DOUGLASS, Kan. – American Brilliant Cut Glass continues to grow in popularity at auction as long-time collections find their way to market, chasing rising values and demand.
The ABCG period is generally acknowledged to run from 1876 to the onset of World War I, when manufacturing shifted to war materiel production. Cut glass dates to Pharaonic Egypt, with the practice found in Roman and Babylonian artifacts. Eventually glass cutting – in which smooth glass is held against a cutting edge, such as a wheel – made its way to Europe, where it enjoyed a huge renaissance.
The first American cut glass emerged in the Revolutionary War period, created by immigrant artisans who generally mimicked the European styles they had learned in the Old World. It is not until the Brilliant period that truly American designs would emerge, putting domestic manufacture of cut glass at the top of the global landscape.
This ABCG humidor, part of the lineup of Woody Auction’s American & Brilliant Cut Glass sale on Saturday, November 18, is a masterful representation of the classic Brilliant period. It features an amazing array of designs for a single piece: a swirled prism, a bullseye and fan motif, and a ray-cut base. The green glass is cut to clear, creating an unforgettable presentation. The humidor is topped by a Jacobi & Jenkins (Baltimore) sterling silver embossed floral lid. The lot is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.
ATLANTA – Considered the artist of the American Revolution, Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) rose from obscurity to become one of America’s leading portraitists. His 1779 painting Washington at Princeton sold for $21.3 million, the highest sum ever paid for a portrait in the United States.
A member of the Sons of Liberty, Peale earned his living doing portraits for the well-to-do members of the Colonies. The work up for sale at Ahlers & Ogletree on Friday, November 10, Portrait of Mrs. Peregine Frisby, is a classic example of Peale’s work, realistic but with the subject’s personality shining through. The oil on canvas is dated 1773-1775 and was featured in a 1952 retrospective book on Peale.
Now for the intrigue. It’s possible the sitter’s name was actually Peregrine Frisby (as in, the falcon).
Internet research finds a daughter to a Peregrine Frisby named Anne Frisby Fitzhugh (1727-1793), originally from Cecil County, Maryland, who married a retired British Army officer named Col. William Fitzhugh. The colonel opted to side with the Colonists and became a marked man, having his house burned and succumbing to eventual capture. The British, upon seeing he was old, infirm and blind, paroled him, and he and Anne returned to Maryland to live out the rest of their days.
Also noteworthy about the portrait is Mrs. Frisby is depicted clutching a copy of Hervy’s Meditations – another possible misspelling, as the popular devotional tome of the day was indeed Meditations Among the Tombs, a 1746 publication by James Hervey (1714-1758).
Two misspellings in one painting? It’s likely. The portrait is estimated at $10,000-$20,000 and represents an excellent opportunity to own a Peale original.
BRESCIA, Italy – The eggs of the extinct Aepyornis maximus, or elephant bird, are the largest of any known species. Seven times the size of an ostrich egg, they have a capacity of up to two gallons. The eggs have been traded as objects of wonder since the medieval period when the elephant bird, capable of growing to 10ft high, still lived on Madagascar. The species became extinct at some point between the 14th and the 17th centuries.
Most of the eggs that appear at auction are made from fragments that are still found in the sands of Madagascar. Intact examples are very rare, with less than 40 known specimens in public institutions.
This example, measuring 13in (33cm) from end to end, will be offered at Capitoliumart s.r.l. as part of a Tuesday, November 14 auction titled Eclectic Wonders from the World. The estimate is €12,000-€15,000 ($12,700-$15,800).
BERKELEY, Calif. – A copy of Detective Comics No. 27 from May 1939 leads the debut of the DC Universe Collection auction series at PBA Galleries on Thursday, November 9. The lot is estimated at $200,000-$300,000.
Formerly known as the Ian Levine DC Collection, the series of sales will fully liquidate a 40,000-plus collection that includes the entire run of DC comic books from 1934-2014. The mammoth hoard was initially offered as a single lot for a cool $10 million to Bonhams, which politely passed, and then moved on to Sotheby’s, which attempted but failed to find a buyer. Levine and his partner then agreed to sell the collection piece by piece through PBA Galleries.
The sales will occur during the next two years, each with a theme, such as the initial event’s focus on Batman. This copy of Detective Comics No. 27 has been professionally restored and comes with complete documentation on all touch-ups. It is CGC certified Fine (5.5), and a CGC Census reports a total of 76 graded copies (37 Universal, 1 Qualified, 38 Restored). There are no reported sales of a No. 27 in this lot’s condition. Indeed, the latest Overstreet Guide lists No. 27 as second on its list of Top 100 Golden Age Comics, following only Action Comics No. 1.
NEW YORK – Samuel Kirk (1793-1872) was a leading American silversmith from Baltimore who is credited with introducing the repoussé technique of creating relief patterns on his wares. His firm operated under a variety of names, largely centered on “S. Kirk & Son(s)” depending on how many children were involved in the business.
Repoussé is a silversmithing technique of hammering a low-relief pattern into the soft metal from the reverse side. It allowed for amazingly intricate and beautiful designs, and Kirk’s leadership in repoussé makes his firm’s wares highly desirable to collectors today.
SJ Auctioneers has an S. Kirk & Son 13in silver repoussé footed centerpiece bowl in its Sunday, November 12 sale. Though its foot is slightly misshapen, the piece (pattern number 681) is in generally good estate-find condition. It carries the mark used by the firm in the 1896-1924 production period, helping to date the item. The repoussé is decorated with hand-chased floral motifs for a stellar presentation, and it is estimated at $3,500-$4,500.
