philadelphia), which included medals for gymnastics as well as track and field, sold for $900 after heavy bidding. A Baily, Banks & Biddle sterling water pitcher in a floral and scroll motif sold for the high estimate of $750.
In jewelry, diamonds stole the show. A 5.13 CTW diamond and 18K white gold brooch in the unusual form of a compote of fruit sold to a phone bidder for $7,000. A dazzling 2.49 CTW diamond and platinum three-stone ring also sold to a phone bidder for $6,500, just above the estimate of $3,500-5,500. An unusual Joseph Johnson Liverpool 18K fusee pocket watch hammered down at $1,700.
Sunday’s session featured furniture, ethnographic and Asian arts, collectibles and textiles, decorative arts, art, clocks and lighting. The day opened with furniture, a highlight of which was a Pennsylvania walnut Chippendale high chest that sold to an online bidder for $3,400. A stunning oak side-by-side desk and bookcase sold to the room for $900, exceeding the estimate of $500-750. Two antique Persian Serapi room-size rugs sold for $3,400 each. In Asian Arts, a Chinese scholar’s stone hammered down at $1,100 and a Chinese Qianlong cloisonné candlestick sold for $4,900 after heavy bidding.
The star among collectibles was an original hand-drawn comic strip by Charles M. Schulz (American 1922-2000) that sold after enthusiastic bidding for $27,000. Another lot that drew aggressive bidding was a Leica M3 35mm camera outfit that sold to a floor bidder for $2,400. There were a number of lots from the family of Robert Fleming (Pa. senator 1836-1839) including the Pennsylvania Senate chair of Robert P. Allen (Robert Fleming’s son-in-law, Pa. senator 1875-1878) that sold to an online bidder for $450. Another outstanding lot was an applique album quilt top that finally hammered down to the Internet for $1,200.
Among porcelain, pottery and glass, 10 pieces of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica sold for $2,300 on an estimate of $1,500-3,000. An art glass vase in the King Tut pattern attributed to Durand saw spirited bidding before selling to the Internet for $800, just over the $400-600 estimate.
Art buyers had an eclectic mix to choose from. A mixed media by Edna Hibel (American, 1917- ) depicting a mother and two children sold to an online bidder for $850. The Ned Smith (American, 1919-1985) print Dutch Country Bluebirds sold to the floor for $1,200. An art archive of Henry A. Wright that included etchings, crayon drawings and poems, and the artist’s personal notebook, sold after enthusiastic bidding for $600. The star of the art category was a Parisian street scene by Edouard Leon Cortes (French, 1992-1969), which hammered down to a phone bidder for $27,000 after enthusiastic bidding.
Questions can be directed to mhartman@cordierauction.com or by calling 717-731-8662.
Barovier & Toso, Ercole Barovier, floor lamp, circa 1930, 70 inches. Estimate: €6,000,-7,000. Nova Ars image. ASTI, Italy – Nova Ars’ auction on Tuesday, Sept. 30, will feature an interesting design collection of modern Italian art of the 20th century with many lamps, chandeliers, ceramics, glass works and furniture – many made in Italy. Designers represented in the sale range from Barovier to Magistretti, Buffa to Sarfatti, without overlooking talents from other countries.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
Highlight pieces include:
– Lot 1: Barovier & Toso, Ercole Barovier, floor lamp, circa 1930, 70 inches. Estimate: €6,000,-7,000 ($7,650-8,925).
– Lot 4B: a set of six Paolo Buffa chairs, 1940. Estimate: €2,000,00-3,000.
– Lot 3A: Carlo Scarpa ceiling light produced by Venini, transparent and milk Murano blown glass, circa 1930. Estimate: €1,500-2,000.
– Lot 13: Luigi Caccia Dominioni table produced by Azucena, circa 1950. Estimate: €5,000-6,000.
– Lot 35: a pair of Osvaldo Borsani swivel armchairs produced by Tecno, 1958. Estimate: €6,000-9.000. Nova Ars image.
Nova Ars specializes in contemporary art, Modernism and design made in Italy during the 20th century.
Nova Ars is a destination for those who seek to learn and share knowledge about art, design and collecting. Nova Ars offers valuations for personal property, appraisals and auction exhibitions online.
For details contact Nova Ars by email valeria@novaars.net or info@novaars.net and by phone +39 328 9667353.
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.LiveAucitoneers.com.
Barovier & Toso, Ercole Barovier, floor lamp, circa 1930, 70 inches. Estimate: €6,000,-7,000. Nova Ars image.Paolo Buffa, six chairs, laquered wood, coating in skai, 1940. Estimate: €2,000,00-3,000. Nova Ars image.Carlo Scarpa, ceiling light, transparent and milk Murano blown glass, metal, 39 inches x 12.5 inches, produced by Venini, circa 1930. Estimate: €1,500-2,000. Nova Ars image.Luigi Caccia Dominioni table, walnut and steel, produced by Azucena, circa 1950, 70 inches x 30.3 inches x 51.2 inches. Estimate: €5,000-6,000. Nova Ars image.Osvaldo Borsani, pair of swivel armchairs produced by Tecno, 1958. Estimate: €6,000-9.000. Nova Ars image.
The Segovia Master (active in Castille, Spain, c. 1500), ‘St. Bonaventure with the Tree of Life,’ c. 1490, oil, gold leaf, and silver leaf on panel, lent by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Campbell, 28.2014.1
DALLAS – A rare example of early Renaissance Spanish painting, St. Bonaventure with the Tree of Life, has been restored in the Dallas Museum of Art’s Paintings Conservation Studio and is now on view in the museum’s European galleries. The picture is part of the museum’s conservation program to collaborate with private collectors on the study and care of their collections, and then present the works in the DMA galleries for public viewing.
St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) was a Franciscan friar and one of the most important Catholic philosophers of the late Middle Ages. In this painting, he is shown next to a “Tree of Life,” a diagram that was meant to serve as a visual aid, helping the faithful remember twelve spiritual lessons of the life of Christ. Bonaventure invited his readers to “picture in your imagination a tree. Suppose next that from the trunk of this tree there spring forth twelve branches, adorned with leaves, flowers, and fruits. … Let there be twelve fruits, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste, offered to God’s servants as a food they may eat forever, being fed but never sated.” These “fruits” are the twelve small scrolls with Latin inscriptions that proclaim the mysteries of the life of Christ.
This large and remarkably well preserved panel was painted by an unknown artist in the vicinity of Burgos, an important center of Franciscan activity in Castille. The background was meant to resemble precious gold leaf, but, as was discovered during the conservation treatment, the artist obtained the effect more cheaply through the use of silver leaf, covered with a thin yellow glaze to resemble gold and then decorated with a tracery pattern. Real gold leaf was used only in a few important areas such as the haloes of Bonaventure and the crucified Christ. Silver leaf was also used under the translucent red glaze of the saint’s cloak to give it the sheen of silk, and a more opaque red paint was used to describe the winged seraphim (St. Bonaventure was known as the “Seraphic Doctor”) embroidered on its surface.
“Conservation loans are a significant part of our efforts to expand the DMA’s in-house conservation program,” said Mark Leonard, chief conservator at the DMA. “In many instances, these types of partnerships result in the opportunity to exhibit the works on public view for a period of time after completion of the conservation treatment. We are extremely grateful and excited by this opportunity.”
The Paintings Conservation Studio at the Dallas Museum of Art opened in 2013 as part of the museum’s initiative to establish a more comprehensive in-house conservation program. The studio features state-of-the-art technology—including a digital X-ray system—and serves as a center for study and treatment of works of art as well as research into cutting-edge conservation methodologies. An adjoining gallery regularly rotates works of art, providing a space for visitors to explore the conservation process in greater detail through visual representations.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Segovia Master (active in Castille, Spain, c. 1500), ‘St. Bonaventure with the Tree of Life,’ c. 1490, oil, gold leaf, and silver leaf on panel, lent by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Campbell, 28.2014.1
