Grandma Moses and John Frederick Herring the Elder lead at Freeman’s Hindman May 16

John Frederick Herring, Sr., 'Lottery Going to the Start at Doncaster,' estimated at $80,000-$120,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

CHICAGO — Back-to-back sessions of European Art and American Art will draw collectors worldwide to Freeman’s Hindman Thursday, May 16. The American sale begins at 3 pm Eastern time and features two works by Grandma Moses, and the day begins with two equine works by John Frederick Herring the Elder at 11 am Eastern time with the European sale. Both catalogs are now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses (1860-1961) — popularly known as Grandma Moses — is the matriarch of naive American folk art. She didn’t begin her painting career in earnest until she was 78, and by 1950, when she was 90, she was featured in an Academy Award-winning documentary. She graced the cover of Life magazine and singlehandedly popularized what the industry now calls ‘outsider art.’

The Old Oaken Bucket in Spring is a 1944 oil on masonite measuring 21.25 by 35in. The work is an early example from Grandma Moses’ career, was a longtime part of the estate of Paul G. Benedum, Jr. of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and comes to market after years of personal enjoyment. It carries an estimate of $70,000-$90,000.

1951’s Cutting Ice is from after Moses had achieved national fame. It depicts the classic wintertime business of ice cutting in a frozen river, with a delightful snowy landscape all around in her typical flattened-perspective style. Measuring 15 by 23.75in, Cutting Ice is estimated at $50,000-$70,000.

John Frederick Herring, Sr. (1795-1865) was an English artist who began drawing images of horses as a child. Today he is best remembered for his body of work focused on race horses, along with numerous landscapes. The sale includes two works by Herring the Elder (his son, also a famous artist, is known as Herring the Younger). Memnon, a Bright Bay, William Scott up, Wearing the Harlequin Colors of Lord Darlington is an 1826 oil on panel measuring 21.75 by 30in. Memnon had won the 1825 St. Leger race at Doncaster, the oldest racing series in England, which was founded in 1766 and continues to this day. This Herring the Elder work is estimated at $70,000-$100,000.

Lottery Going to the Start at Doncaster from 1830 depicts jockey G. Nelson taking Lottery, the eventual winner, to the track at Doncaster, the racetrack that Herring would repeatedly depict throughout his career. Though many consider the 1825 Cup Lottery’s finest achievement, that same year he won the Fitzwilliam Stakes at York and would go on to win a second Gold Cup at Preston. Lottery spent his final years in stud service to the French Orleans dynasty. The painting that depicts him is estimated at $80,000-$120,000.

Grandma Moses, 'The Old Oaken Bucket in Spring,' estimated at $70,000-$90,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

Grandma Moses, 'The Old Oaken Bucket in Spring,' estimated at $70,000-$90,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

Grandma Moses, 'Cutting Ice,' estimated at $50,000-$70,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

Grandma Moses, 'Cutting Ice,' estimated at $50,000-$70,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

John Frederick Herring, Sr., 'Memnon, a Bright Bay, William Scott up, Wearing the Harlequin Colors of Lord Darlington,' estimated at $70,000-$100,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

John Frederick Herring, Sr., 'Memnon, a Bright Bay, William Scott up, Wearing the Harlequin Colors of Lord Darlington,' estimated at $70,000-$100,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

John Frederick Herring, Sr., 'Lottery Going to the Start at Doncaster,' estimated at $80,000-$120,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

John Frederick Herring, Sr., 'Lottery Going to the Start at Doncaster,' estimated at $80,000-$120,000 at Freeman's Hindman.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Gio Ponti Triennale Armchairs lead our five auction highlights

Gio Ponti lacquered wood, upholstery, and brass Triennale armchairs by ISA Bergamo, which hammered for $90,000 and sold for $117,900 with buyer’s premium at Wright on March 28.

Gio Ponti Triennale Armchairs, $117,900

CHICAGO – Among the starring lots at the Wright Design sale on March 28 was this pair of Gio Ponti lacquered wood, upholstery, and brass Triennale armchairs dating to 1951.

The design is one produced for ISA (Industria Salotti e Arredamenti), the luxury furniture firm. To achieve the effect of ‘weightlessness’ in a wing-back chair, Ponti deconstructed the traditional form and inserted a metal frame within the wooden structure of the upholstered backrest to reinforce it. This pair, with manufacturer’s labels to the back stretchers, have a provenance to Count Luigi Baldini of Ravenna, whose family owned several important Ponti designs. The Triennale chairs were estimated at $70,000-$90,000 and hammered at the high end of their estimate, ultimately selling for $117,900 with buyer’s premium.

18th-century Tiger Maple Highboy, $55,250

Circa-1760 Philadelphia Queen Anne tiger maple highboy in the manner of William Savery, which hammered for $42,500 and sold for $55,250 with buyer’s premium at William Bunch on March 26.
Circa-1760 Philadelphia Queen Anne tiger maple highboy in the manner of William Savery, which hammered for $42,500 and sold for $55,250 with buyer’s premium at William Bunch on March 26.

CHADDS FORD, PA – The majority of 18th-century New England tiger maple highboys bring relatively modest numbers today. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Estimated at $2,000-$4,000, this Philadelphia Queen Anne chest raced to $42,500 and sold for $55,250 with buyer’s premium at William Bunch on March 26 as bidders made the connection with a well-known furniture shop.

This particular design – notably a scalloped frieze and cabriole legs with shell carving over Queen Anne feet – is associated with the celebrated Second Street shop of William Savery (1721-1787). He first earned the attention of scholars and collectors in 1918, when his label was found on a dressing table in the collection at Manor House at Van Cortlandt Park, New York.

While enjoying the patronage of colonial Philadelphia’s elite (Benjamin Franklin owned several pieces), Savery also made more affordable furniture for the middle classes and relatively plain pieces catering to the conservative taste of Quaker clients. This tiger maple highboy will require some restoration, including work to correct the discoloration around the handles caused by overzealous cleaning with an abrasive.

19th-century German Book on the Danube River, $20,635

Plate from Adolf Friedreich Kunike’s ‘Two hundred and sixty-four Danube views following the course of the Danube’, which hammered for £13,000 ($16,380) and sold for £16,380 ($20,635) with buyer’s premium at Forum Auctions on March 27.
Plate from Adolf Friedreich Kunike’s ‘Two hundred and sixty-four Danube views following the course of the Danube’, which hammered for £13,000 ($16,380) and sold for £16,380 ($20,635) with buyer’s premium at Forum Auctions on March 27.

LONDON – Leading Forum Auctions’ March 27 sale of more books from the remarkable library of Norman Bobins was a complete copy of a German work following the course of the Danube from its source to the Black Sea. This sequence of 264 lithographs was issued in three editions (1820, 1824, and 1826) by Austrian lithographer, illustrator, and publisher Adolf Friedreich Kunike (1777-1838).

The commission to produce the drawings for Kunike’s prints was initially undertaken by Rudolf Alt, but he resigned the post halfway through the journey, fearful of the dangers inherent in the later reaches of the Danube as it entered the Ottoman Empire. Instead, the intrepid Ludwig Erminy completed the sketches. Forum could not find another complete hand-colored set that had appeared at auction, and this was reflected in the price. Estimated at £3,000-£5,000 ($3,775-$6,300), it hammered for £13,000 ($16,380) and sold for £16,380 ($20,635) with buyer’s premium.

This was the fourth tranche of Norman Bobins’ splendid library of color plate books offered at auction since Christie’s New York held the first sale in June 2023. 

Doulton Stoneware Pâte-sur-pâte Vases by Hannah Barlow, $7,812

Doulton stoneware vases decorated in pâte-sur-pâte by Hannah Barlow, which hammered for $6,250 and sold for $7,812 with buyer’s premium at Lion and Unicorn on March 26.
Doulton stoneware vases decorated in pâte-sur-pâte by Hannah Barlow, which hammered for $6,250 and sold for $7,812 with buyer’s premium at Lion and Unicorn on March 26.

HOLLYWOOD, FL – Sisters Hannah and Florence Barlow, both graduates of the Lambeth School of Art and leading artists at the nearby Doulton art pottery studio, came to an arrangement in the early 1870s. Hannah would focus on sgraffito decoration – carving animal designs into soft clay – while Florence would work predominantly in the pâte-sur-pâte technique, painting her studies of birds in raised slip. They largely stuck to the agreement, although occasionally Hannah Barlow did do some designs in pâte-sur-pâte.

This pair of 14in-high vases, offered by Lion and Unicorn on March 26 on Day One of its Impressive Decorative Arts auction, are decorated with a frieze of hounds chasing a fox picked out in high relief. Estimated at a modest $200-$800, the pair hammered at $6,250 ($7,812 with buyer’s premium).

1969 Grateful Dead and Bonzo Dog Band Concert Handbill, $2,405

1969 Grateful Dead and Bonzo Dog Band concert handbill, which hammered for £1,400 ($1,765) and sold for £1,905 ($2,405) with buyer’s premium at Dawsons Auctioneers March 28.
1969 Grateful Dead and Bonzo Dog Band concert handbill, which hammered for £1,400 ($1,765) and sold for £1,905 ($2,405) with buyer’s premium at Dawsons Auctioneers March 28.

MAIDENHEAD, UK – Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band was an experimental performance art group created by British art-school students in the 1960s. They combined music hall, jazz, and psychedelia with comedy and avant-garde art in what can only be described as an unmatchable performance.

Today, the band is best remembered for being asked by the Beatles’ Paul McCartney to appear in their contractual commitment to United Artists, the incoherent, drug-fueled, and commercially unsuccessful 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour. In it, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band performed Death Cab For Cutie, a single that would later provide name inspiration to a successful American rock band.

Vivian Stanshall (1943-1995) was a founding member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, which was invited to play with the Grateful Dead on October 2-4, 1969 at The Boston Tea Party, a concert venue located at 15 Lansdowne Street. On a handbill for the show, the group was touted as ‘Bonzo Dog Band.’

Stanshall’s son Rupert received that concert handbill as part of his father’s legacy. He sent it to auction March 28 at Dawsons Auctioneers in its Vivian Stanshall Collection: Part Two sale, which showcased Stanshall’s lifetime collection of artifacts and memorabilia from his career. The handbill hammered for £1,400 ($1,765) and sold for £1,905 ($2,405) with buyer’s premium.

Montrose returns with 550-plus lots of top-tier sporting, military, and personal firearms May 11

Smith & Wesson Pre-29 .44 Magnum, estimated at $2,500-$3,500 at Montrose.

MONTROSE, GA — Fresh off its triumphant return to LiveAuctioneers in March, Montrose Auction returns Saturday, May 11 with its Fine Firearms & Accessories sale, featuring a whopping 556 lots. The catalog is now available for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

“We think firearms collectors are going to love the quality and variety in this sale and that first-timers will notice the personal, welcoming way we conduct business. We treat everyone like they’re family and try to make sure there’s something in the auction to suit every taste and pocketbook. Our goal is for every bidder to take home at least one longarm or pistol they had hoped to win,” said Trey Cottle, president of Montrose Auction.

The sale’s top-estimated lot at $6,200-$8,000 is one of the foremost sporting-clay 12 gauge guns in the world, the Beretta DT11 over-under shotgun. Built in 2012, the gun comes complete with its factory case, five chokes, coin-finished receiver, and blue finished barrels.

Also leading the sale’s estimates is a Caesar Guerini Invictus II 12-gauge over-under with a 32in barrel. Engraved with a rose-and-scroll motif and elaborate gold overlay, the shotgun is signed by engraving studio Bottega C. Giovanelli. Cesare Giovanelli is regarded as the godfather of engraving in Brescia, Italy. The Guerini is offered with a spotless factory case and a full complement of choke tubes and tools. In  ‘as-new’ overall condition, the estimate is $5,000-$6,500. It is one of a total of five Guerinis in the auction.

Likely to be the sale’s most prized handgun is a Colt 1905 semi-automatic pistol in .45 ACP. Dating to 1910, it features a 4.75in barrel and is described as being in ‘good to very good’ condition. This landmark platform is estimated at $3,500-$5,500.

One of America’s most beloved guns is the .44 Magnum, introduced by Smith & Wesson in 1955. In 1957, S&W would rebrand what it previously introduced two years prior as simply the ‘.44 Magnum’ to ‘Model 29.’ Montrose has a ‘pre-29’ S-Series .44 Mag in the sale, built in 1956-1957 and featuring a 4in barrel. Described as ‘extremely fine retaining most all finish and with a small cylinder turn line; grips are excellent,’ the Pre-29 is estimated at $2,500-$3,500.

Beretta DT11 12 gauge shotgun, estimated at $6,200-$8,000 at Montrose.

Beretta DT11 12 gauge shotgun, estimated at $6,200-$8,000 at Montrose.

Caesar Guerini Invictus II 12 gauge shotgun, estimated at $5,000-$6,500 at Montrose.

Caesar Guerini Invictus II 12 gauge shotgun, estimated at $5,000-$6,500 at Montrose.

Colt Model 1905 .45 semi-automatic, estimated at $3,500-$5,500 at Montrose.

Colt Model 1905 .45 semi-automatic, estimated at $3,500-$5,500 at Montrose.

Smith & Wesson Pre-29 .44 Magnum, estimated at $2,500-$3,500 at Montrose.

Smith & Wesson Pre-29 .44 Magnum, estimated at $2,500-$3,500 at Montrose.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.