Painting by Robert Scott Duncanson a big winner in Cowan’s Feb. 7 sale

'Robbing the Eagle's Nest' by Robert Scott Duncanson, dated 1856, $105,750. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions.
'Robbing the Eagle's Nest' by Robert Scott Duncanson, dated 1856, $105,750. Image courtesy Cowan's Auctions.
‘Robbing the Eagle’s Nest’ by Robert Scott Duncanson, dated 1856, $105,750. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.

CINCINNATI – With a packed auction house and phone banks at capacity, the economic recession seemed far from everyone’s mind at Cowan’s Auctions Winter Fine and Decorative Art Sale held on Feb. 7, 2009. More than 1,050 registered bidders from 22 countries vied to take home one or more of the 667 lots offered at the auction.

Online bidders through LiveAuctioneers had a significant impact, as well. The 488 approved online bidders prevailed on 78 of the sale’s lots, including a woven tapestry of a sheep-shearing scene, which was purchased via the Internet for $6,600 against a presale estimate of $1,000-$1,500.

Decorative Arts Director Diane Wachs was elated with the outcome. “The auction did very well. We had the biggest in-house audience we’ve ever had at Cowan’s.” Wachs described the bidding as “aggressive,” both from retail buyers and dealers.

The highest selling item of the sale was the painting titled Robbing The Eagle’s Nest, by Robert Scott Duncanson (1823-1872). The large oil on canvas sold for $105,750 (all prices quoted are inclusive of 17.5 percent buyer’s premium), more than doubling its high estimate of $50,000. The painting was originally acquired directly from the artist, and descended from the buyer to the present owner.

A bust of Minnehaha by Edmonia Lewis sold well above its estimated price and grossed $52,875. Lewis was the first African-American and Native-American woman to gain international recognition as a sculptor. In October 2007, Cowan’s set an auction sales record with the sale of another Lewis sculpture, The Bride of Spring, for $138,000.

Minnehaha is a character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha (1855), the single best-selling poem in the English language of the entire 19th century. To date there are five known signed and dated originals of Lewis’s Minnehaha bust housed in public and private collections. This previously unknown example adds one more to that number.

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High Noon Western Americana weekend rustles up top prices

As expected, the top lot of the auction was this Edward H. Bohlin saddle that sold for $89,125. Image courtesy High Noon Western Americana Show and Auction.
As expected, the top lot of the auction was this Edward H. Bohlin saddle that sold for $89,125. Image courtesy High Noon Western Americana Show and Auction.
As expected, the top lot of the auction was this Edward H. Bohlin saddle that sold for $89,125. Image courtesy High Noon Western Americana Show and Auction.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Feb. 7-8 the Phoenix Convention Center became the site for an event unlike any in the world – the 19th annual High Noon Western Americana Show and Auction. Those passionate about the American West shopped from more than 150 exhibitors whose offerings spanned 300 years of history from the finest leatherwork, fine art, jewelry, clothing and cowboy and Western accoutrement. Sales were reported as higher than expected, which pleased many of the exhibitors and a sense of esprit de corps permeated the weekend. Others were just happy to see old friends and buy or trade for something special.

On Saturday evening, more than 700 bidders were ready in the saleroom with more registered online, by phone and absentee to bid on the 350-plus lots offered in the  High Noon Western Americana Auction. At the end of the evening auction sales totaled more than $1.4 million. In these trying economic times, the auction revealed that “people are still spending money,” said Linda Kohn, co-owner of High Noon. “Money was flowing, though perhaps not pouring, and there were still some showstoppers at the auction.” All prices reflect a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

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Meissen monkey band hits a high note at Dallas Auction Gallery

Opera diva Lily Pons once owned this 20-piece Meissen monkey band, which sold Jan. 14 at Dallas Auction Gallery for $20,315 including buyer's premium. Image courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers.com Archive.
Opera diva Lily Pons once owned this 20-piece Meissen monkey band, which sold Jan. 14 at Dallas Auction Gallery for $20,315 including buyer's premium. Image courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers.com Archive.
Opera diva Lily Pons once owned this 20-piece Meissen monkey band, which sold Jan. 14 at Dallas Auction Gallery for $20,315 including buyer’s premium. Image courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers.com Archive.

DALLAS – Lily Pons, principal soprano at the Metropolitan Opera for 30 years, was back in the spotlight Jan. 14 as Dallas Auction Gallery sold a whimsical yet important item from her estate. A 20-piece Meissen porcelain monkey band hit one of the many high notes of the auction when the ensemble sold for $20,315, including the buyer’s premium.

A local collector had acquired the band from Pons’ Dallas estate in 1975. “There was restoration to some of the figures but overall the condition was outstanding,” said Lauren Shuford, marketing manager at Dallas Auction Gallery.

The tallest of the figures was 7 1/2 inches. A conductor and four songstresses were included with the musicians, which dated to the 19th or early 20th century.

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Lanceray sculpture takes top honors in Gray’s last sale of 2008

Bronze sculpture In the Cart, by Evgeni Alexanderovitch Lanceray (Russia, 1848-1886), $15,000. Courtesy Gray's Auctioneers.
Bronze sculpture In the Cart, by Evgeni Alexanderovitch Lanceray (Russia, 1848-1886), $15,000. Courtesy Gray's Auctioneers.
Bronze sculpture In the Cart, by Evgeni Alexanderovitch Lanceray (Russia, 1848-1886), $15,000. Courtesy Gray’s Auctioneers.

CLEVELAND – A superb late-19th century Russian bronze sculpture was the most coveted lot in Gray’s Auctioneers’ Holiday Fine Arts & Antiques auction held Dec. 13. Created by Evgeni Alexanderovitch Lanceray (Russia, 1848-1886), the 44 lbs. and 14 oz. sculpture titled In the Cart, depicting peasants from the province of Riazan returning from the fields, was signed in Cyrillic and dated 1872, and carried a Chopin foundry mark. The piece sold for $15,000.

Fine art performed very well throughout the sale, with an exemplary painting by Jules Chapoval (French, 1919-1951) leading the category. Titled Abstract, the oil on canvas sold for $5,500.

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John Case sets auction record for Tennessee sampler

This sampler signed Mary Elizabeth Collins, Franklin, Tennessee and dated 1836, set a record for a Tennessee sampler at auction, selling for $28,125. Image courtesy Case Antiques Auction.
This sampler signed Mary Elizabeth Collins, Franklin, Tennessee and dated 1836, set a record for a Tennessee sampler at auction, selling for $28,125. Image courtesy Case Antiques Auction.
This sampler signed Mary Elizabeth Collins, Franklin, Tennessee and dated 1836, set a record for a Tennessee sampler at auction, selling for $28,125. Image courtesy Case Antiques Auction.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – An 1836 house sampler set a record price for a Tennessee sampler at auction, selling for $28,125 at the Dec. 6 Case Antiques Auction. Signed “Mary Elizabeth Collins’ work/Franklin Tennessee April 1836,” the sampler sold to a collector in the room, underbid by two other live bidders and three phone bidders, including a major East Coast sampler dealer. The price is among the highest ever paid at auction for a Southern sampler, said gallery owner John Case. Prices include the 12.5 percent buyer’s premium.

Case said the sampler relates to a group of four from Middle Tennessee that have been documented by the Tennessee Sampler Survey, an ongoing research project spearheaded by needlework authorities Janet Hasson and Jennifer Core to collect data and images on Tennessee samplers (www.tennesseesamplers.com).

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Cai Guo Qiang’s ‘Descending Wolves’ tops Ravenel Art auction

A crowd of more than 500 people filled the Fubon National Conference Center in Taipei for Ravenel Art's auction. Image courtesy Ravenel.
A crowd of more than 500 people filled the Fubon National Conference Center in Taipei for Ravenel Art's auction. Image courtesy Ravenel.
A crowd of more than 500 people filled the Fubon National Conference Center in Taipei for Ravenel Art’s auction. Image courtesy Ravenel.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – More than 500 people packed the auditorium in the Fubon National Conference Center on Dec. 7 for Ravenel Art’s autumn auction, which had total sales in excess of $7.2 million.

Nearly 70 percent of the 147 lots sold, which the auctioneers considered a respectable figure considering economic challenges to the market.

The top selling lot was Cai Guo Qiang’s Descending Wolves for the Guggenheim International Gala, which realized $903,995 among intense bidding. All prices include buyer’s premium. Considered one of the best of Cai’s “explosion pictures,” this masterpiece was created on five paper panels. It depicts a pack of wolves descending a rocky mountain. Cai captured the full power, beauty and energy of the wolves through his use of explosives and created a magnificent picture where the tones and hues evoke the greatness of traditional Chinese ink and brush painting.

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Architectural antiques, Victoriana achieve strong results at Kamelot

So much for a bear market as this 75-inch-long Black Forest carved bench sold for $8,400. Image courtesy Kamelot Auctions.
So much for a bear market as this 75-inch-long Black Forest carved bench sold for $8,400. Image courtesy Kamelot Auctions.
So much for a bear market as this 75-inch-long Black Forest carved bench sold for $8,400. Image courtesy Kamelot Auctions.

PHILADELPHIA – Thirty-two running feet of antique commercial oak and glass display cabinetry sold to a New York publisher and fine art dealer for $52,800 at Kamelot Auctions’ signature architectural sale Nov. 22. Carefully removed from a Victorian-era pharmacy, the trio of 10-foot-tall cases will house the winning bidder’s collection of books and objets d’art. All prices include the buyer’s premium.

Other architectural highlights in the 700-lot event included an antique carved walnut staircase set into chamfered squares with an ornate newel post, circa 1900, that brought $5,520 and a stunning hand-painted, leaded and stained glass oval dome ceiling from the 1930s that sold for more than $7,000.

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13th-century Limoges tabernacle soars to $295K at Jackson’s International

This Limoges champleve enamel gilt-copper tabernacle, circa 1250 and measuring 10 inches in height, drew worldwide interest and sold for $295,000. It was the top-finishing lot in Jackson's International's sale. Image courtesy Jackson's International.
This Limoges champleve enamel gilt-copper tabernacle, circa 1250 and measuring 10 inches in height, drew worldwide interest and sold for $295,000. It was the top-finishing lot in Jackson's International's sale. Image courtesy Jackson's International.
This Limoges champleve enamel gilt-copper tabernacle, circa 1250 and measuring 10 inches in height, drew worldwide interest and sold for $295,000. It was the top-finishing lot in Jackson’s International’s sale. Image courtesy Jackson’s International.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Neither rain, snow, ice or a faltering economy thwarted buyers from participating in Jackson’s International’s auction of Dec. 2 and 3. The two-session 1,000-lot sale featured American and European fine art together with Russian works. A total of 465 registered bidders from 27 countries participated, producing sales of $2.3 million.

The highlight of the auction was an early 13th-century Limoges enamel tabernacle that had been featured on the front cover of the auction catalog. The 10-inch four-sided container with pyramidal top drew interest from museums, collectors and dealers far and wide. Conservatively estimated at $40,000-$70,000, it opened at $75,000 and slowly wound its way upward as bidder after bidder dropped out. It reached its bidding pinnacle at $295,000 (all prices quoted inclusive of 18% buyer’s premium).

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Noel Barrett finishes year at $2.3 million; November sale exceeds high estimate by $200K

Possibly a unique example, this Merriam 20-inch stenciled and painted-tin express wagon with cast-iron wheels was patented in 1873. It trotted off to a new owner for $7,150. Image courtesy Noel Barrett Auctions.
Possibly a unique example, this Merriam 20-inch stenciled and painted-tin express wagon with cast-iron wheels was patented in 1873. It trotted off to a new owner for $7,150. Image courtesy Noel Barrett Auctions.
Possibly a unique example, this Merriam 20-inch stenciled and painted-tin express wagon with cast-iron wheels was patented in 1873. It trotted off to a new owner for $7,150. Image courtesy Noel Barrett Auctions.

NEW HOPE, Pa. – Noel Barrett wrapped up a year of estimate-topping auction results with $2.3 million in combined sales from his spring and autumn auction events. Several distinguished private collections had contributed to the $1.54 million gross in Barrett’s April 11-13 Antique Toy & Americana sale, in which a superb carved-wood cigar store Indian earned $77,000 (all prices inclusive of 10 percent buyer’s premium). The company’s Nov. 15-16 auction titled Toys & Other Things included approximately 600 premium lots from the late Stan and Priscilla Cypher, and grossed $770,000 – a full $200,000 more than the total high estimate.

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‘Great prices for great toys’ at Bertoia’s $1.8M November auction

Bertoia associate Rich Bertoia commented that still banks with a painted or japanned finish, like this late 19th-century Boston State House made by Smith & Egge, are in great demand with collectors. This example, in the desirable small version at 5 1/8 inches, cashed in at $12,650 against an estimate of $7,000-$9,000. Image courtesy Bertoia Auctions.
Bertoia associate Rich Bertoia commented that still banks with a painted or japanned finish, like this late 19th-century Boston State House made by Smith & Egge, are in great demand with collectors. This example, in the desirable small version at 5 1/8 inches, cashed in at $12,650 against an estimate of $7,000-$9,000. Image courtesy Bertoia Auctions.
Bertoia associate Rich Bertoia commented that still banks with a painted or japanned finish, like this late 19th-century Boston State House made by Smith & Egge, are in great demand with collectors. This example, in the desirable small version at 5 1/8 inches, cashed in at $12,650 against an estimate of $7,000-$9,000. Image courtesy Bertoia Auctions.

VINELAND, N.J. – Teddy Roosevelt’s aim was true in Bertoia Auctions’ $1.8 millon Toys for All Seasons sale, as an early Schoenhut boxed set titled Teddy’s Adventures in Africa swept top-lot honors in the $1.8 million event (all prices quoted inclusive of 15% buyer’s premium). The Nov. 7-9 auction featured 2,516 antique toys, banks, dolls, dollhouse furniture, automata and Christmas antiques, with several prestigious private collections anchoring the bountiful array.

The Roosevelt set, dating to the early 20th century and featuring painted-wood figures, a lithographed scenic backdrop and a multitude of safari-theme accessories, was numbered 20/84. The early playset from Schoenhut’s Humpty Dumpty Circus Toys range was in immaculate condition, an added enticement that carried the lot to a winning bid of $34,500.

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