Sam Maloof Double Rocking Chair leads our five lots to watch

Sam Maloof double rocking chair, estimated at $30,000-$50,000 at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) on April 30.

Sam Maloof Double Rocking Chair

VAN NUYS, CA – A Sam Maloof double rocking chair will be offered on Tuesday, April 30 as part of the Design auction at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA).

Maloof (1916-2009) was one of America’s top woodworkers, recognized by the MacArthur Foundation as its first-ever craftsman recipient of its so-called ‘Genius Grant’. Born to a family of Lebanese immigrants, his designs were featured in numerous Case Study Homes of the postwar period designed by Richard Neutra, Charles Eames, and Eero Saarinen.

Made of select walnut and ebony – Maloof kept thousands of board-feet of exotic lumber in his shop in Alta Loma, California – the rocker is dated to 2006 and is incised No. 13 2006 Sam Maloof d.f.a. r.i.s.d. / M.j. l.w. d.w. Originally from a private collection, the double rocker sold at Bonhams in April of 2018, where it made $35,000 including buyer’s premium.

LAMA has similar expectations, assigning the rare example an estimate of $30,000-$50,000.

Circa-1840 William Henry Harrison Political Needlework Sampler

Needlework sampler mentioning US presidential candidate William Henry Harrison, estimated at $4,000-$8,000 at Amelia Jeffers on May 4.
Needlework sampler mentioning US presidential candidate William Henry Harrison, estimated at $4,000-$8,000 at Amelia Jeffers on May 4.

DELAWARE, OH – Amelia Jeffers brings a unique circa-1840 needlework sampler, estimated at $4,000-$8,000, to market as part of her Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 sales. Featuring stylized flowers and leaves with a cider barrel, log cabin, and an American flag with Liberty imprinted on it, the inscription reads To log cabin frugality we owe our independence.

It also includes the words Wm. Harrison and Worked by Mary Jane Mitchell, Halifax Ky. Jeffers believes this 17.5-by-17in (44-by-43cm) sampler is from Allen County, Kentucky, and the maker is likely Mary Jane Mitchell Claypool (1831-1913). She was the daughter of Henry Shelby Mitchell, a constable of Allen County, and Malinda Burton. He and Malinda had nine children, including sons William Henry Harrison Mitchell (1837-1913), named for the president, and Henry Clay Mitchell (1844-1911), named for the Kentucky legislator, gifted orator, and unsuccessful presidential candidate.

A former American military officer, William Henry Harrison ran for president in 1840 and won the election, but after only 32 days in office, he died, marking the shortest presidential term in American history. Mary Jane’s sampler, sporting the cider barrel and log cabin motifs of Harrison’s campaign, indicates her family’s preference in the election and serves as a unique reminder of homegrown political support when the country was still young.

Mechanical Magic Lantern Slide of a Steam Ship Crossing the English Channel

'The Steamer Crossing from Dover to Calais,' a special mechanical magic lantern slide dating to the late 19th century, estimated at £1,500-£2,500 ($1,865-$3,110) at Flints Auctioneers on April 30.
'The Steamer Crossing from Dover to Calais,' a special mechanical magic lantern slide dating to the late 19th century, estimated at £1,500-£2,500 ($1,865-$3,110) at Flints Auctioneers on April 30.

THATCHAM, UK — Of all the magic lantern slides available in the days before film, the most desirable were the ‘mechanicals,’ characterized by their intricate clockwork mechanisms. Turning the handle caused hand-painted layers of glass to glide seamlessly over one another and created the impression of movement. 

They were remarkably costly at the time — at least 30 times the price of a single painted slip slide — and typically only sold in small numbers to late 19th-century showmen who would charge per viewing. Some were made only to special order. 

The sale at the British scientific instruments specialists Flints Auctions on Tuesday, April 30 includes a slide that follows the journey of a steam ship crossing the English Channel from Dover, England to the French port of Calais.  

Various mechanisms bring the entire scene to life, causing the ship to pitch and toss on the rough seas. Made a decade before the advent of cinema, it astounded contemporary audiences. Today it is estimated at £1,500-£2,500 ($1,865-$3,110).

Circa-1870-1877 Coquanoc Works Three-bladed Folding Knife

Coquanoc Works three-bladed folding knife, possibly made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, estimated at $5,000-$8,000 at Freeman’s Hindman on May 1.
Coquanoc Works three-bladed folding knife, possibly made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, estimated at $5,000-$8,000 at Freeman’s Hindman on May 1.

CINCINNATI – This three-bladed folded knife by the Coquanoc Works cutlery company is massive and was probably made for display rather than use. The knife measures 12in (30cm) closed, with the overall length being 2ft 4in (71cm) when the primary and one of the secondary blades are open. All three blades are marked on their ricassos in two lines: Coquanoc Works/Philad’a.

Relatively little is known of the Coquanoc Works cutlery company run by Howard W. Shipley, although the firm appears to have been in business for a limited amount of time in Philadelphia between 1870 and 1877. Knives by this maker are extremely rare, and it is assumed that this knife, with its German silver bolsters and pinned ivory scales, was produced for display at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It will be offered at Freeman’s Hindman as part of its Premier Arms, Armor & Militaria Sale on Wednesday, May 1. The estimate is $5,000-$8,000.

Detail shot of a Coquanoc Works three-bladed folding knife, possibly made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, estimated at $5,000-$8,000 at Freeman’s Hindman on May 1.
Coquanoc Works three-bladed folding knife, possibly made for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, estimated at $5,000-$8,000 at Freeman’s Hindman on May 1.

‘Moulin Rouge, La Goulue’, Which Launched Toulouse-Lautrec’s Poster-making Career

‘Moulin Rouge: La Goulue’, an original lithograph poster by French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, estimated at $60,000-$80,000 at Auctions at Showplace on May 5.
‘Moulin Rouge: La Goulue’, an original lithograph poster by French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, estimated at $60,000-$80,000 at Auctions at Showplace on May 5.

NEW YORK – Moulin Rouge, La Goulue was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s first commissioned poster, and it launched his poster-making career overnight. Printed in 1891, two years after the bawdy Moulin Rouge nightclub had opened on the boulevard de Clichy in the Montmartre district of Paris, he chose as his subject its star performers, Valentin le Désossé (Jacques Renaudi), known as the ‘boneless’ acrobat, and also dancer Louise Weber, whose can-can skirts were lifted at the finale of the chahut. Nicknamed La Goulue, which translates to ‘the glutton,’ she took her stage name from her habit of draining patrons’ drinks in one gulp while she danced among the tables.

At the time of poster mania in Paris, the 6ft 2in (1.85m) four-color lithographic poster was probably printed in a run of around 3,000, but relatively few have survived. This copy on two sheets of wove paper glued to board has an estimate of $60,000-$80,000 as part of a 280-lot sale at Auctions at Showplace on Sunday, May 5. It comes from a Park Avenue collection.

John Swisegood Inlaid Walnut Corner Cupboard leads our five auction highlights

Inlaid walnut corner cupboard made by John Swisegood, which hammered for $33,000 and sold for $41,250 with buyer’s premium at Leland Little on March 15.

John Swisegood Inlaid Walnut Corner Cupboard, $41,250

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – John Swisegood (1796-death date unknown) lived in the Zink family’s log cabin constructed by John Jacob Zink (1788-1866) while building this inlaid walnut corner cupboard from timber milled on the farm around 1814.

The cupboard was bequeathed to John Jacob’s son, who went by the name Joseph Sink (1827-1892) and lived in the cabin his entire life, aside from the years he was in the Confederate Army. Subsequently, the cupboard passed to Joseph’s son, David Henderson Sink (1860-1934), who lived at the cabin until he married at age 20. The cupboard then passed to David’s son, Odell Sink (1902-1966); and then to Odell’s son, Jimmie Sink (1930-2007); and finally to Jimmie’s son, Keith Sink, who consigned it to Leland Little for its March 15 Decorative Art Auction.

Starting at just $150, bidding immediately jumped to $19,500 and continued to a final hammer of $33,000, selling for $41,250 with buyer’s premium.

Ensign Multex Model O Rangefinder Camera With 53mm Xpres Lens, $37,780

Ensign Multex Model O Rangefinder camera with a 53mm Xpres lens by Ross of London, which hammered for £23,000 ($29,060) and sold for £29,900 ($37,780) with buyer’s premium at Chiswick Auctions on March 21.
Ensign Multex Model O Rangefinder camera with a 53mm Xpres lens by Ross of London, which hammered for £23,000 ($29,060) and sold for £29,900 ($37,780) with buyer’s premium at Chiswick Auctions on March 21.

LONDON – Austin Farahar, head of cameras and photography at Chiswick Auctions, was recently contacted by a budding documentary photographer in Vienna who had received a collection of old cameras from his in-laws. Staying up into the early hours to research his new acquisitions, at around 4 am in the morning he had come across a rare British pre-war precision camera that matched one of his new acquisitions. Farahar was delighted to confirm his hunch and suggested an auction estimate of £20,000-£30,000 ($25,280-$37,925).

The Ensign Multex Model O Rangefinder was made in two models between 1936 and 1938. It was described in Ensign catalogs as ‘a precision miniature camera of unrivaled merit without any of the disadvantages of extreme long length of film, necessitating a large number of exposures before developing.’ Costing as much as many Leica cameras at the time, it was sold with a range of five lenses ascending in price from 19 pounds, 10 shillings to 40 pounds. The Ross Xpres f/.9 lens included with this example was among the most expensive additions, and it is highly prized today.

Farahar says that fewer than five similar cameras had been offered at auction in the last 20 years, and estimates that fewer than 50 were ever made. Prices for cameras with this lens have rocketed as a result. One of these made £31,000 ($39,200) at Flints in Berkshire, England in November 2022. The estimate for Chiswick’s new discovery was spot on: it took £23,000 ($29,060) and sold for £29,900 ($37,780) with buyer’s premium as part of the March 21 sale titled The Bigger Picture: Fine Photographica & Panoramas. The vendor plans to use some of the proceeds from the sale to fund a photography trip to Ukraine, and is considering eye surgery so he can use his camera without the need for glasses. 

J. M. W. Turner, ‘The Entrance to Bishop Vaughan's Chapel, St David's Cathedral, Wales,’ $58,470

J. M. W. Turner, ‘The Entrance to Bishop Vaughan's Chapel, St David's Cathedral, Wales,’ which hammered for £37,000 ($46,775) and sold for £46,250 ($58,470) with buyer’s premium at Cheffins on March 20.
J. M. W. Turner, ‘The Entrance to Bishop Vaughan's Chapel, St David's Cathedral, Wales,’ which hammered for £37,000 ($46,775) and sold for £46,250 ($58,470) with buyer’s premium at Cheffins on March 20.

CAMBRIDGE, UK – A previously unknown watercolor by Joseph Mallord William (J.M.W.) Turner (1775-1851) emerged at Cheffins on March 20 as part of the first day of its Fine Sale.

Titled by the artist on the reverse as The Entrance to Bishop Vaughan’s Chapel, St David’s Cathedral, Wales, it was identified from a preliminary illustration from Turner’s own sketchbooks and had been hanging in a Suffolk, England country house collection since at least 1990.

According to Cheffins, the composition draws upon Turner’s 1795 tour of South Wales and is the only fully worked up watercolor of St. David’s in Pembrokeshire. His South Wales Sketchbook includes four architectural studies which relate to his visit to St. David’s, two of which are inscribed with Turner’s own title in his hand – St David’s: Part of the Ruins of the Bishop’s Palace; Bishops [sic] Throne, St. Davids Cathedral; Bishops Vaughan [sic] Chapel and St. David’s: Porch of the Great Hall of the Bishop’s Palace.

Estimated at £20,000-£30,000 ($25,205-$37,810), bidders determined to own the work sent the final hammer to £37,000 ($46,775) or £46,250 ($58,470) with buyer’s premium.

Early 19th-century Enamel Lorgnette by Lacloche of Paris, $4,225

Napoleonic-era enamel lorgnette, which hammered for $3,250 and sold for $4,225 with buyer’s premium at Selkirk Auctioneers on March 15.
Napoleonic-era enamel lorgnette, which hammered for $3,250 and sold for $4,225 with buyer’s premium at Selkirk Auctioneers on March 15.

ST. LOUIS – Dr. J. William Rosenthal (1922-2007) was a prominent ophthalmologist in New Orleans who enjoyed collecting, documenting, and studying antique eyewear. So accomplished in this realm did he become that he authored the 1994 book Spectacles and Other Vision Aids: A History and Guide to Collecting, the most comprehensive history written on the development of eyeglasses from Europe, America, Japan, and China.

Optical devices from his collection can be found in more than 16 museums, including the Museum of Vision of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. His family has taken the remaining items from his estate and placed them at auction. Selkirk Auctioneers featured this Napoleonic-era enamel lorgnette, eyewear that employs a handle rather than arms to go behind the ear. Marked Lacloche – Paris, the presale estimate was a modest $200-$500. After nearly 40 bids, the eyewear hammered for $3,250 and sold for $4,225 with buyer’s premium, making it the top lot from the Rosenthal collection that appeared at the March 15 Spectacles & Other Vision Aids sale.

Jean-Michel Frank Pedestal Tables, $211,435

CAPTION: Pedestal tables by Jean-Michel Frank, which hammered for €150,000 ($162,630) and sold for €195,000 ($211,435) with buyer’s premium at Piasa on March 20.
Pedestal tables by Jean-Michel Frank, which hammered for €150,000 ($162,630) and sold for €195,000 ($211,435) with buyer’s premium at Piasa on March 20.

PARIS – A 1930 pair of pedestal tables by Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941) are moving to only its third home in nearly 100 years after hammering for €150,000 ($162,630) and selling for €195,000 ($211,435) with buyer’s premium at Piasa on March 20.

Tucked into a 208-lot French design catalog, the gilded bronze tables had received a €30,000-€40,000 ($32,530-$43,370) estimate from Piasa’s catalogers. Nearly two dozen bids pushed the price well beyond that range to the final hammer. Originally purchased from Frank by Juan Tolosa of Argentina, the set eventually was sold to a private London collector, who consigned them to Piasa.

Frank’s minimalist designs continue to flood the market in response to recent high prices realized. Many items require investigation, as many houses now refer to them as being ‘in the manner/style of Jean-Michel Frank.’

Michael Goldberg’s ‘Sad Street’ leads our five lots to watch

‘Sad Street’ by Michael Goldberg, estimated at $100,000-$150,000 at Freeman’s Hindman April 24.

Michael Goldberg, ‘Sad Street’

CHICAGO – Michael Goldberg (1924-2007) was a leading member of the Abstract Expressionist movement in New York. He was friends with Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler, and is best remembered for the gestural action paintings that defined his artistic career.

Goldberg earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart serving in both North Africa and the China-Burma-India theaters of World War II. His injuries lead to partial paralysis in his arm, for which the Veterans Administration recommended he pursue stone carving and sculpting as rehabilitation. This exposed him to elements of collage that would later become an integral part of his painting practice.

Sad Street is from 1958 and is considered a masterpiece of Goldberg’s output. Freeman’s Hindman describes it as “an expansively abstract work, all thickly applied dynamism and expressive brushwork, a brother to the Smithsonian’s Sardines.” The 60 by 54in oil on canvas appears as part of its Post War and Contemporary Art sale scheduled for Wednesday, April 24. It is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Circa-1937 ‘Shake a Leg’ Novelty Cocktail Shaker

‘Shake a Leg’ ruby glass and chrome plated novelty cocktail shaker, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Woody Auction on April 20.
‘Shake a Leg’ ruby glass and chrome plated novelty cocktail shaker, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Woody Auction on April 20.

DOUGLASS, Kan. – The Saturday, April 20 sale at Woody Auction titled Art Glass, Lamps, & Much More includes this ruby glass and chrome-plated novelty cocktail shaker. Dated circa 1937, the ‘Shake a Leg’ mixer was made for only a brief time by West Virginia Specialty Glass. This example, from the private collection of Frank and Melissa Keathley of Top Shelf Antiques of Texas, carries an estimate of $1,500-$2,500.

Samuel Morse-signed Carte De Visite

Signed Samuel Morse carte-de-visite, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Turner Auctions + Appraisals on April 21.
Signed Samuel Morse carte-de-visite, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Turner Auctions + Appraisals on April 21.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will open A Secret Vault on Sunday, April 21. The sale features a selection of collectables recently rediscovered by the owners, a couple from Northern California, which were passed down from a family member. Housed in a storage vault in Wyoming were a cache of stamps, coins, and autographs, seemingly bought through the venerable British firm Stanley Gibbons (which is now part of the Strand Collectibles Group). The 95 lots include this carte-de-visite photograph of a bearded Samuel Morse (1791-1872) autographed on the verso in black fountain pen as ‘Saml. FB Morse’. It is estimated at $800-$1,200.

Earliest-known Miller's Reversible Minnow Lure with Picture Box

Miller's Artificial Baits For Game Fish Minnow lure with original box, estimated at $3,000-$4,000 at Blanchard’s Auction Service April 26.
Miller's Artificial Baits For Game Fish Minnow lure with original box, estimated at $3,000-$4,000 at Blanchard’s Auction Service April 26.

POTSDAM, N.Y. – Blanchard’s Auction Service brings 730 lots of antique angling gear to market Friday, April 26, including an early 1910s Miller’s Reversible Minnow with an incredibly scarce and clean picture box, estimated at $3,000-$4,000.

Marked ‘Miller’s Artificial Baits For Game Fish Minnow,’ the white pasteboard box features a crisp illustration of the lure and bears the words ‘Manufactured by Combo Engineering Co., Inc. Union Springs, N.Y.’

The 4 1/4in minnow features a slender wood body finished in yellow with hand-painted gold spots, fine through-body wire, and PAT. PEND.-marked brass and gunmetal reversible spinners, with Miller’s silver-washered screw eye rigging and the original barrel swivel.

Although most likely unfished, the lure has areas of uneven varnish and similar wear from decades of tackle box storage. The extraordinary and historically important box is solid, with some wear and soiling, and is one of the nicest examples of the few known to collectors. As described by the auctioneer, “Even for the most advanced lure collection, this combination would be considered the holy grail – you may never see another.”

Black-Figure Amphora Attributed to the Antimenes Painter

Black-figure amphora attributed to the Antimenes Painter, estimated at £45,000-£90,000 ($56,860-$113,720) at Apollo Art Auctions April 27.
Black-figure amphora attributed to the Antimenes Painter, estimated at £45,000-£90,000 ($56,860-$113,720) at Apollo Art Auctions April 27.

LONDON – The Antimenes Painter is a term used by archaeologists and historians to describe an unknown artisan who was active between 530 and 510 BC in the Etruria region of ancient Italy that spans portions of modern-day Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria. At least 150 works are ascribed to him, with most found in Etruria, and it is believed he was employed in the art workshops of Andokides. His figural renderings mimic those of Psiax, who was active 525 to 505 BC.

Apollo Art Auctions specializes in fine antiquities with clear provenance. This black-figure two-handled amphora features a festive scene featuring Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. In the illustration, Dionysus can be seen holding his drinking cup (kantharos) and is surrounded by dancing companions, including a satyr and a maenad.

The amphora is described as being of exceptionally high quality and comes with an authentication certificate from the CIRAM laboratory in France, including a thermoluminescence test. It is also accompanied by a professional historical report from Ancient Report Specialists and has been fully cleared by the Art Loss Register. Estimated as the top lot in Apollo Art Auctions’ two-day Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities sale on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, the Antimenes Painter amphora is estimated at £45,000-£90,000 ($56,860-$113,720).

ACN Staff

ACN Staff

Content bearing the byline of ACN staff has been researched and written by multiple members of the Auction Central News team.

Oscar Edmund Berninghaus’ ‘Scout of the Caravan’ leads our five auction highlights

‘Scout of the Caravan’ by Oscar Edmund Berninghaus, which hammered for $42,000 and sold for $53,760 with buyer’s premium at Brunk Auctions.

Oscar Edmund Berninghaus, ‘Scout of the Caravan’, $53,760

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An estimate of $5,000-$7,000 on an original oil by Oscar Edmund Berninghaus (1874-1952) was left in the dust at Brunk Auctions on March 8. Titled on the verso Scout of the Caravan and additionally inscribed OE Berninghaus, Taos, NM, this 2ft 1in by 2ft 6in canvas hammered for $42,000 and sold for $53,760 with buyer’s premium.

A founding member of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915, Berninghaus lived year-round in New Mexico for 27 years, painting hundreds of pictures of the mountains, forests, and people of the area. Typically, he made small pencil and crayon sketches that he later worked up in the studio.

This relatively late canvas was formerly part of the famed John and Margaret Hill collection of American Western art assembled from circa 1930 through 1990 and later given to the Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee. It was being offered as ‘Property of a Southern Museum sold to benefit the acquisition fund.’

Vintage Mercedes-Benz 300SL Tool Roll, $10,240

Vintage Mercedes 300 SL tool roll, which hammered for $8,000 and sold for $10,240 with buyer’s premium at Uniques and Antiques.
Vintage Mercedes 300 SL tool roll, which hammered for $8,000 and sold for $10,240 with buyer’s premium at Uniques and Antiques.

ASTON, Penn. – As an original Mercedes-Benz 300SL now costs something north of $1 million, it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that original accessories associated with the Flügeltürer are eagerly sought. Necessary to complete a car for a concours is the tool roll, a series of Mercedes-Benz branded steel tools that allowed owners to perform routine maintenance.

These are often reassembled from elements and reproduction parts, but the example offered at Uniques and Antiques on March 12 was seemingly all-original. Not only did it retain its leatherette roll, it came with the purchase receipt of the car itself from Bryn Mawr Mercedes-Studebaker of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in March 1961. At the time, the three-year-old 1958 300SL Roadster was priced at $6,000 plus sales tax (roughly $62,275 in modern dollars).

Sixty-three years later, the tool roll, estimated at $400-$600, hammered for $8,000 and sold for $10,240 with buyer’s premium.

Early 15th-century Stained and Painted Glass Panel, $38,400

Early 15th-century stained and painted panel depicting The Annunciate Angel, which hammered for $30,000 and sold for $38,400 with buyer’s premium at Willow Auction House.
Early 15th-century stained and painted panel depicting The Annunciate Angel, which hammered for $30,000 and sold for $38,400 with buyer’s premium at Willow Auction House.

LINCOLN PARK, N.J. – The March 14 sale at Willow Auction House included a New York City private collection of leaded and stained glass panels. Featuring glass dating from the medieval period to the early 20th century, very much the front runner was this early 15th-century 2ft by 14in stained and painted panel depicting The Annunciate Angel. As countless similar gothic panels were destroyed during the iconoclasm of the Restoration, survivors outside Catholic Europe’s gothic churches are scarce. Acquired from London specialist dealership Sam Fogg in 2004, it was estimated at just $2,000-$3,000 but hammered for $30,000 and sold for $38,400 with buyer’s premium.

Red Grange Memorabilia Collection, $5,160

Group of vintage football materials, including a silent-movie premiere poster for ‘One Minute to Play’ starring Red Grange, which hammered for $4,300 and sold for $5,160 with buyer’s premium at Lot 14.
Group of vintage football materials, including a silent-movie premiere poster for ‘One Minute to Play’ starring Red Grange, which hammered for $4,300 and sold for $5,160 with buyer’s premium at Lot 14.

NILES, Ill. – Today’s world of professional American football owes an unpayable debt to Red Grange (1903-1991). Born in Forksville, Pennsylvania as Harold Edward Grange, his mother passed away when he was only five, and his father, a lumber man, floated until the family settled in Wheaton, Illinois. Grange would attend Wheaton Community High School, where his innate skill at football came to light. He went on to lead the Fighting Illini at the University of Illinois and became the first-ever All American to win the prestigious award by unanimous vote. Sports historians consider Grange’s signing with the Chicago Bears in 1925 as the singular event to validate the nascent National Football League.

Auction house Lot 14 recently uncovered a trove of vintage football material from a local collection and brought it to market on March 7. It included a 1916 matted presentation of football player photographs from Wheaton Community High School that predated Grange’s time there, and a group photo of the 1916 football team for Carter H. Harrison Technical High School in the South Lawndale area of Chicago.

Bidders focused on the rough-condition 1926 poster for One Minute to Play, the silent action picture that starred Grange and was produced by Joseph P. Kennedy, the patriarch of the American political dynasty. The film premiered at the Rialto Theater in Joliet, Illinois on October 4, 1926; the poster lists the run as October 4 through November 1. The ensemble lot was estimated at only $40-$75, but a war between the floor and a LiveAuctioneers bidder ensued, sending the final hammer to $4,300, or $5,160 with buyer’s premium.

Gustave Vertunni Figure of Jeanne d’Arc on Horseback, $1,024

Gustave Vertunni Jeanne d'Arc figure mounted on a horse, which hammered for $800 and sold for $1,024 with buyer’s premium at Old Toy Soldier Auctions.
Gustave Vertunni Jeanne d'Arc figure mounted on a horse, which hammered for $800 and sold for $1,024 with buyer’s premium at Old Toy Soldier Auctions.

PITTSBURGH – A LiveAuctioneers bidder triumphed in the online battle to become the next owner of a Gustave Vertunni hollow-cast figure of Joan of Arc. It took only one bid to silence the competition, with $800 being the number ($1,024 with buyer’s premium). The figure had been estimated at $350-$600 by Old Toy Soldier Auctions, as part of its OTSA 92 Luck of the Soldier sale on March 15.

Vertunni was Italian, but he moved to Paris after the end of World War II, where he would go on to create a huge variety of French historical figurines. He modeled kings, queens, and other notables with stunning accuracy, making his works highly sought after by contemporary collectors. Vertunni modeled figures from the Middle Ages through the Napoleonic era.

Enamel and Copper Tryptic by Phoebe Anna Traquair leads our five auction lots to watch

1906 enamel and copper tryptic by Phoebe Anna Traquair, estimated at £6,000-£8,000 ($7,545-$10,060) at Lyon & Turnbull April 17-18.

Enamel and Copper Tryptic by Phoebe Anna Traquair

EDINBURGH, UK – This enamel and copper triptych is the unmistakable work of Phoebe Anna Traquair (1873-1936), an important member of the Arts and Crafts movement in Edinburgh and the first woman to be given honorary membership in the Scottish Royal Academy, in 1920. She is considered one of few late Victorian women who managed to balance traditional family responsibilities with a successful recognized artistic career. 

Enameling was her specialty. This devotional triptych, dated 1906, is one of four known (another is in the Victoria & Albert Museum). The enameled scenes represent ‘Love, Comforter of the Night’, flanked by ‘Evening’ and ‘Morning’, all of which Traquair also produced as single enamels set as pendants. The text is taken from the psalms.

As part of Lyon & Turnbull’s Design Since 1860 sale on Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18, it has an estimate of £6,000-£8,000 ($7,545-$10,060).

René Lalique Art Nouveau Brooch

René Lalique Art Nouveau platinum, carved rock crystal, moonstone, and diamond garland brooch, estimated at $15,000-$20,000 at Doyle New York April 18.
René Lalique Art Nouveau platinum, carved rock crystal, moonstone, and diamond garland brooch, estimated at $15,000-$20,000 at Doyle New York April 18.

NEW YORK – René Lalique had already enjoyed a hugely successful career as a jewelry designer in the Art Nouveau taste before he ventured into glass manufacture and Art Deco. The Thursday, April 18 sale of Important Jewelry at Doyle New York includes two fine examples of his craft from around 1900.

Pictured is a platinum, rock crystal, moonstone and diamond garland brooch centered by an intaglio carving of a nude woman framed by a twisted furled scarf. A similar example dating to circa 1903-05 is shown in Sigrid Barten’s book René Lalique, Schmuck und Objets D’art 1890-1910. It appears in the sale lineup in its original box with an estimate of $15,000-$20,000.

A second piece of Lalique jewelry, a gold, plique-à-jour enamel, and diamond Femme Papillon brooch, is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Baccarat ‘Closepack’ Paperweight

Baccarat ‘closepack’ paperweight, estimated at €500-€600 ($540-$645) at Dr. Fischer Fine Art Auctions on April 19.
Baccarat ‘closepack’ paperweight, estimated at €500-€600 ($540-$645) at Dr. Fischer Fine Art Auctions on April 19.

HEILBRONN, Germany – Dr. Fischer Fine Art Auctions is a specialist in European glass. Its Friday, April 19 sale of European Glass and Studio Glass includes a number of 19th-century paperweights by the great French factories, with this Baccarat ‘closepack’ paperweight estimated at €500-€600 ($540-$645).

Baccarat made its first millefiori paperweights around 1846, with many examples including a date cane in the design. This 2in (5cm) weight has the signature rod B 1847.

1930s Clown-worn Roller Skates

Clown-worn roller skates from the 1930s, estimated at $750-$1,000 at Material Culture on April 16.
Clown-worn roller skates from the 1930s, estimated at $750-$1,000 at Material Culture on April 16.

PHILADELPHIA – The early 20th century was the heyday of American circus industry, having begun in the late 19th with pioneers such as P. T. Barnum and the Ringling Brothers. This was the pre-television age and the early days of radio entertainment, so a Saturday visit to the traveling circus was a routine event for many families across the country.

Always central to the humorous part of any circus is the clown. Performing in a buffoonish manner was key to the show, and these oversized roller skates would have been just the ticket to elicit a laugh from the crowd. Dated to the 1930s by Material Culture, the skates are made from black and brown leather and feature wooden wheels held to their axles by cotter pins. The skates are estimated at $750-$1,000 at Material Culture’s Spring Forward sale scheduled for Tuesday, April 16.

British Quad Poster for ‘From Russia With Love’

British ‘From Russia With Love’ promotional poster, estimated at $6,000-$12,000 at Propstore April 18.
British ‘From Russia With Love’ promotional poster, estimated at $6,000-$12,000 at Propstore April 18.

VALENCIA, Calif. – Ian Fleming (1908-1964) may have come from an upper-class background, as the child of a Member of Parliament, but his life took a dramatic turn when his father perished on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Fleming served in British Naval Intelligence throughout World War II, participating in the planning of Operation Golden Eye and overseeing two intelligence units. His wartime experience provided him unparalleled insight into the world of espionage, which would inform his career change when he decided to become a writer.

Casino Royale was released in 1953, when Fleming was 44 years of age. It was an immediate hit that went into additional printings, with readers wowed by the charm and daring of British secret service agent 007, James Bond. In all, Fleming would pen 12 Bond novels, with two being released after his death in 1964 from a lifetime of drinking and smoking.

This British quad (30 by 40in) for the second United Artists James Bond film From Russia With Love, dates to 1963 and features artwork by Renato Fratini and Eric Pulford. It is widely considered one of the best promotional depictions of actor Sean Connery in the role of 007, and as such commands high value in the collector market. British quads, which are the standard one-sheet format for the United Kingdom, are increasingly popular with American collectors, primarily because their artwork is often superior to that used in US promotional materials.

Propstore brings the quad to market on Day 1 of its two-day Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 sale. In fine original condition showing only fold lines, the poster is estimated at $6,000-$12,000.

Tiffany & Co. Aesthetic Movement Pitcher leads our five auction highlights

Circa-1885 Tiffany & Co. Aesthetic Movement pitcher, which hammered for $32,000 and sold for $41,920 with buyer’s premium at Toomey & Co.

Tiffany & Co. Aesthetic Movement Pitcher, $41,920

CHICAGO – The Aesthetic Movement lived by the phrase ‘art for art’s sake.’ Its adherents rebelled against the more functional thinking of the Victorian era, instead opting to make everyday things as beautiful as possible. The trend flourished in the 1870s and 1880s, and its influences were felt everywhere, including in the products emerging from the New York studios of Tiffany & Co.

This Tiffany pitcher is dated to around 1885 and features all the hallmarks of the Aesthetic Movement. Made from handwrought sterling silver with gold and copper plating, it includes Japonesque natural motifs including a cricket, a beetle, and a broadleaf plantain. On the underside it is marked Tiffany & Co 6463 Makers 5027 Sterling Silver 925-1000 M 2090 4 1/4 Pts, with the engraved initial M. Its gross weight is 29.8 troy ounces.

Estimated by Toomey & Co. at $6,000-$8,000, the pitcher would go on to hammer for $32,000 and sell for a shiny $41,920 at its February 29 Great Estates sale.

Antique Bovet Pocket Watch Made for the Chinese Market, $38,400

Bovet pocket watch for the Chinese market, which hammered for $30,000 and sold for $38,400 with buyer’s premium at Legend Artworks.

ROSEMEAD, Calif. – Just as rich Europeans coveted Chinese porcelain and lacquer in the 18th and 19th century, so the Chinese were fascinated by Western horology. Many English and Swiss clocks and pocket watches were made specifically for the Far Eastern market. The colorful gem-set and enameled pocket watches made in the town of Fleurier in Switzerland by two companies, Bovet and Juvet, played a dominant role in the export trade to China after the 1820s. Edouard Bovet even went as far as naming his company Bo Wei, the Cantonese word for watch.

The example offered by Legend Artworks on March 8 was typical. The 56mm 18K gold case, pendant and bail set with half pearls, has a white enamel dial on one side and a polychrome enamel scene of a tiger hunt on the other. It opens to reveal a typical Fleurier ‘Chinese market’ duplex escapement, with all the components of the movement heavily engraved.

Although the auction house speculated that the watch may be more than 200 years old, it was probably made in the second half of the 19th century. It is signed both Bovet and with the Chinese characters for Bovet Fleurier.

The estimate was a broad $200-$10,000 but, as prices for these watches have risen sharply in the past two decades with renewed Chinese interest, there were a number of interested parties willing to push the price well above the top estimate. The hammer price was $30,000, and with buyer’s premium, it sold for $38,400.

Arturo Noci, ‘Man at Window,’ $32,000

Arturo Noci, ‘Man at Window,’ which hammered for $25,000 and sold for $32,000 with buyer’s premium at Roland NY.
Arturo Noci, ‘Man at Window,’ which hammered for $25,000 and sold for $32,000 with buyer’s premium at Roland NY.

GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Roland NY’s March 2024 Estates Sale, which took place on March 9, was a classic mix of art and furnishings from homes being decommissioned after the passing of their owners. Among the 927 lots was a framed oil on canvas that the house titled Man at Window. Signed by Arturo Noci (1874-1953) and dated 1917, the work is strikingly evocative, with the viewer’s perspective as a voyeur of a man lost in thought as he scans what could be the French or Italian countryside.

Born in Rome, Noci was evidently an active painter who, from a review of his works sold at auction, specialized in portraiture. He would move to New York in 1923 and would spend his final 30 years there, often creating portraits of wealthy clients who he had befriended.

With a modest estimate of $4,000-$6,000, Noci’s canvas was noted to have some flaking issues and craquelure throughout. Bidders were not deterred; after 40 raises, the winner finished off the competition with a $25,000 purchase ($32,000 with buyer’s premium).

Circa-1500 French or Flemish Boxwood ‘Love Token’ Comb, $12,100

Circa-1500 French or Flemish boxwood ‘love token’ comb, which hammered for £7,000 and sold for £9,450 ($12,100) with buyer’s premium at Timeline Auctions.
Circa-1500 French or Flemish boxwood ‘love token’ comb, which hammered for £7,000 and sold for £9,450 ($12,100) with buyer’s premium at Timeline Auctions.Circa-1500 French or Flemish boxwood ‘love token’ comb, which hammered for £7,000 and sold for £9,450 ($12,100) with buyer’s premium at Timeline Auctions.

HARWICH, UK – The familiar heart-symbol – that today is ‘read’ as love – made its first appearance as a rebus in the late medieval era. This French or Flemish boxwood comb dating to circa 1490-1510 is meticulously carved with the inscription ‘de bon [coeur] donne’qui de bon [coeur] eyme’, translating to ‘He who loves from the heart, gives with a good heart’. It was probably given as a love token in much the same way as posy rings were gifts between lovers.

As they could touch the beloved directly, combs were considered intimate objects and were often included in bridal trousseaus. The tradition of using boxwood for combs is also an ancient one: the Latin word for boxwood, buxum, also signifies comb.

Such a well-preserved example is a rarity. A similar piece, dated circa 1500, is illustrated in Edward Pinto’s collecting bible Treen and Other Wooden Bygones, while another similarly inscribed front and back ‘A ma tres douce amie pour bie le done’ sold for $6,000 at Christie’s New York in June 2022.

This example, formerly in an American collection, was consigned by a Suffolk, England vendor to the Antiquities sale at Timeline Auctions. Offered on the first day of the March 5-9 sales series, it was estimated at £1,000-£1,400 ($1,280-$1,790) but hammered for £7,000 and sold for £9,450 ($12,100) with buyer’s premium.

Benny Carter, Tall Case Clock, $2,625

Benny Carter tall case clock with Statue of Liberty art, which hammered for $2,100 and sold for $2,625 with buyer’s premium at Ledbetter.
Benny Carter tall case clock with Statue of Liberty art, which hammered for $2,100 and sold for $2,625 with buyer’s premium at Ledbetter.

GIBSONVILLE, N.C. – Benny Carter (1943-2014) came to the world of folk art like so many of his kind – an upheaval in his life caused him to begin to express himself through art. In Carter’s case, it took the form of painting everyday objects with his bright color palette and his Baptist- and Americana-infused metaphors.

The lifelong North Carolinian had been a supervisor at a metal product fabricator near his home, but a business downturn compelled a layoff, resulting in Carter losing his only job of 29 years. He took to painting, and, as he would often tell his admirers, “Buy art.” And buy it they did, making Carter a leading member of the outsider art movement.

This tall case clock appeared at Ledbetter Folk Art Auction on March 1. A lengthy battle between LiveAuctioneers bidders sent the $200-$400 estimate into the trash and resulted in an astounding $2,100 ($2,625 with buyer’s premium). The clock’s door features Carter’s high attention to fine details, and includes one of his favorite themes, the Statue of Liberty. She carries the phrase “come up and see me some time” against a New York City skyline backdrop.

Clarice Cliff Bizarre ware platter leads our five lots to watch

Clarice Cliff Bizarre ware pottery dish with a sunburst pattern, estimated at $200-$400 at Rivich Auction.

Clarice Cliff Bizarre Ware Platter

CHICAGO – The commercial interest in Clarice Cliff’s Bizarre Ware was such that it was exported to North America, South Africa, Brazil, Cuba, Holland, Australia, and New Zealand. Some of the earliest wares from the range, launched by Newport Pottery in October 1927, were designs such as this platter decorated with colored triangles and banding. It has an estimate of $200-$400 and is one of a number of Clarice Cliff lots in Rivich Auction’s Sunday, April 14 sale titled High Style Estates: Deco Garden Mid Century.

Paul Newman-worn 1975 Racing Helmet

Paul Newman-owned and -raced Simpson Racing Products helmet with bag and photographs, estimated at $5,000-$15,000 at Winter Associates.
Paul Newman-owned and -raced Simpson Racing Products helmet with bag and photographs, estimated at $5,000-$15,000 at Winter Associates.

PLAINVILLE, Conn. — Academy Award-winning actor Paul Newman (1925-2008) enjoyed a very full life, starring in some of the 20th century’s best-loved films, such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Color of Money (1986, for which he won his only Oscar), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1967), and Slap Shot (1977). Newman’s likeness can still be found on supermarket shelves across the United States as branding for Newman’s Own food products, which continue to raise funds for charities nearly 20 years after his passing.

In the early 1970s, following the lead of fellow actors James Garner (who starred in the 1967 film Grand Prix) and Steve McQueen (showcased in the 1969 film Le Mans), Newman tried his hand at auto racing and soon proved himself track-worthy. Newman’s first professional start was in 1972 at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut, where he entered as ‘P. L. Newman,’ the name he would ultimately be billed as when racing. Newman migrated to Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events, where he would end up winning four national championships.

This authenticated Simpson Racing Products helmet comes with numerous photographs of Newman using it at races. It is marked P L Newman / No Allergies / January 26 1925 / Blood O Pos and is accompanied by a Summit Racing carry bag. It is a star lot at Winter Associates’ Automobilia & Literature Auction scheduled for Saturday, April 6. The entire lot has an estimate of $5,000-$15,000.

Circa-1895 Tinplate Magic Lantern by Georges Carette

Die Fabrik (The Factory), a circa-1895 tinplate lantern by Georges Carette, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Austin Auction Gallery.
Die Fabrik (The Factory), a circa-1895 tinplate lantern by Georges Carette, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Austin Auction Gallery.

AUSTIN, Texas – The French toymaker Georges Carette (1861-1954) is thought to have learned how to make magic lanterns from the Paris specialist August Lapierre. After moving his operations to the German toymaking capital of Nuremberg, Carette produced a series of different toy models, from the basic to the elaborate. Among his most creative was Die Fabrik (The Factory), a circa-1895 tinplate lantern made in the form of an industrial building and chimney. A good example with much of its original paintwork and lithography intact has been consigned to Austin Auction Gallery as part of a Friday, April 12 sale of Antique Cameras and Magic Lanterns. It has an estimate of $1,500-$2,500. The 517 lots represent the collection of Sam Westfall of Texas.

19th-century Drawings for Patriotic Tattoos

George Washington sketch from a book of 19th-century tattoo designs, estimated at $400-$600 at Soulis Auctions.
George Washington sketch from a book of 19th-century tattoo designs, estimated at $400-$600 at Soulis Auctions.

LONE JACK, Mo. – This graphite drawing with red gouache highlights is one of four patriotic scenes that originated in the sketch book of a 19th-century tattoo artist identified as I.E. Reiquier. By repute, the group was purchased from Balish Antiques at the Madison Square Gardens Antique Show in 1956 and later appeared at a tattoo history exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum.

Dated circa 1870, this sheet depicts the bust of George Washington within a frame of symbols perfect for the Centennial. Each of the 6 by 6in designs has an estimate of $400-$600 at Soulis Auctions’ Saturday, April 13 sale titled Americana 1830 to 1940. 

1817 Silver Passover Compendium by George Heinrich Steffen

Neoclassical silver Passover compendium by George Heinrich Steffen, made in Berlin in 1817, estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at J. Greenstein & Co.
Neoclassical silver Passover compendium by George Heinrich Steffen, made in Berlin in 1817, estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at J. Greenstein & Co.

CEDARHURST, N.Y. – Religious silver is usually made to established models and in a conservative taste. The Passover compendium on offer in J. Greenstein & Co.’s Important Judaica Spring Sale on Tuesday, April 16 is an exception, representing the very latest neoclassical trend when made by the Berlin silversmith George Heinrich Steffen in 1817. Just two years earlier, Jews in Berlin had been granted Prussian citizenship, and the various regulations and taxes that had unfairly targeted them were rescinded. Religious life centered on the Old Synagogue in present-day Mitte, Germany.

Working predominantly as a maker of table silver from 1796 to 1828, George Heinrich Steffen is known to have made a number of pieces of Jewish liturgical silver, including a pair of rimmonim (torah finials) now in the Hamburg Museum. This 2ft 4in neoclassical Passover compendium is struck with both the maker’s mark and the city mark to the base of the temple tower, the cup of Elijah temple, and the six detachable shell-form Passover food holders. Previously sold at Christie’s New York in October 1990, it has an estimate of $25,000-$35,000.

ACN Staff

ACN Staff

Content bearing the byline of ACN staff has been researched and written by multiple members of the Auction Central News team.

‘Psycho’ one-sheet featuring Hitchcock leads our five auction highlights

Advance one-sheet for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hammered for £9,500 ($12,180) and sold for £12,350 ($15,830) with buyer’s premium at Propstore.

‘Psycho’ One-sheet Featuring Hitchcock, $15,830

VALENCIA, Calif. – Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) was a larger-than-life figure in Hollywood, taking delight in making cameo appearances in the films he produced and directed. In 1960, his biggest projected film to date was Psycho, starring Anthony Perkins as the soon-to-be-notorious innkeeper Norman Bates.

Hitchcock’s longtime studio, Universal Pictures, loved using Hitchcock in its advance marketing. This one-sheet poster admonishes the reader It Is Required That You See Psycho From The Very Beginning! Hitchcock stands pointing to his watch, adjacent to a position where the theater staff could mark the next upcoming showing.

The poster was from the David Frangioni collection of movie memorabilia. Frangioni is an accomplished drummer who has played with rock’s elite, and is considered one of the most knowledgeable sources of information on Clint Eastwood. It took only three bids to achieve the final hammer of £9,500 ($12,180) for the one-sheet, selling for £12,350 ($15,830) with buyer’s premium at Propstore’s Collectible Poster Live Auction – London on February 8.

Jan Matulka, ‘Still Life With Gramophone’, which hammered for $50,000 and sold for $64,500 with buyer’s premium at Schwenke.

Jan Matulka, ‘Still Life With Gramophone’, $64,500; and ‘Broadway’, $29,670

WOODBURY, Conn. – Though born in the Austro-Hungarian province of Bohemia in what is today the Czech Republic, Jan Matulka (1890-1972) made his mark in America. He was the first recipient of the Joseph Pulitzer National Traveling Scholarship in 1917, which allowed him to tour the United States and paint as he went. He is considered the first modern artist to capture the Hopi Indian ‘snake dance’, which he depicted as part of his national tour.

Schwenke Auctioneers had two Matulka works in its February 14 estate auction for Thomas and Whitney Armstrong. Still Life With Gramophone is a 1927 original that has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art. A fierce battle broke out over the work between the floor and LiveAuctioneers bidders. After dozens of escalations, the floor finally won out at $50,000 ($64,500 with buyer’s premium).

Broadway, an undated pencil and ink on paper, saw a similar battle waged, with the $3,000-$4,000 estimate shattered at $23,000 ($29,670 with buyer’s premium).

Jan Matulka, ‘Broadway’, which hammered for $23,000 and sold for $29,670 with buyer’s premium at Schwenke.

John Rogers, ‘The Bushwhacker / The Wife’s Appeal For Peace’, $27,500

John Rogers, ‘The Bushwhacker / The Wife’s Appeal For Peace’, which hammered for $22,000 and sold for $27,500 with buyer’s premium at Ralph Fontaine Heritage Auctions.

CANAAN, N.Y. – John Rogers (1829-1904) was a sculptor and mass marketer of plaster statues that became must-have items in 19th-century America. No home of any means would be without what was called a ‘Rogers Group,’ so named because the sculptures were designed by Rogers to tell a story.

Rogers typically worked in clay to finalize his ‘group,’ then would create a bronze master from that model. The bronze yielded multiple plaster molds that were used in turn to mass-replicate the design for public sale. Highly sought after today by a dedicated John Rogers collecting community, Rogers Groups are auction house favorites.

Ralph Fontaine Heritage Auctions brought The Bushwhacker / The Wife’s Appeal For Peace to market February 25 as part of its Wonderful Winter Estate Auction. With a presale estimate of $50-$10,000, the house didn’t know where this 22in-tall item would end up. It was described by Fontaine in the lot notes as the “rarest John Rogers group,” adding, “I was told there [are] only 5 known to exist (3 in museums).” Dated April 1865, The Bushwhacker depicts a family of three positioned around a long rifle. Furious bidding ended when a LiveAuctioneers customer offered $22,000 ($27,500 with buyer’s premium).

Hugh Ferriss, ‘The 1964 World's Fair Unisphere’, $20,910

‘The 1964 World’s Fair Unisphere’ by Hugh Ferriss, which hammered for $17,000 and sold for $20,910 with buyer’s premium at Soulis.

LONE JACK, Mo. – A work by Hugh Ferriss (1889-1962) discovered in a Missouri home was presented at Soulis Auctions on February 24. Titled by the auctioneer The 1964 World’s Fair Unisphere, the work is a charcoal on artist board depicting Ferriss’ vision for the beloved Unisphere erected in Queens for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Considering Ferriss died two years before the fair’s opening, it’s fair to say his rendering of what would ultimately be built is exceptional.

Ferriss was a Missouri native who trained as an architect, but found his calling creating architectural renderings of buildings for clients. He moved to New York and worked for famed architect Cass Gilbert, for whom he would render the planned Woolworth Building. As time went on, Ferriss’ style became darker and moodier, often depicting buildings at night with full illumination. His masterwork, 1929’s The Metropolis of Tomorrow, delivered his vision and influenced generations of architects.

The 1964 World’s Fair Unisphere carried a respectable $4,000-$6,000 presale estimate. The final hammer for the previously lost work was $17,000, or $20,910 with buyer’s premium.

François Bénévol Head-cutting Magician’s Prop, $1,600

‘Head of François Bénévol,’ which hammered for €1,100 ($1,200) and sold for €1,203 ($1,600) with buyer’s premium at Bernaerts Auctioneers BV.

ANTWERP, Belgium – François Bénévol (1865-1939) was an Italian by birth (real name: Francesco Luigi Maria Benevole) but he adopted a French accent, name, and mannerisms for his career as an illusionist. Online biographies list his duties as ‘conjurer, illusionist, acrobat [and] clown musician.’ So successful was he that in 1899 Bénévol opened Théâtre-salon Bénevol, his own performance space.

Though he is largely forgotten today, two Bénévol-related items appeared at Bernaerts Auctioneers BV as part of its Circus & Magic sale February 19 in Antwerp, Belgium. The first was billed as the Head of François Bénévol, a 1920s-era carved wooden likeness of the magician used in his séance performances. During the course of the program, Bénévol would appear to behead himself, earning him the nickname ‘le coupeur de têtes’ (chopper of heads). With a modest €500-€600 ($545-$655) presale estimate, the prop soared to a final hammer of €1,100 ($1,200) and sold for €1,203 ($1,600) with buyer’s premium.

A color-lithographed promotional poster for Bénévol’s act also crossed the block in the same sale. Le légendaire professeur Bénévol was undated, though the style appears to be early 20th century. It doubled its low estimate to hammer at €400 and sell for €532 ($580) with buyer’s premium.

Purvis Young’s ‘Angels Free Us’ leads our five lots to watch

Monumental mixed media on plywood painting by Purvis Young, estimated at $10,000-$30,000 at Akiba Galleries.

Purvis Young, ‘Angels Free Us’

DANIA BEACH, Fla. – Just months after achieving a massive new auction record for Purvis Young (1943-2010), Akiba Galleries is offering another large-scale work by the African American Outsider artist. The monumental mixed media on plywood painting from the 1990s is estimated at $10,000-$30,000 on Tuesday, April 2.

Young, who lived his entire life in the Overtown area of Miami, was emerging as an art market ‘name’ when this 4ft by 8ft work, titled Angels Free Us, was painted. It was purchased from Outsider Folk Art Gallery in Reading, Pennsylvania by the present owner.

Eclipsing all previous prices for the artist, a large-scale, mid-career work by Young sold for a remarkable $350,000 at Akiba Galleries in December 2023. Date, size, and subject matter were key to its appeal: the 1974 painting on shipping crate plywood chronicles the artist’s unhappiness when his neighborhood was effectively divided to make way for an overpass bridging more affluent sections of Miami.

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British or American Wooden Carving of a Spread-winged Eagle

British or American late 19th- or early 20th-century spread-winged eagle carved from pine, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Brunk.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – On Wednesday, April 10, Brunk Auctions will present almost 150 lots of art, furniture, and decorative pieces from the collection of Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, who served as the US ambassador to Finland from 2001 to 2003. Her other achievements include serving as the first woman leader of the American Red Cross and founding Pace Communications in 1973, where she holds the title of CEO.

Among the eminently tasteful George III, Regency, William and Mary, and Chinese Chippendale pieces on offer, which once graced her former homes in Greensboro, North Carolina and Washington, D.C., is a wooden carving well suited to the latter, and to her tenure as ambassador. Standing 43in tall, a handsome spread-winged eagle, made in Britain or the US in the late 19th or early 20th century, carries an estimate of $1,500-$2,500. Its provenance includes an October 2007 sale at Christie’s New York.

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Fred Stone, ‘Spectacular Bid’

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. – This watercolor by equine artist Fred Stone (1930-2018) depicts Spectacular Bid, the champion racehorse who won 26 of his 30 races, including the 1979 Kentucky Derby. The 31 by 30in painting, purchased directly from the artist in 1981, is the original work, which was also issued as a print in an edition of 500.

It comes for sale as part of the California Estates Auction at Clark’s Auction Company on Sunday, April 7. The estimate is $4,000-$6,000, although at auction there is always a chance of a spectacular bid.

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Sterling Silver Baltimore Repoussé Serving Dish and Cover

Sterling silver Baltimore repoussé serving dish and cover, estimated at $2,800-$3,800 at SJ Auctioneers.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Repoussé wares became the signature output of a host of silversmiths working in late 19th-century Baltimore. It was here where the Baltimore Style emerged – a range of highly ornate tableware and holloware in numerous floral patterns.  

This serving dish and cover has a full set of marks for the Baltimore Silversmiths Manufacturing Co., founded in 1903 by the Gorham-trained silversmith Frank M. Schofield (1873-1947). Weighing 39oz, it has an estimate of $2,800-$3,800 as part of an estate collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century silver to be auctioned by SJ Auctioneers on Sunday, March 31. The auction, titled Luxe Decor Silverware Toys and More, includes silver pieces by Tiffany & Co., Samuel Kirk, and Reed & Barton. 

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US Cartridge Company Poster, ‘The Black Shells’

‘The Black Shells’, a US Cartridge Company advertising poster estimated at $50-$200,000 at Richmond Auctions.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Only a handful of examples of this US Cartridge Company poster are known. Titled The Black Shells, the scene depicts a peregrine falcon as it attacks a pair of green-winged teal. The artwork – often attributed to wildlife illustrator Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878-1960) – includes drawings of each of the company’s line of shotgun shells in their signature black casings. The poster is among the highlights of the Saturday, April 13 Premier Firearm & Sports Advertising sale at Richmond Auctions. Like all the lots in the sale, it has the broad estimate of $50-$200,000. However, in December 2022, Rock Island Auction Company sold another as part of the George F. Gamble collection for $14,000. 

The US Cartridge Company, founded in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1869 by the Civil War general Benjamin Butler, grew to supply some 65 percent of American small arms ammunition production for the First World War. When acquired by the owner of Winchester Repeating Arms, production was shifted from Lowell to New Haven, Connecticut.

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ACN Staff

ACN Staff

Content bearing the byline of ACN staff has been researched and written by multiple members of the Auction Central News team.

British World War II recruiting poster in Hebrew leads our five auction highlights

‘You can shorten the road – To Victory. Join the ATS,’ a 1943 poster designed by the Shamir Brothers, hammered for $6,000 and sold for $7,800 at Ishtar Auctions in Israel.

World War II-era Poster, in Hebrew, Recruiting Jewish Women to Join the British Army, $7,800

‘You can shorten the road – To Victory. Join the ATS,’ a 1943 poster designed by the Shamir Brothers, hammered for $6,000 and sold for $7,800 at Ishtar Auctions in Israel.
‘You can shorten the road – To Victory. Join the ATS,’ a 1943 poster designed by the Shamir Brothers, hammered for $6,000 and sold for $7,800 at Ishtar Auctions in Israel.


TEL AVIV – Second World War posters recruiting British and American women to the war effort are a familiar sight at auction. Less well known, and much harder to find, are the posters that encouraged thousands of Jewish women to serve in variety of combat support roles in the Middle East.

The idea of Jewish women serving in the British army was not without its opponents, both in Britain and in the Yishuv, the Jewish community in Palestine prior to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. However, after representatives of local women’s organizations formally requested that the British Army open the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) to volunteers from Mandatory Palestine, permission to draft up to 5,000 women was granted in October 1941. The first class of 60 women designated to become officers and NCOs appeared for duty at the British Army camp at Sarafand in January 1942.

Due to religious objections, not all of the eligible women were actually enlisted in the ATS. However, an estimated 3,500 Hebrew women were recruited to the ATS and 700 to the WAAF (the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) during the course of the war. Arguably, their finest hour was the Second Battle of El Alamein (October 23-November 4, 1942), when ATS drivers trucked in Allied troops and weapons to the front lines, helping secure the victory that was the beginning of the end of the Western Desert Campaign.

Numerous recruitment posters were made at the time encouraging women to volunteer, many of them designed by the Latvian-born brothers Gabriel and Maxim Shamir, who had opened a graphic design studio in Tel Aviv in 1935. Typical of their work is the rare 2ft 2in by 19in (65 by 48cm) 1943 poster offered at Ishtar Auctions on March 7. In the foreground is a woman driver dressed in the ATS uniform while written in Hebrew the slogan reads: You can Shorten the Road to Victory, Join the ATS. 

The Shamir Brothers Collection at the National Library of Israel – the subject of an exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1999 – holds a huge archive of similar works, but this example hammered at $6,000, tripling its high estimate of $1,500-$2,000, and it sold for $7,800 with buyer’s premium.

 

Lute and Molecule 1’, $20,480

‘Lute and Molecule 1’ by Ben Shahn, which hammered for $16,000 and sold for $20,480 at Hill Auction Gallery.
‘Lute and Molecule 1’ by Ben Shahn, which hammered for $16,000 and sold for $20,480 at Hill Auction Gallery.


SUNRISE, Fla. – The artist Ben Shahn (1898-1969) worked primarily as an academic in the last two decades of his life, joining Harvard University as a professor in 1956 and publishing both The Biography of Painting (1956) and The Shape of Content (1960). However, he continued to paint. Hill Auction Gallery’s February 28 Hidden Gems sale included Shahn’s original gouache titled Lute and Molecule 1 and dated circa 1958.

The composition, depicting a stringed musical instrument with molecular pattern designs in shades of gray, brown, blue, black, and yellow formed the basis for two of the artist’s most popular screenprints, Lute and Molecule, No. 1 and Lute and Molecule, No. 2, published in 1958. It came for sale from a private collection with an estimate of $500-$1,500, but hammered for $16,000 and sold for $20,480 with buyer’s premium.

 

 

Zun-form Cloisonné Enamel Vase Attributed to the Xuande Period, $70,170

Zun-form cloisonné enamel vase attributed to the Xuande period, which hammered for £43,000 and sold for £55,040 ($70,170) with buyer’s premium at Hannam’s.
Zun-form cloisonné enamel vase attributed to the Xuande period, which hammered for £43,000 and sold for £55,040 ($70,170) with buyer’s premium at Hannam’s.


SELBORNE, UK – This 8in (19cm) high vase, offered for sale at Hannam’s Auctioneers on February 27, may belong to a select group of Ming cloisonné enamel vases dating to the Xuande period (1426-1435). All are approximately the same size, follow the zun form inspired by ancient Shang and Western Zhou bronzes, and are decorated with similar peony blossom and lotus-scroll decoration. More specifically, they share heavy bronze bodies, feature strong colors, and are set within fine, accurately bent wires. The best known of these vessels is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, where it is dated to the Xuande period and attributed the Yuyongjian workshop, a division of the department responsible for providing furnishings to the Imperial household. Other examples were sold at Christie’s in London in May 2010 for £210,000 (roughly $267,645) and at Christie’s New York in September 2021 for $300,000 ($382,375).

Hannam’s zun-form vase, described as ‘probably imperial and Xuande period’, appeared without a published provenance and a modest estimate of £800-£1,200 ($1,020-$1,530). However, showing some confidence in its pedigree, several potential buyers competed for it, prompting the lot to hammer for £43,000 and sell for £55,040 ($70,170) with buyer’s premium.

 

Krishen Khanna, ‘Aftermath’, $142,680

Krishen Khanna, ‘Aftermath’, which hammered for $116,000 and sold for $142,680 at Taurus Auctions.
Krishen Khanna, ‘Aftermath’, which hammered for $116,000 and sold for $142,680 at Taurus Auctions.


FAIR LAWN, N.J. – A relatively early work by the contemporary Indian painter Krishen Khanna (b. 1925-) hammered for $116,000 and sold for $142,680 against an estimate of $4,000-$8,000 at Taurus Auctions on February 29. Aftermath, a circa-1960s meditation on the Partition, was consigned from the collection of Lewis and Leanne Goodfriend of Westchester, New York.

The work of the nonagenarian today resides in many museum collections both in India and abroad, but when this picture was painted, Khanna had only recently committed to a career as a painter. He had been awarded the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1962 (the year he represented India at the Venice Biennial) and was an artist-in-residence at American University in Washington, D.C. in 1963 and 1964.

Painted in the Expressionist style, Aftermath (which is titled on the verso alongside the fragment of an exhibition label) depicts a somber figure seated at a table with a chicken waiting to be carved. Measuring 2ft 10in by 2ft 9in and in its original frame, is thought to be one of many works from this period to explore the aftermath of the partition of the Indian subcontinent. In August 1947, Khanna and his family had been forced to flee south from the newly created state of Pakistan with thousands of other Hindus.

The estimate for the painting was certainly modest for an artist whose work has made more than $200,000 on several occasions, with Khanna’s auction record (set in India, where most of his paintings appear for sale) now close to $500,000.

 

Six Mythological Oils on Copper by Luca Giordano, $70,400

Group of six oil-on-copper mythological scenes by Luca Giordano, which hammered for $55,000 and sold for $70,400 with buyer’s premium at Brunk.
Group of six oil-on-copper mythological scenes by Luca Giordano, which hammered for $55,000 and sold for $70,400 with buyer’s premium at Brunk.


ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Brunk’s March 7 auction included a group of six small oil-on-copper mythological scenes by Neapolitan painter Luca Giordano (1634-1705). Known as Fa Presto (which translates as ‘does it quickly’) because of his speed of painting, his dramatic religious and mythological subjects were in demand in Rome, Venice (where he traveled in 1667), Florence (1680-1682) and Madrid (1692-1702), as well as in Naples.

Giordano painted many large-scale canvases, but here, the artist worked on a more intimate scale. Similar sets of copper panels were incorporated into late 17th-century furniture – a good example being the cabinet on stand dated circa 1670 in the collection of the Dubrovnik Cultural History Museum. The subjects of these six 6 by 6in (15 by 15cm) paintings at Brunk are: Mars and Venus; The Death of Lucretia; Pan and Syrinx; Olindo and Sophronia; Hercules, Nessus, and Deianira; and Diana and Endymion. The Italian-style stippled and giltwood frames were made by Lowy of New York.

With an earlier provenance to the Suida-Manning collection (most of which is now in the Blanton Museum of Art in Texas), the set had been bought from Robert Simon Fine Art in New York in 2007 for $300,000. They were offered by Brunk with a far more modest estimate of $25,000-$35,000, hammering for $55,000 and selling for $70,400 with buyer’s premium as 62 people watched on LiveAuctioneers.

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell is editor of Auction Central News and deputy editor at Antiques Trade Gazette. He has been writing about all aspects of the art and antiques market for more than 25 years.